Football and Music

Got an email from a regular visitor who’s got a blog of his own and he’s posted some footie and music:

Name:: carrascus

Website:: http://www.blogin-in-the-wind.es/
Message::

Hi:

I writed a post on my blog about football and music. Looking for information, I come to your blog now and them. I want to thank some information contributed, and I want also to say hello and invite you to read my resulting post.

…The text is in Spanish, sorry…

Best wishes.

Hello Carrascus great to hear from you !

F&M obviously posts mostly English language footie/musical songs and occasionally I do some non-English stuff [eg: Brolin, Ronaldinho] but because of the language barrier I have trouble researching and finding more songs, more information for other overseas musical footballing outputs.

But now we now have more discoveries.

I found the post on his Bloggin’ In The Wind site that concerns the footie&music and holy crap look at that !

Carrascus has posted on one page what would be a 6 month output for me !

He’s got some legendary players on there who I never knew took to the mic either during or post their footballing careers.

Names such as Johan Cruyff, Arnold Muhren, Beckenbauer and is that… Maradonna..? And there… is it really Pele… singing…?
Oh wait there’s more - the bloke who plays for Blackburn, there also Jay Jay Okocha and yes even Drogba.

The google translation of the page gives me a good idea of what he’s posted and helps me research further onto each of them.

So thank you again Carrascus for contacting me, I’ll add a permanent link to your place somewhere on Football and Music.
And you as well dear reader, make sure you make regular visits over there too.

In the future I’ll feature some songs originally posted by Bloggin’ In The Wind but for now I’ll highlight a couple of familiar names who were in the Prem a couple of seasons ago and both of them may actually return »

Djibril Cissé once of Liverpool now of Marseille but maybe back in the North West (he still owns land in Cheshire and is married to a Brit) has a go at some house music with an afro beat with this curiously titled single:

» Dijbril Cisse - Shake by Play ‘mo Bitch

- Next up is Jay Jay Okocha previously of Bolton Wanderers and now playing up front for Hull, who have a decent chance of getting into the Prem for next season. Whether the 34 year-old veteran will be still with them then remains to be seen.
His attempt at the charts was released in 1994 and it is another curiously entitled tune:

» Jay Jay Okocha - I I Am Am Jay Jay

In the not too distant near future the suits at the Premier League have their way and now every EPL match is played abroad. But the effect is felt on the local economies of some American cities after they fielded some of the matches.

Boston never recovered from hosting Wigan v Sunderland.
Atlanta was financially crippled after they got Reading v Birmingham and then West Ham v Middlesboro.

At first the impact of the league was instantaneous.
American soccer fans embraced this new craze and after studying the newly franchised BBC archives, they took to emulating their English counterparts with full vigour. In fact it became an obsession. They studied everything. Including the music.

Hoards of replica shirt wearing chav homies roamed the streets looking for some “bovver”. (Even though they didn’t know what it was. Some thought it was the half-time Bovril, others thought it was a new dance).

But eventually this new obsession ate into the culture and left some places in ruins. - There were only matches once every other week and none in the summer. What were they going to do the rest of the time ? What are they going to do with all these pies..?

——–
[SCENE]: An trash filled alley somewhere in Chicago.

A gang of red shirted, baseball cap wearing footie/gangstas enter from one end. They wear an emblem of an 18th century cannon.

From the opposite end of the alley others enter. They are wearing red shiny shell suits with stripes of white down each side. Their emblem is a fabled bird with something in it’s mouth.

The two groups meet in the middle and stare each other down. A kid separates from one of the posse struggling with an 80’s style boombox. He sets on an abandoned car and waits…

Bob Fossil suddenly appears.           “Holy shitsauce we’ve got outselves a rapoff !”

First to step up is the 1988 Liverpool team including Alan Hansen, Jan Molby, Ray Houghton and Mark Lawrenson:

» Liverpool 1988 FA Cup Squad - Anfield Rap (Red Machine In Full Effect)

One nil Liverpool.

Looking for an equaliser is the A Team …

» The A Team - Arsenal Rap

The score is one-all.

Liverpool come back looking to take the lead again:

» Brize-E And The Anfield Posse - Anfield Rap

Ooh did it go over the line..? There’s an appeal… and it’s just given. Dodgy decision there.

It’s Arsenal on the counter attack, they want to level the scores again:

» Steven North and the Flat Back Four - Gus Caeser Rap

…and they smash one into the back of the net with that WTF moment.

With only seconds to go Liverpool are looking for the winner and…

» Liverpool FC - Anfield Rap (Red Machine Dub)

Ah but it’s ruled offside ! No goal !

Fossil blows the whistle for full time and it’s a draw. Neither side won this one. In fact it’s embarrassment all round.

My Dad was at school with Emlyn Hughes. He was in the same class as him for some subjects.
He told me that “our Em” was exactly like you saw him - confident and maybe a bit big-headed. Dad wasn’t friends with him, but did get on with him. Emlyn, he said, was always the center of attention.

Sadly more people will probably remember Emlyn better not for his footballing achievements, but more for his subsequent television career.

Also off the pitch he didalotofworkforcharidee… I’m assuming this is in relation to today’s song.
Again I’m assuming the history here, I’ve searched and found not much, but at some point (in my assumption) in the 80’s or early 90’s there must have been a charity that Emlyn and/or his co-singer on this single were involved with and to raise money for them somebody had the “bright” idea of recording a single.

The co-singer in question is one Suzanne Dando. Again probably better known for her post-sporting televisual career. How it came about that the footballer Emlyn Hughes would record a single with the gymnast I don’t know. I’ve searched to see if I could find any items that talked of their collaboration, but nothing found. I did however find a connection between the two of them - Roy Of The Rovers.

In 1985 Roy Race signed Emlyn, along with goalkeeper Bob Wilson because Race wanted to add experience to his Melchester side.

And tying in the Chrimbo thing - Suzanne Dando appeared in and on the cover of a Christmas issue when she starred in a panto adventure in which she was kidnapped and Roy rescued her with the assistance of a genie.

Also featured on this Christmas single is the Kingswinford Junior Choir:

» Emlyn Hughes with Suzanne Dando - At Christmas Time

Since there’s nothing much on Saturday, something for you to watch.

I’ve got this one on videotape but can’t see it any more so I’m glad somebody put it online.

Found via Liverpool Pies it is a documentary which five ex-players look at their history and pick their team in - Liverpool FC - The 80’s (Team Of The Decade).

Watch Part 1 below:

» All 6 parts here.