We ain't no hooligans, this ain't no football song
April 30, 2010 8:07 AM   Subscribe

New Order's 1990 official World Cup song, World In Motion, promised a new, actually listenable era in football songs. So what has England seen since then? The endearing Three Lions for the hopes of Euro '96. Fat Les' Vindaloo celebrated the marriage of matches and curries. Meat Pie Sausage Roll celebrated the meal options of your average footie ground. On The Ball celebrated the meteoric rise of Ant and Dec. In 2006, we had a novelty cover of a novelty song, the unspeakable, the unelectable, and the so bad it loops round to genius.

And what of Scotland? As England promised to win the World Cup and glory, all Del Amitri asked of their national team was Don't Come Home Too Soon.
posted by mippy (29 comments total) 1 user marked this as a favorite
 
Ah, the sight of Chris Waddle's mullet swishing from side to side in the World in Motion video brings a nostalgic tear to me eye. Bless him.
posted by MuffinMan at 8:13 AM on April 30, 2010


World in Motion was the first single I ever bought. (The second was Killer by Adamski.)
posted by mippy at 8:19 AM on April 30, 2010


No World Cup song this year, say FA

Focus on their [deleted by lawyers], more like.
posted by mippy at 8:27 AM on April 30, 2010


Adam and Joe - The Footie Song

Ball, ball, ball - footie footie footie - ball, ball, ball - fooooooootball!
posted by Artw at 8:39 AM on April 30, 2010 [2 favorites]


1986 - The Official Colourbox World Cup Theme
posted by pziemba at 8:53 AM on April 30, 2010 [1 favorite]


Rik Mayall has released an unofficial one.

(Warning - Flash, plays audio without asking.)
posted by motty at 9:00 AM on April 30, 2010


Anfield Rap, Liverpool FC, 1988.

Diamond Lights, Hoddle & Waddle, 1987.

Glasgow Diamonds, Glasgow Diamonds American Football team, 1986.
posted by a little headband I put around my throat at 9:01 AM on April 30, 2010


My God, Diamond Lights is even worse than I remember it.
posted by a little headband I put around my throat at 9:03 AM on April 30, 2010


My favorite is Dario G's Carnaval de Paris (1998 Fifa World Cup).
posted by ericb at 9:05 AM on April 30, 2010


Having trouble locating the original music video of Carnaval de Paris).
posted by ericb at 9:07 AM on April 30, 2010


My girlfriend's dad wrote the first England World Cup song (Back Home in 1970). He's a Scotsman and fairly proud of the fact that having won the World Cup in 1966, England haven't even come close since he wrote them a song.

He also wrote Congratualtions for Clifff Richard's Eurovision entry in 1968. Listening to the opening few bars of each song, it strikes me that he might have borrowed a little from his previous work for the World Cup song. Cliff finished second to the Spanish entry that year in the greatest miscarriage of musical justice the world has ever known. 40 years on, it emerged that Franco had the whole thing rigged and he never stood a chance.

Best national football team song ever? We're Not Brazil We're Northern Ireland. I don't think anyone wrote that. I think it just broke out in a pub in Belfast one night.
posted by The Ultimate Olympian at 9:12 AM on April 30, 2010 [6 favorites]


Also, I think The Farm's All Together Now beats World In Motion for best football song... ever. (As well as being about football, it was re-released in '95 to celebrate Everton's FA Cup run, and once again in dubious remix form as England's Euro 2004 song, so it's 'official').
posted by a little headband I put around my throat at 9:12 AM on April 30, 2010


Huh, I forgot the Everton version was a complete rewrite: Everton version. It's still pretty good (and I don't even support Everton).
posted by a little headband I put around my throat at 9:20 AM on April 30, 2010


Slight derail because I know it doesn't count, but it's still hard to watch this football related music without remembering so much about Italia 90.
posted by The Ultimate Olympian at 9:21 AM on April 30, 2010


Guardian: 6 Awful World Cup Songs (doesn't appear to be linked above, though a couple of the songs mentioned are referenced).
posted by Infinite Jest at 9:27 AM on April 30, 2010


I've always liked Put 'Em Under Pressure, Ireland's song for the 1990 World Cup.
posted by kmz at 10:07 AM on April 30, 2010 [1 favorite]


Funny I don't see this posted in this tread, the official 2010 World Cup song:

K'Naan feat David Bisbal - Wavin Flag
posted by bobo123 at 10:18 AM on April 30, 2010


You know Movement, the New Order albulm they made just after Joy Division which everyone hates on because it sounds too much like Joy Division sans Ian Curtis and they hadn't really defined themselves with their own sound? Turns out I kind of like that album.
posted by Artw at 10:31 AM on April 30, 2010 [1 favorite]


And what of Scotland? We will always have a dream.
posted by theCroft at 11:02 AM on April 30, 2010


I thought the consensus about "World in Motion" was that it was very good for a football song but it wasn't very good as a New Order song. I like it, but indeed New Order has done better.
posted by Electric Elf at 11:30 AM on April 30, 2010


Elegia
posted by Artw at 11:36 AM on April 30, 2010


My favorite is Dario G's Carnaval de Paris (1998 Fifa World Cup).
Wise man. Dario G are of course named after Dario Gradi, long-time manager of Crewe Alexandra and the epitome of everything that is great about the beautiful game.
posted by Abiezer at 1:58 PM on April 30, 2010


Campione 2000
posted by iviken at 4:00 PM on April 30, 2010


I'm a huge, huge fan of New Order, but I have to disagree with your assessment of "World In Motion" as "actually listenable". My God, that song is an abomination. It doesn't even sound anything like them, with the exception of Bernard Sumner's voice.
posted by DecemberBoy at 4:13 PM on April 30, 2010


I'll second Colourbox. I've still got their 1st album on vinyl - great band a a huge, uplifting song. How was this not chosen?

Also, Rik Mayall chews scenery very well. (youtube link, no flash stuff. thanks for the original, motty, I've always liked him!)
posted by Zack_Replica at 7:28 PM on April 30, 2010


I've always liked Put 'Em Under Pressure, Ireland's song for the 1990 World Cup.

Bonus points because the guitar riff was lifted from a 70's prog-folk concept album which in turn lifted it from a 300 year old cavalry march written by a blind harpist.
posted by kersplunk at 8:27 PM on April 30, 2010


No mention of Stan Boardman's 2006 monstrosity?
posted by the latin mouse at 2:50 AM on May 1, 2010


Primal Scream's song for Scotland at Euro 96 featuring Irvine Welsh, which was very much in tune with 1996.

Mark E Smith's done an England one for this World Cup, to come out in a few days, called England's Heartbeat
posted by DanCall at 5:01 AM on May 1, 2010


The Manchester City song (the excreable 'Boys in Blue') was written by Gouldman, Creme and Godley of 10cc.
posted by essexjan at 5:39 AM on May 1, 2010


« Older G-G-Get Down!   |   Lusty Lady Closing Newer »


This thread has been archived and is closed to new comments