Football’s humming home!

Matt | May 21, 2015 | 0 Comments

Football fans love to sing when they’re winning. Or losing, for that matter.

Whether it’s chanting a musical jeer to the opposing team or building up to a rousing chorus to inspire their own side to victory, the football song has become a cultural cornerstone of the sport.

Anthems are as much a part of the beautiful game as Wembley, football betting and Three Lions.

Some are rooted in vaudeville such as West Ham’s I’m Forever Blowing Bubbles while others, like You’re not Singing Anymore, were inspired by religious tunes – albeit with alternative lyrics.

Popular music plays a huge role in modern football chants.

Chelsea fans like the London link with One Step Beyond by Madness, Crystal Palace are known for the Dave Clarke Five’s 1964 hit, Glad All Over; and Fulham have adapted Sinatra’s version of You’re Just too Good to be True.

But no other artist has infiltrated the terraces as successfully as Elvis Presley. Strange, given that he probably never saw a football match in his life.

Yet The King’s soulful voice and heartfelt lyrics boom out across football grounds all over the country every Saturday, filling fans with hope that this will be their finest hour.

Until recently, one of Elvis’ biggest UK hits, The Wonder of You, has been bombarding Arsenal fans with its sentiments of hope and strength at the start of every home game.

No-one really knows why it got dropped last season, but there is an army of Gunners who are quite happy to leave it to Port Vale FC. They have taken it to their hearts and will, no doubt, be wondering for many years to come.

“The magic’s begun, when we’re together, our hearts become one.” #Elvis pic.twitter.com/3wfzfuQSl1

— Elvis Presley (@ElvisPresley) April 17, 2015

Elvis’s stirring rendition of the American Civil War song Glory, Glory has been adopted by fans of Leeds Utd, Manchester Utd and London’s own Tottenham Hotspur.

The fans simply (and imaginatively) replace the word “Hallelujah” with the name of the relevant team.

Leeds Utd and Manchester Utd both released singles of the re-worked song in 1968 and 1983 respectively. Tottenham, thankfully, has not yet followed suit.

The Elvis song most popular on the terraces is, surprisingly, Can’t Help Falling in Love. Maybe its appeal has something to do with wise men and fools rushing in, but in any event it’s played at the home matches of no less than eight English clubs.

Of course, the most famous Elvis song connected with football is A Little Less Conversation, which became a massive 21^st century hit when it was released as part of a Nike advertising campaign for the 2002 World Cup.

The song had been a minor hit in the US when it was released in 1968, but 34 years later the remix with JunkieXL rocketed it to number one in 20 countries.

But who are we kidding? The best football songs are the ones released by the players themselves.

John Barnes’ rap in the middle of England’s official Italia ’90 single, World in Motion, made him more famous than his moves on the pitch.

But the less said about Chris Waddle and Glenn Hoddle’s Diamond Lights the better.

Oh go on, then. Enjoy.