Oh you knew.

I bet you didn’t know though that there is another bit of bad luck also associated him and that puppet…

Ah you are not going to get me to do a bio are you ? Everybody knows about Rod Hull and Emu don’t they ? Alright I’ll add something:

Back in the day the kid’s telly presenters regularly assaulted the children on their shows.

(Imagine them doing that now, not even allowed in the same room these days…)

But another children’s entertainer took it one step further and not only attacked the kids with that arm, but his fellow celebs too. I remember he used to goose the females with particular vigour.

Then for no apparent reason in 1974 he got a call from somebody at Bristol Rovers asking him to record a single with their football team.

“Ah” You are thinking. “Must be a version of Goodnight Irene, a song associated with the club.”
Sorry. No. This is far from it and I’m sure that any fan with a long memory will want everyone to forget that they did this.

With some other songs posted here I’ve managed to gleam even a tiny smidgen of info as to why they released a single, but with this one. Nothing.

The only thing I found via their Wikipedia entry was that in 1973-74 season Bristol Rovers were runners up in Division Three and were promoted to the 2nd Division. Let’s go and record a song with Rod Hull and Emu in celebration. No just doesn’t sit right does it.

UPDATE: Just listened to the song again (things I do for you) and it was that Bristol Rovers were in Division Two.

Cup run ? Nope. But a slightly amusing/farcical thing at the end here:

…The only major cup competition won by Bristol Rovers is the 1972 Watney Cup, when they beat Sheffield United in the final.[15] The club also won the Division Three (South) Cup in 1934–35, as well as winning or sharing the Gloucestershire Cup on 32 occasions. The team has never played in European competition; the closest Rovers came was when they missed out on reaching the international stage of the Anglo-Italian Cup in the 1992–93 season on a coin toss held over the phone with West Ham United.

Anyhoddles… So back in the mists of time, with the real reason lost to the ages now. Rod Hull and Emu went into the studio with the 1974 Bristol Rovers squad and came out with this:

[See post to listen to audio] » Rod Hull, Emu & B.R. Football Team – Bristol Rovers All The Way [See post to listen to audio] » Rod Hull and Emu – I’d Do Anything

So what have we learnt here today ? I think it’s that Bristol Rovers need to call in a priest or something to get rid of this Emu hex which sits over the club – and you should never climb up on the roof to fix your antenna. Wherever it is…

Imagine that. Playing in the old Division 3 and in the last 8 for the FA Cup.
Well done chaps and best of British to you.

They are playing high flying West Brom in the late kick off on Sunday and obviously the odds are stacked against them, but who’s to say. Nobody expected Barnsley to turn Liverpool over…

I went on a research trip to find any songs or music associated with the club and found on their Wikipedia page this bit:

The song which is synonymous with Bristol Rovers is “Goodnight, Irene“, which was written by Leadbelly. It is sung by fans in support of the team.

Opinions differ as to how this came about but it is thought to have become popular in the 1950s when a version of the song was in the British charts – the line “sometimes I have a great notion to jump in the river and drown” – seemed to be particularly apt when Rovers lost as the Bristol Frome flows alongside the old Eastville ground.

Another theory is that it was sung at a fireworks display at the Stadium the night before a Home game against Plymouth Argyle in the fifties. During the game the following day, Rovers were winning quite comfortably and the few Argyle supporters present began to leave early prompting a chorus of “Goodnight Argyle” from the Rovers supporters – the tune stuck and “Irene” became the club song.

(The name Leadbelly might ring a bell - Nirvana covered one of his songs )

There’s no need for me to tell the whole story behind the song or about Leadbelly because Pitch Invasion has this very excellent article about the whole thing. Seriously. Take some time and go and read it.

In the meantime I’ll post the original and a couple of different takes on the much covered song:

» Leadbelly – Goodnight Irene

» Brian Wilson – Goodnight Irene

» Frank Sinatra – Goodnight Irene