LONDON When The Sun Goes Down, a murky tale by Arctic Monkeys, has been nominated for Best Song at the Ivor Novello awards.

The Sheffield band’s No 1 single — “I’ve seen him with girls of the night/ And he told Roxanne to put on her red light/ They’re all infected but he’ll be alright/ Cause he’s a scumbag” — was written by their frontman Alex Turner when he was a teenager.

The song is favourite to win Best Song Musically and Lyrically, the top award given by the British Academy of Composers & Songwriters. The nominations were announced as the follow-up to the band’s record-breaking debut was released.

Stores reported brisk business for Favourite Worst Nightmare, but its first-week sales are not expected to match that of its predecessor, Whatever People Think I Am, That’s What I’m Not.

Rehab by Amy Winehouse received a Novello nomination for Best Contemporary Song. The song describes the singer’s refusal to seek treatment for her drinking.

Robbie Williams’s rap track Rudebox is nominated for International Hit of the Year. He competes against Sir Elton John, nominated as co-writer of the Scissor Sisters’ I Don’t Feel Like Dancin’, and Madonna for Sorry.

Sir Elton and Madonna each have two nominations for the awards but organisers may have to sit them apart after Sir Elton accused her of miming during live performances.

Corinne Bailey Rae and the techno group Hot Chip have also received nominations. The ceremony will take place at Grosvenor House, in Central London, next month.

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