By Loud Atlas
A ball is kicked and it nestles in the net of the opposition's goal. The players and fans explode in a blur of limbs and unfettered joy. The beautiful game can be that astonishingly simple. It remains the world's favourite sport and the most accessible of them all - it brings communities and strangers together for 90 minutes of drama.
Last week's football-based nominations traversed a broad spectrum of the theme - the players, the teams, the fans, its culture, and more.
In 1970, the BBC asked Barry Stoller to compose 'something good' for their flagship football programme. Little did they know that Barry's work would soon become the nation's most recognisable theme tune, emblematic of the channel's dedication to producing top quality sports coverage. There's no better way to spend a Saturday night. This particular version is from the 1970 broadcast which debuted the Match of the Day Theme.
For Italia 90, the 14th tournament of the quadrennial World Cup, the England national team and New Order combined forces to produce World In Motion. Its optimistic upbeat message of football trickery, featuring snippets of England's former footballing glories, is also known for midfielder John Barnes' rap. Peter Beardsley also gave it a go. The producers chose wisely.
Arguably the greatest footballer who ever played the sport, with 1271 goals in 1363 games, Edson Arantes do Nascimento has risen to saint-like status in his native Brazil and beyond. Obrigado, Pelé ("Thank you, Pelé") is a celebration of the hero of the game sung by Wilson Simonal. After hanging up his boots, Pelé went on to become an actor, UNESCO Good Will ambassador and also received an honorary knighthood from the Queen.
From a song about the most celebrated in the world, to one about a player who shunned the limelight for a more spiritual life. God's Footballer is Peter Knowles, a prolific striker for Wolverhampton Wanderers in the 1960s. In 1970 he voluntarily retired from football in his mid-twenties to become a Jehovah's Witness. He was kept under contract by Wolves for the next 12 years in the hope he'd change his mind. He never did. Billy Bragg's delicate folk tune is a meditation on contentment.
In recent years, the footballing Powers That Be have had to take notice of the fans (see the opposition to the proposed money-grabbing European Super League in 2021; Barcelona fans and their famous flag: "Barcelona is our life, not your toy"). Without fans the game wouldn't exist -– the next three songs cover various aspects of the fan experience.
Half Man Half Biscuit love singing acerbically about football and the experience of the working class. Friday Nights and the Gates Are Low describes the plight of a casual fan supporting their local club in the dreary weather, witnessing the worst football ever to grace a pitch. We Stand Around is a synth-led track by I, Ludicrous describing the inevitable disappointment that attending a match brings. Fans love their club and follow them all over the country (their knowledge on every aspect of the club is unrivalled), but the team and manager don't reciprocate that with entertaining football. Oh dear. In comparison, C. Tangana and the fans of RC Celta de Vigo (in northwest Spain) are wildly passionate. The better weather probably helps. Oliveira Dos Cen Anos ("Olive Tree of 100 Years") is the club's striking centenary anthem.
Headlines in recent years have been plastered with the off-field exploits of footballers and their spouses. Amy Macdonald is critical of the people who strive for that lifestyle in Footballer's Wife. Amy described the meaning behind the song: "...in Britain people seem to be completely and utterly obsessed by celebrity [...]. Out of like ten young girls asked, at least half of them said that their ambition in life is to be a WAG [Wife and Girlfriend of a footballer], [...] people have got famous for spending their other half’s money [...]."
Who really wants to be a referee? Aside from the card thrusting and whistle blowing, refs have a difficult life: it's a job that can guarantee a weekly dose of verbal abuse, disgruntled customers and controversy, but without a ref the game wouldn't happen. Long before the introduction of VAR, Matt McGinn sung about his life as The Footba' Referee. He coulda been a contender.
Grupo Fundo de Quintal are proud of their identity; they're not just Brazilian, they're Flamengo fans, too: Sou Flamengo, Cacique e Mangueira ("I'm Flamengo, Cacique and Mangueira"). Brief note on the translation: Cacique translates as "chief"/"boss" (perhaps a reference to the indigenous people of Brazil); Mangueira is a district of Rio de Janeiro. An exciting piece of music!
Garrincha was once a Flamengo player, joining at the tail end of his career. At his peak he was the world's greatest dribbler and made the 'World Team Of the Century' alongside fellow countrymen Carlos Alberto Torres, Nilton Santos and Pelé. Sadly, his success on the pitch was in stark contrast to life off it. A heavy drinker, he had a turbulent love life and was a physical and mental wreck at the time of his death at 49 years old. The emotional baritone of Alfredo Zitarossa laments the fallen hero. The translation of the lyrics can be found here.
At the conclusion of the 1956/57 season the Busby Babes of Manchester United (featuring a young Bobby Charlton) were the champions of England. They were a formidable force - Edric Connor's jubilant Manchester United Calypso reflects the optimism of the era. Tragically, by the end of the next season the team would be ravaged by the Munich Air Disaster, where a generation of fine young players were among the victims.
The most famous footballers are heralded for their artistry and skill at the very top level of their sport and given hero status for their ability to control a ball. A funky definitive list was posed in 2014 by the Hungarian-Australian sports commentator Les Murray and Vaudeville Smash. What an honour for Zinedine Zidane to get top billing.
You think it's all over...well, it nearly is.
Italia 90 was statistically one of the worst editions of the World Cup on the field (2.21 goals a game on average, a competition record low that still stands) and had a damp squib of a final (West Germany won 1-0 thanks to a penalty). The tournament is remembered fondly in some quarters - Gazza's tears, Cameroon's emergence, and the soundtrack to the summer provided by Puccini. The 1972 recording of Nessun Dorma (the famous aria from Turandot) was used by the BBC in their coverage of the tournament. Luciano Pavarotti is the tenor hitting the high B.
"Vincerò!", that final cry, should be football's motto. Passionate, dynamic and sincere: "I will be victorious".
The Association Football A-List Fair Playlist:
Barry Stoller - Match of the Day Theme (MussoliniHeadkick)
New Order - World In Motion (Uncleben)
Wilson Simonal - Obrigado, Pelé (Nicko)
Billy Bragg - God's Footballer (bluepeter)
Half Man Half Biscuit - Friday Night and the Gates Are Low (vastariner)
I, Ludicrous - We Stand Around (Shoegazer)
C. Tangana - Oliveira Dos Cen Anso (pejepeine)
Amy Macdonald - Footballer's Wife (tincanman2010)
Matt McGinn - The Footba' Referee (IsabelleForshaw)
Grupo Fundo De Quintal - Sou Flamengo, Cacique e Mangueira (Nicko)
Alfredo Zitarrosa - Garrincha (pejepeine)
Edric Connor - Manchester United Calypso (pejepeine)
Vaudeville Smash ft. Les Murray - Zinedine Zidane (IsabelleForshaw)
Giacomo Puccini (performed by Luciano Pavarotti) - Nessun Dorma (from Turandot) (MussoliniHeadkick)
The B-list continues the football fiesta: Best and Maradona adoration, fan frustration, Malian jubilation, and West Ham exhalation. And several previously listed tunes, of course!
On the Ball B-List Playlist:
Mike Vickers and The London Stadium Orchestra - Lap of Honour (SongBarLandlord)
The Bouncing Souls - Ole (SweetHomeAlabama)
Half Man Half Biscuit - The Referee's Alphabet (Maki)
Rodrigo - La Mano De Dias (Traktor Albatrost)
Richard Dawson - Two Halves (barbryn)
Don Fardon - Belfast Boy (Maki)
Cockney Rejects - I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles (severin)
The Hitchers - Strachan (tincanman2010)
Megson - The Longshot (Suzi)
UB40 - Forever True (vastariner)
Scientist - Golden Goal (TatankaYotanka)
Neba Solo - CAN 2002 (Nicko)
On The Huh - Put Your Boots Away (Carpgate)
The Fall - Theme from Sparta F.C. (Carpgate)
Ed Banger - Kinnel Tommy (ShivSidecar)
The Lightning Seeds ft. Baddiel and Skinner - Three Lions (MussoliniHeadkick)
Guru's Wildcard Spot Kicks:
Collapsed Lung - Eat My Goal
This guitar riff was played a lot in the mid 90s. The playground was filled with "Eat my goal!"
Dario G - Carneval De Paris
The big football instrumental from the summer of 1998.
Los Ramblers - El Rock Del Mundial
The first international football anthem, recorded for the 1962 World Cup in Chile.
Lana Del Rey - You’ll Never Walk Alone
Lana's version of the Liverpool anthem recorded for The End of the Storm documentary.
These playlists were inspired by readers' song nominations in response to last week's topic: Can you kick it? The score: songs about football and its culture. The next topic will launch on Thursday after 1pm UK time.
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