Shout it out: What is Scotland's greatest song?

Now a new quest has begun to get the public to agree on what is the number 1 song for Scotland.

The move has come as part of a bid to champion the nation's rich musical heritage at a time when appeals have gone out to the Scottish Government to give vital support in the coronavirus crisis to a music industry which generated £431 million of spending in 2018 and sustained 4300 full-time jobs.

While it is likely to further ignite further debates, rather than settle them, the makers of the Football Daft podcast along with radio stations across Scotland aim to try at least to see if there is a consensus on the nation's favourite song.

A series of shows and mini documentaries will be produced and broadcast on regional radio stations ahead of a national vote on St Andrew’s Day, November 30.

Using a roundtable style format,, the shows will play some of the best songs the country has produced from listener suggestions – with likely candidates including Simple Minds, the Proclaimers, Annie Lennox, Travis, Franz Ferdinand, Calvin Harris, Lulu, and Scotland's newest big name Lewis Capaldi.

Using industry experts, artists and radio presenters, the songs will be narrowed down to a short list of ten.

Short mini-documentaries on each song will then be produced and broadcast over the weeks running up to St Andrew’s Day.

Once all ten songs have been featured, listeners will be able to vote for their favourite ahead of a one-hour special on November 30 to name Scotland’s greatest song.

The project is the brainchild of Glasgow-based audio specialists Audio Frontier, which has won a funding bid for the programmes through the UK Government’s Audio Content Fund.

John McInally, senior audio producer with Audio Frontier, said: “Scotland has always been at the forefront of science and innovation with inventions such as the television, the telephone and penicillin.

“An area however that is often overlooked is our rich musical heritage.

“We want to highlight just what brilliant songs this nation has provided the world within this series of shows and mini documentaries.

“We can’t wait to start working with Bauer and hearing the suggestions from listeners.”

The producers will use a panel of industry experts, artists and radio presenters, to narrowed down suggested songs to a shortlist of 10 within a three hour weekend show.

The plan is then to run a ten to 15 minute mini programme based on each song, which will run throughout the days in the weeks running up to St Andrews Day.

Once all 10 songs have been featured listeners will then vote and there will be a countdown in a one hour special on the 30th November.

The shows will be broadcsat on the Greatest Hits Radio network operated by Bauer, which includes stations such as Clyde 2, Forth 2, Tay 2, Moray Firth Radio, Northsound 2 and West Sound.

Victoria Easton-Riley, content director at Greatest Hits Radio Scotland, said: "We are delighted to be able to announce the countdown of Scotland’s Greatest Songs and to get Scotland singing and dancing along to some classic hits.

“With the likes of Texas, Wet Wet Wet, Simple Minds, Annie Lennox, Midge Ure and The Proclaimers to choose from, it is going to be a tough decision."

It comes as many of the stars of Scottish popular culture who are likely to be featured from Wet Wet Wet and The Proclaimers to Biffy Clyro and Simple Minds have come together to appeal to the Scottish Government to give vital support to save the music industry which has been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic.

The letter signed by a host of artists, festivals, record labels, and booking agencies sent to the Scottish Government is warning that the music industry risks devastation without intervention.

It urged the Scottish Government to establish a culture & creative industries infrastructure fund with the recently announced £97m in funding from the UK Government and ensure Scottish commercial music businesses can access this to support survival and promote recovery.

It called on ministers to consult and work in partnership with them to ensure support for arts and culture "takes into account the needs of the commercial music sector including how funding being made available is administered".

It also wanted "a clear, conditional timeline for reopening venues without social distancing".

Visitors spent £431m in Scotland on tickets, merchandise, drinks, food and accommodation, as well as indirect spending, such as costs created by organisers in running events.

From Wet Wet Wet,  Lonnie Donegan and Lulu to Young Fathers, Belle & Sebastian, Biffy Clyro and Mogwai, Scotland has more than punched its weight in having an impact in the  world of popular music.

But a new quest has begun to find that song which lights up the lives of the nation; the greatest song from Scotland.

While the challenge to pick that song might seem an impossible task, we have put together a list of some of the most resonant songs covering decades of musical history.

This list ranging from chart hits to artistic pop are the tunes Scots have been unable to get out of their heads.

If you have grown up in Scotland - and been to more than a handful of birthday parties, office shindigs, weddings, sporting events  there will be little chance that you will not have come across them.

Thirty familiar songs associated with Scotland

Don’t You Forget About Me - Simple Minds
Auld Lang Syne -Royal Scots Dragoon Guards
Dignity - Deacon Blue

I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles) - The Proclaimers
Baker Street - Gerry Rafferty
Somewhere In Your Heart - Aztec Camera
Psycho Killer - Talking Heads/David Byrne
Loaded - Primal Scream
Highway To Hell - AC/DC
Into The Valley - The Skids
Flower of Scotland - The Corries

Someone You Loved - Lewis Capaldi
The Jeely Piece Song - Matt McGinn
Take Me Out - Franz Ferdinand
Shang a Lang - Bay City Rollers
Shout - Lulu
Why Does It Always Rain On Me - Travis
Sweet Little Mystery - Wet Wet Wet
Caledonia - Dougie MacLean
In A  Big Country - Big Country
Loch Lomond - Runrig

Sweet Dreams - Eurythmics/Annie Lennox
I Love a Lassie - Sir Harry Lauder
Smalltown Boy - Bronski Beat/Jimmy Somerville
Vienna - Ultravox/Midge Ure
Tinseltown in the Rain - The Blue Nile
Labour of Love - Hue and Cry
Sailing - Rod Stewart
Pick Up The Pieces - Average White Band
We Have A  Dream - BA Robertson/Scotland World Cup Squad 1982