Who’s The Singer In The Black?

‘“ALL across the nation. You can taste the expectation. Finish what we started, England the lionhearted.”

There’s more.

“Every single player (woe oh oh). Holds our destiny (woe oh oh). And they’ll all be heroes on plasma screen TVs.”

Such are the lyrics for the song that could yet become England’s official anthem at this summer’s World Cup. The Sun says that version of Tony’s Christie’s (Is This The Way To) Amarillo is the Football Association’s No.2 choice.

The only thing the blazers at football headquarters would like more is Baddiel and Skinner’s Three Lions. We all now how it goes; and it will need reworking to make an impact. Perhaps the introduction of a bevy of scantily clad FA secretaries would help repackage the tune?

Third choice is a song by a band called Kasabian. The band have already written music for television football shows Match Of The Day and Sky’s Soccer AM.

They have form. They might get the gig. And, then again, they might not.

One other option is to use the Man In Black. The Times says that the late Johnny Cash is achieving a fame of sorts on the terraces at Liverpool.

It seems that Liverpool fans have been humming the tune Ring Of Fire at games. It’s even become a kind of mating call. To check if there are other Liverpool fans in the area, a Scouser sings out “Du, du, du, du, du. Dah, Dah, dah” and waits for the responsive echo.

Of course, Scousers run the considerable risk of sounding like Sting fans, something which should be avoided at all times.

On the plus side, it is an all purpose tune. England cricket fans like it. Ring Of Fire might yet become a universal anthem for all sports.

So let us take a look at the Times and see how the Barmy Army’s rendition. In India to watch England escape to victory, the lads are giving full throat to: “Grit…is a splendid thing/ That’s how…we dealt with Harbhajan Singh/ We…improved our statures/ Defying a ring of catchers.”

There is more. You want more? You sure you can handle it? Ok. Here goes…

“I fell into a baptism of fire/ When Vaughan went home our plight seemed dire/ But I turned, turned, turned/ The series around, The series around.”

Enough? You betcha. It might not be the song that wins the day, but it is the fans’ own chant – at least it was before the Press got wind of it.

And that’s the thing. Whatever the official anthem is, the fans will come up with a better one. It might be an awful song, but it will be their awful song.’

Posted: 23rd, March 2006 | In: Back pages Comment | TrackBack | Permalink