Best World Cup Song
- Thread starter Favelado
- Start date
el-ahrairah
forward communism, forward gerbils!
shits all over new order.
el-ahrairah
forward communism, forward gerbils!
not that World In Motion is terrible. it's kind of dull indie and lol john barnes raps, but it's not really a very good song, it's just better than most of the other offerings available.
Favelado
J'adore South Shore
World in Motion is indie? PWEI were an absolutely awful band, although that was much better than I thought it was going to be.
The Octagon
Stop...Hammertime
Three Lions was great and fitting at the time (Euro'96), but just hearing the opening bars irritates me now.
So out of that list - New Order
So out of that list - New Order
el-ahrairah
forward communism, forward gerbils!
it's pretty artless indie as well. not sure it would have been called indie back in 1990, i'll grant you. i don't tihnk indie was a style back then. new order did loads of better songs than that.
el-ahrairah
forward communism, forward gerbils!
i'm going to listen to nessun dorma now to remind myself of what a fucking amazing piece of music it is. every now and again i try and lsiten to opera on the grounds that i might find something as good as nessun dorma but it never is.
DotCommunist
So many particulars. So many questions.
the one that sounds like Lightening Seeds
Favelado
J'adore South Shore
Calm down, we have all had a drink ffs
I want this to turn into an angry swear-fest to be honest Badgers. I've just ordered shots.
Doctor Carrot
Marxist Henchman
The one that goes 'Braziiiiilllll BrazIIIIILLL' on ITV is amazing, is in no way annoying and completely contradicts claims that ITV are a piece of shit operation with pound shop sports coverage.
ruffneck23
front left
Chile'a national anthem
Voley
🐀
Geri
wasn't born to follow
There's loads that is as good as that! Your problem is that you are associating the song with memories, which other arias may not have.
Here's one for starters:
It's got Pavarotti to make it a bit familiar.
skyscraper101
0891 50 50 50
World In Motion. Cliché sure but it achieves on more levels than any other attempt at an official England song.
Firstly you've got a decent credible band - New Order. They're almost the anti-lad/football band. They represented a new era, changing times socially, club culture replacing football hooliganism, Manchester, the Hacienda, E's, hugging and dancing vs the 80s boozy post-game organised football fights and all that. They were the perfect choice. (was going to be called 'E for England' but the title was changed after FA Concerns
)
Second, the track itself musically has a great hook. It's a slightly re-worked version of the Def II Reportage theme written by Morris and Gilbert and it steers just enough on the side of cool while also being a good 'football' track. Note that the most involvement any England player gets (aside from the Barnes rap) are the two word chant 'Express Yourself' and the refrain towards the end 'Singing for England...' - and it wasn't the whole team either, either by accident or design the only player-vocalists were Barnes, Beardsley, Gascoigne, Waddle, Steve McMahon and Des Walker. The other players just mimed in the video.
Third, the lyrics are great because they don't do any of the corny lyricism about 'head the ball' or 'back of the net' or anything naff or specifically tied to either football, or the World Cup 1990 (or any world cup). Instead it's the rather more tenuous 'express yourself', 'one on one' and 'love's got the world in motion' which can be taken any way you like. Then you've got the really genius bits: the clubby piano-house breakdown which still stands up 20 odd years later, and... The John Barnes Rap. On paper it sounds like a disaster (it was nearly Beardsley or Chris Waddle FFS) but NO, Barnes pulls it off and steers clear of trying any 'I R SERIOUS RAPPER' moves, plays it cool and sings the verse with suitable charm. Then you've got the bit towards the end the chant-able refrain...'singing for England, playing the song' etc - it's the hook that everyone knows and you can carry on singing it even after the track has ended, it's genius in that it's not specifically football lyrics, it's just 'Singing for England' - it could be about music, passion, patriotism or just football. Either way, it's multi-level and doesn't hark back to 1966 all the time or anything too cheesy or nationalistic.
Lastly, there's the video. Even though Keith Allen is dicking around in the background it stops short of being some 'up the brits' disaster. Mainly shots of the band in some non-specific park on a sunny day interspersed with a bit of football montage. The studio-shot footage of Waddle, Gazza, and Beardsley is notable in its sparseness and most of the New Order/Barnes/Allen footage is shot in Black & White so it gives it that classic grainy feel to oppose the football montages and studio photography of the players which are in colour. That separation just works and stops it being just another to cheesy football video like that Man Utd one where they're in the studio with Status Quo. Also, that they didn't shoot it in a stadium or anything adds to the dual-appeal of the track. Gillian Gilbert ensures that it's not just an all-lads thing too. TBH nobody in New Order except Hook is particularly ladish or anything, which is why I also think they were a perfect choice to do this track. And its great that Barnes was a big part of the track and the video. Important because he, as a black guy and a great player further represented a changing Britain that for all it's good sides, still had all sorts of racist problems at the time both on and off the pitch. His presence is as important as his contribution. It was just meant to be.
Anyway lest this turn into an essay, let's have it for Faveldo's favourite band
Firstly you've got a decent credible band - New Order. They're almost the anti-lad/football band. They represented a new era, changing times socially, club culture replacing football hooliganism, Manchester, the Hacienda, E's, hugging and dancing vs the 80s boozy post-game organised football fights and all that. They were the perfect choice. (was going to be called 'E for England' but the title was changed after FA Concerns
)Second, the track itself musically has a great hook. It's a slightly re-worked version of the Def II Reportage theme written by Morris and Gilbert and it steers just enough on the side of cool while also being a good 'football' track. Note that the most involvement any England player gets (aside from the Barnes rap) are the two word chant 'Express Yourself' and the refrain towards the end 'Singing for England...' - and it wasn't the whole team either, either by accident or design the only player-vocalists were Barnes, Beardsley, Gascoigne, Waddle, Steve McMahon and Des Walker. The other players just mimed in the video.
Third, the lyrics are great because they don't do any of the corny lyricism about 'head the ball' or 'back of the net' or anything naff or specifically tied to either football, or the World Cup 1990 (or any world cup). Instead it's the rather more tenuous 'express yourself', 'one on one' and 'love's got the world in motion' which can be taken any way you like. Then you've got the really genius bits: the clubby piano-house breakdown which still stands up 20 odd years later, and... The John Barnes Rap. On paper it sounds like a disaster (it was nearly Beardsley or Chris Waddle FFS) but NO, Barnes pulls it off and steers clear of trying any 'I R SERIOUS RAPPER' moves, plays it cool and sings the verse with suitable charm. Then you've got the bit towards the end the chant-able refrain...'singing for England, playing the song' etc - it's the hook that everyone knows and you can carry on singing it even after the track has ended, it's genius in that it's not specifically football lyrics, it's just 'Singing for England' - it could be about music, passion, patriotism or just football. Either way, it's multi-level and doesn't hark back to 1966 all the time or anything too cheesy or nationalistic.
Lastly, there's the video. Even though Keith Allen is dicking around in the background it stops short of being some 'up the brits' disaster. Mainly shots of the band in some non-specific park on a sunny day interspersed with a bit of football montage. The studio-shot footage of Waddle, Gazza, and Beardsley is notable in its sparseness and most of the New Order/Barnes/Allen footage is shot in Black & White so it gives it that classic grainy feel to oppose the football montages and studio photography of the players which are in colour. That separation just works and stops it being just another to cheesy football video like that Man Utd one where they're in the studio with Status Quo. Also, that they didn't shoot it in a stadium or anything adds to the dual-appeal of the track. Gillian Gilbert ensures that it's not just an all-lads thing too. TBH nobody in New Order except Hook is particularly ladish or anything, which is why I also think they were a perfect choice to do this track. And its great that Barnes was a big part of the track and the video. Important because he, as a black guy and a great player further represented a changing Britain that for all it's good sides, still had all sorts of racist problems at the time both on and off the pitch. His presence is as important as his contribution. It was just meant to be.
Anyway lest this turn into an essay, let's have it for Faveldo's favourite band
Last edited:
imposs1904
Thread Killa'
I still love the Scotland '82 World Cup song:
Favelado
J'adore South Shore
World In Motion. Cliché sure but it achieves on more levels than any other attempt at an official England song.
Firstly you've got a decent credible band - New Order. They're almost the anti-lad/football band. They represented a new era, changing times socially, club culture replacing football hooliganism, Manchester, the Hacienda, E's, hugging and dancing vs the 80s boozy post-game organised football fights and all that. They were the perfect choice. (was going to be called 'E for England' but the title was changed after FA Concerns
Second, the track itself musically has a great hook. It's a slightly re-worked version of the Def II Reportage theme written by Morris and Gilbert and it steers just enough on the side of cool while also being a good 'football' track. Note that the most involvement any England player gets (aside from the Barnes rap) are the two word chant 'Express Yourself' and the refrain towards the end 'Singing for England...' - and it wasn't the whole team either, either by accident or design the only player-vocalists were Barnes, Beardsley, Gascoigne, Waddle, Steve McMahon and Des Walker. The other players just mimed in the video.
Third, the lyrics are great because they don't do any of the corny lyricism about 'head the ball' or 'back of the net' or anything naff or specifically tied to either football, or the World Cup 1990 (or any world cup). Instead it's the rather more tenuous 'express yourself', 'one on one' and 'love's got the world in motion' which can be taken any way you like. Then you've got the really genius bits: the clubby piano-house breakdown which still stands up 20 odd years later, and... The John Barnes Rap. On paper it sounds like a disaster (it was nearly Beardsley or Chris Waddle FFS) but NO, Barnes pulls it off and steers clear of trying any 'I R SERIOUS RAPPER' moves, plays it cool and sings the verse with suitable charm. Then you've got the bit towards the end the chant-able refrain...'singing for England, playing the song' etc - it's the hook that everyone knows and you can carry on singing it even after the track has ended, it's genius in that it's not specifically football lyrics, it's just 'Singing for England' - it could be about music, passion, patriotism or just football. Either way, it's multi-level and doesn't hark back to 1966 all the time or anything too cheesy or nationalistic.
Lastly, there's the video. Even though Keith Allen is dicking around in the background it stops short of being some 'up the brits' disaster. Mainly shots of the band in some non-specific park on a sunny day interspersed with a bit of football montage. The studio-shot footage of Waddle, Gazza, and Beardsley is notable in its sparseness and most of the New Order/Barnes/Allen footage is shot in Black & White so it gives it that classic grainy feel to oppose the football montages and studio photography of the players which are in colour. That separation just works and stops it being just another to cheesy football video like that Man Utd one where they're in the studio with Status Quo. Also, that they didn't shoot it in a stadium or anything adds to the dual-appeal of the track. Gillian Gilbert ensures that it's not just an all-lads thing too. TBH nobody in New Order except Hook is particularly ladish or anything, which is why I also think they were a perfect choice to do this track. And its great that Barnes was a big part of the track and the video. Important because he, as a black guy and a great player further represented a changing Britain that for all it's good sides, still had all sorts of racist problems at the time both on and off the pitch. His presence is as important as his contribution. It was just meant to be.
Anyway lest this turn into an essay, let's have it for Faveldo's favourite band
I'm a bit watery-eyed after that. What a post. I was trying to track down the DEF 2 version - ever come across it?
skyscraper101
0891 50 50 50
TA
No never come accross the full version. But there are snippets of it throughout this clip compilation of Reportage...
el-ahrairah
forward communism, forward gerbils!
*shakes head*
sacred cows
sacred cows
