Football and Music

Singing footballers… As we’ve seen they are everywhere. They are also watching on a television in Freetown and after viewing Sunday’s title decider inspired to write a song about the event.

Via the Beeb:

Sierra Leone ode to Man Utd win

A former Sierra Leone international footballer has composed a song to celebrate Manchester United winning the English league.

“Come join us in our dance to celebrate Manchester United’s victory,” sings Umaru Rahman, alias Gallon Pan.

The English Premier League is keenly followed in Sierra Leone, as in many countries around the world.

Pan watched Sunday’s exciting league finale in a Freetown video centre, along with hundreds of other fans.

The BBC’s Lansana Fofana in Freetown says they poured onto the streets in celebration at the final whistle, blowing whistles and honking horns.

Pan, a prolific striker for the national team, as well as lower league clubs in Germany and Sweden, says he has always been a United fan.

“I was born into it,” he told the BBC.

“Manchester are the champions,” he sings in the local Kreole language.

“Manchester United fans please do not be bothered. You are simply with the best team. We are urging fans of other clubs to come join in our celebration. Manchester United are for all football lovers.”

“Sir Alex Ferguson, you are our father and have brought us to a height we will never slip from.”

Our correspondent says fans of Chelsea, the other team vying for the title, also went to the Row Kona video centre to watch Sunday’s deciding round of matches.

» Full article

» Umaru Rahman - Manchester United Celebrate

“Inside/outside… livin’ la vida loca….”

Did they replace Chris with Ricky ? You sure ? Then what’s with the title…?

He did contribute a song to the 1998 World Cup CD, was that an influence when they were recording I wonder ?

Anyhoddles in an effort to flog their new album in the U.S.A (which is where the big revenue is obviously) the band have got into bed with Mickey Mouse.

The article that gives me a weak excuse to post some of their music comes via AP/Yahoo News:

Coldplay to help ESPN market European Championship soccer

BRISTOL, Conn. - Coldplay and ESPN are teaming up on a soccer marketing campaign.

The rock band’s music will be featured in promotions for ESPN’s coverage next month of the European Championship soccer tournament, the sports network announced Wednesday.

ESPN agreed to incorporate music from Coldplay’s new release, “Viva La Vida,” into game and studio production. The quadrennial tournament is scheduled for June 7-29 in Austria and Switzerland. The CD is due out June 12.

ESPN and ABC, both owned by The Walt Disney Co., have broadcast rights for the tournament in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, South America and India.

Two of the 31 matches will be televised by ABC: a quarterfinal on June 21 and the final on June 29, which will be part of a doubleheader that opens with David Beckham’s Los Angeles Galaxy at D.C. United.

Seven games will be on ESPN, 17 on ESPN2 and five on ESPN Classic. This marks the first time the entire Euros will be shown live on non-pay-per-view U.S. television.

ESPN said the idea is to demonstrate the global importance of soccer and create greater interest in the sport “even among American fans.”

“This is the first time ESPN has created a global marketing campaign with a unified strategy, message and advertising campaign,” said Seth Ader, a senior director of sports marketing for ESPN. “The campaign captures the passion for European soccer.”

» Link

Still taking baby steps, not fully into the mainstream but this is good progress for them.

I’m sure that ESPN/Disney are a bit pissed that Derek and his mates are not taking part in the tournament (a bit of a loss of revenue for them), but there’s a sizeable Latino population in North America so there will be some interest.

In the footie that is.
As for Coldplay’s music… It’s alright but … For me Violet Hill is the best out of these two:

Coldplay - Viva La Vida:

Coldplay - Violet Hill:

UPDATE:

Thanks to Immuzikation who has just sent me a mashup he’s just done.

I love mashups and this one is blinding. He describes it as: Coldplay - Viva La Vida + Weezer - The Greatest Man That Ever Lived + Cut Copy - Far Away + The Blow - Parentheses + M.I.A. - Boyz + Reading Rainbow Theme = Fish Tacos (Immuzikation ExtraTartarBlend) .

You can download Immuzikation - Fish Tacos (ImmuzikationExtraTartarBlend) via: http://download.yousendit.com/AF2257801839D69E http://download.yousendit.com/6770EEC8037BDB51

After yesterday’s item about Hearts it only seems natural to follow it up with…

Once again I went on another journey and found more music and information I never knew before.

This particular discovery was started thanks to Duncan McKay replying to my appeal for other Hector Nicol fitba songs.

Again thanks to Duncan for sending the track and for the tips to more music associated with Hibernian F.C than I thought there was. Much much more.

I want to save some of the things I found for another day, but I want to give a mention how many times that Hibs have turned up in books, films and on television.

Most famously because of a one famous fan - one Irvine Welsh in which Wikipedia says;

“The works of author Irvine Welsh, particularly Trainspotting, contain several references to Hibernian. The team is often mentioned in casual conversation and is the team many of his characters support. Visual references to Hibs are noticeable in Danny Boyle’s film adaption of Trainspotting. Begbie wears a Hibs shirt while he plays five-a-side football. During the famous baby-on-the-ceiling/detox scene, many posters and pictures of Hibernian can be seen on the walls of Mark Renton’s bedroom.

In the final short story of the trilogy The Acid House, Coco Bryce, a boy from the “Hibs firm”, is struck by lightning while under the influence of LSD in a Pilton park. His soul is transferred to the body of an unborn child from one of the more affluent areas of Edinburgh. The final scene of the film adaptation of Welsh’s work shows Coco in the baby’s body strapped to his mother’s back with a Hibs top in the pub chanting “Oo to, oo to be, oo to be a Hibee”.

(This gives me a pisspoor excuse to post music from the Trainspotting soundtracks at a future time.)

Not just Welsh’s books though. Inspector Rebus too:

“Hibernian are frequently referred to in the Inspector Rebus series of detective novels by Ian Rankin. Rebus himself is a Raith Rovers fan in the books, but in the later books, his colleague DS Siobhan Clarke is a season ticket holder at Easter Road. In the 2006 television adaptation of the series, Rebus is a Hibs fan. Ironically the part of Rebus in the 2006 adaptation is played by Ken Stott, who is a Hearts fan.”

I discovered that The Hearts Song and this next track might have actually been released as a double A-sided single.

» Hector Nicol - Glory Glory To The Hibees

This post doesn’t end with this though.

There’s even more and if you are reading this from the front page you will have to click to continue on…> Read the rest of this entry »

This is a post in the Scotia themed series. Previous posting here.

Are you sitting comfortably ? Good then I’ll begin.

This seemingly never ending story started in 2005 when the then going deeply into debt Hearts were romanced by a Romanov, but this wasn’t a decedent of that famous family, this was a businessman from Lithuania who fell in love with Scotia fitba and wanted to be a part of it.

Despite the fans concerns about this shifty character the shareholders saw dollars and thus began what is possibly the first proto-meglomania-type football club owner…

…Actually I’d better stop myself there. I’ve heard and I don’t know if it’s still true that Vlad the Impaler is very litigious.

Suffice to say anyone who watched the goings on will know of the initial dizzying highs, the lows. The questionable hirings and then firings up at the Heart Of Midlothian club.

To read more of the ongoing saga start here at Wikipedia and then follow the links at the bottom of the page there too.

I’m going to go in a different direction and pay tribute to a legendary Scottish comedian and who wrote some songs not just for Hearts, but for other clubs too.

Sadly there isn’t more information about Hector Nicol, a comedian and singer who influenced Billy Connelly amongst others.

In his singing career Wikipedia says that… he wrote The Hearts Song for Heart of Midlothian FC and Glory, Glory to the Hibees for Hibernian FC . He also wrote the The Terrors of Tannadice for Dundee United FC and Dark Blue Of Dundee for Dundee FC however, he supported St Mirren FC.

Then is an IMDB page with a mini-bio which says:

“Hector Nichol was a great Edinburgh comedian, notoriously blue and with a penchant for dressing up in outrageous female costumes during his act. He recorded a classic anthem for Hibernian, but his other lasting legacy, as well as a spate of video releases of his stand up routines, is in a very different vein. In 1979 he took on the role of a dying gangster in the shocking Peter McDougall drama Just a Boy’s Game for the BBC. His performance was a remarkable study of stubborn, hollow disregard for life around him, and despite a few tell-tale signs of his comic skill in his perfectly timed insults, this was a brilliant transformation. Sadly his potential career as a straight actor was cut short by his death in the early eighties.”

You can find some CD’s of his comedy stand up routines on the Music In Scotland website.

As mentioned above he did a song for Hearts which I don’t have, but I do have a couple of versions including one done by a Hearts squad that includes a snippet Hector singing the original version in the middle of the song.

But before that one - a discovery of a folk version covered by Craig Herbertson »

» Craig Herbertson and Ed Westerdale - The Hearts Song

…and the one done by the squad »

» The Hearts Squad - The Hearts Song

I hope to find the other songs Hector wrote and post them here. If you have any of them please contact me.

This is a post in the Scotia themed series. Previous posting here.

So when I set out to post something I do some research beforehand and I end up on journey of discovery and sometimes wonderment on what I find. This has happened with this next one when looking up some information about today’s team: The Ayrshire Killie.

Photo of a Killie pie at Kilmarnock from Robbie’s poity_uk’s photostream on Flickr

I began with the usual suspect. An unknown artist using an assumed name to record a song about the club.
In this case to a traditional tune which has been used by many a team - Glory Glory Hallelujah :

» The Chosen - Glory Glory Ayrshire Killie

But wait - there's more....

Right so think of a famous entertainer that you would associate with Kilmarnock, one that would probably record a song for the team.

Whoever said Jimmy Krankie go and wash your head out with soap.

What if I said Rolf Harris. Yes that’s right the bearded Aussie himself.

There is a supporters society known as The Killie Trust and last season when they reached the Scottish League Cup Final they somehow got Rolf to do a special recording of a song of his to help them celebrate this achievement.

The full story is a long one and can be read on a website especially created for this one song: www.fineday.co.uk.

- Because the song is still available to purchase online and because the proceeds go to a good cause I am only streaming this and not making available for download.

This journey doesn’t end there though. It takes another unexpected turn which involves a country tune as done by a member of a very famous Mormon family.

- I spotted a mentioned of this on their Wikipedia page and try as I might I couldn’t find a reason why.

I have another Stoke City/Delilah mystery on my hands so I’m putting out another appeal to ask anyone that knows:

Why do the supporters of Kilmarnock F.C sing Paper Roses ?

» Marie Osmond - Paper Roses

Apparently it started out in the ’70’s but more importantly since I’m not there so I also have to ask - are they still singing it ?