This weekend, Saturday May 17, the footballing representatives of the cities of Cardiff and – *spit* – Portsmouth butt heads at Wembley Stadium to contest this season’s FA Cup Final. Never ones to overlook an opportunity to remind readers of the strange relationship between pop music and the beautiful game, here we pick ten soccer… sorry… football-themed (or loosely associated) songs that’ve tickled the charts in recent years. We’d call it a top ten, but that’d suggest we like these songs.
First, though, a little something from the Pompey Sound Squad, pleasantly titled ‘Fuck Southampton’ (ahem), and the official Cardiff City song for this year, ‘Bluebirds Flying High’ by onetime Eurovision hopeful James Fox.
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And onto our ten…
‘Diamond Lights’
Tenuous? Perhaps. But probably the best ‘proper’ song here from
a couple of singing wingers…
‘England Crazy’
El Tel, former England manager and rarely shy of belting out a number or two, puts a little swing into a ‘terrace favourite’…
‘All Together Now (For Everton)’
Popular-in-the-‘90s Liverpool lot rework their ‘classic’ for Everton’s 1995 FA Cup Final…
‘Ossie’s Dream (Spurs Are On Their Way To Wembley)’
Cock-er-nee twosome C&D plug “Tottingham”’s 1981 campaign for the FA Cup…
‘Outstanding’
Short-of-the-top-40 1999 single from the former Manchester United
striker and funky rhymer…
‘Just A Man’
Why? This song’s parent LP Innocent was funded in part, and meant to originally be released by, former Everton striker Kevin Campbell’s 2 Wikid label. After a number of court visits – Morrison telling the press “no judge is gonna stop me”, the album eventually came out via Mona/Mack Life…
‘Ring Of Fire’
As adopted by Liverpool supporters during their 2005 Champions League run…
‘Come On You Reds’
Denim-rockers wheel out their ‘Burning Bridges song with hugely altered lyrics in 1994; it goes on to reach number one and remains in the chart for 15 weeks…
‘Blue Day’
A little balance what with the Champions League Final on Wednesday: here, Madness singer Suggs gets behind his team of choice’s 1997 FA Cup bid…
‘World In Motion’
Be fair: it’s the best proper football song ever written, making John Barnes’ rap and the presence of Lily Allen’s dad completely tolerable. It reached number one, and remains New Order’s only single to top the charts. 1990’s World Cup was England’s best since they won it in 1966, the team making the semi-finals in Italy…
No Three Lions? Oh get around the back already. And stay there. Enjoy the kicking tomorrow and Wednesday, readers. We will be.
DiScuss: And your favourite songs about kicking are...?
For once, being in work
and having youtube blocked is an actual godsend.
Blah blah Half Man Half Biscuit blah drone Kicker Conspiracy
That Andy Cole song
was probably the most bizarre thing I remember from top of the pops. A true WTF moment.
Wot no 'If It's Wednesday, It Must Be Wembley' by The Hillsborough Crew?!?!
released in 93 to celebrate our triumphant defeats to Arsenal in both league and FA Cup.
The were produced by someone from Heaven 17 dontchyaknow...
this will sadly
have to wait until after work
ahhh
those were our glory years.... sadly.
Sultans of Ping?
Give Him a Ball (And a Yard of Grass)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=yNQMo-Wq1_U
Sorry, youtube's blocked at work, so that clip may well be shit. mind you I haven't heard the song in about 15 years...
best fa cup song
is arsenal's 'hot stuff' for the '98 final
Started out the season - nothing stopped us,
Everything was going Wright Wright Wright!
Walking in a Bergkamp Wonderland,
When Parlour was our Ray of light!
ahem
Don't Come Home Too Sooooooon
screw football
Kicking Pigeons, by Spunge...
Wot, no Anfield Rap?
My names John Barnes/ I come from the Jamaica/which is near the bahamas/and when I get the ball/the crowd goes bananas
Or so it goes in my head.
My favourite
Sunderland will be in the first division/Scoring goals in every game they play/Sunderland will be in the first division/It'll be red and white all of the way
Cue trumpet
It's no 'Niall Quinn's Disco Pants'
ANFIELD RAP IS THE BEST
Hows he doin the jamican rap?
He's from just south of the Watford gap
Gives us stick about the north south divide.
YEAH they've got the jobs
BUT WE'VE GOT THE SIDE.
Best fact about the Anfield rap is that use a sample from Straight Out Of Compton.
i bought that suggs single. 'Blue Day'
Good times!
I think
Andy Cole can fuck off
Huh, I's just thinking that as important as sports is...
musicians rarely write about it. Of course the above are kinda adopted songs eh...like every sports arena in the US playing Welcome To The Jungle or We Are The Champions etc
*cough*
http://sweepingthenation.blogspot.com/2008/05/sweeping-nation-covermount-12-this.html
you missed
Ian Wright "Do the Wright Thing"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fu_-GeSdsTc
Nice bit of Chris Lowe production.
That United/Quo song
was the first ever single I (my dad) bought.
Andy Cole
has an endearing, straightforward delivery and sings with engaging vulnerability. Outstanding is a classic.
agreed
real positive tune 'can you kick it? say yes i can'
well
football sucks balls. pun intended and any other cheap discredit. football songs are torture. if 'hero' by enrique iglesias had a football video i would be straring and listening in the realm of hell.
i hope
the lord never heard that...i love enrique really.
Ball ball ball,
footy footy footy,
Ball ball ball,
Football!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FBkTSCLrMIA
yes yes yes
Andy Cole does look fucking cool on that album cover though.
football crazy
chocolate mad
.
I remember that ad, haha!
OSSIE'S GOING TO WEMBLEY
HIS KNEES HAVE GONE ALL TREMBLEY
LA LAA LAA LA
LA LAA LAA LA