Thought they recorded this to coincide with the League Cup Final in 1978, but looks like this wasn’t the case. They might have done this just for the hell of it.

‘They’ in this case are Nottingham Forest, who had more successes with the League and European Cups.

During Old Big ‘Ead’s reign they won 14 cups. There are some obscure tournaments in there, but still, they won them. If you count only the major cups then it is 8. Now listen here young man...

This is only a hypothetical, as mentioned we don’t know the whole story of how it came about:

Sometime back in 1978 somebody at Nottingham Forest (maybe) decided that they release a single to celebrate their success.

Around that time Forest were dominating the cup competitions (apart from the FA one), they had won the 1978 League Cup after a replay and then went onto win it again the year after – and then did the same with the European Cup.

So hands up everybody who can name a famous band or artist from Nottingham. No Google cheating here, off the top of your head name one. Hard isn’t it. Remember that it was the mid to late 70’s too.

Again somebody at the club maybe stumbled onto this fact, or remembered their appearance on a big TV talent show in 1974 and their subsequent Number 1. There was a local band made good. Maybe they would be interested in recording something with them…

Opportunity knocked for Paper Lace and after winning on the show in ’74 their single: “Billy Don’t Be A Hero” went straight to the top of the charts.

I went looking for a video of the single on YouTube and found it. (The song was about Billy going off to fight in the American Civil War – How a pair of English songwriters came to write about this subject is a puzzling one.)

But I then also found what looks to be a re-recorded 80’s remixed version – a disco version at that, by the same group. Go and watch and compare the two, you’ll see what I mean. The newer one is very bizarre.

I’ve wandered off. Back to the Forest and their meeting of minds:

The band had two other singles in the top 10 of the same year but by the end of 1974 they had already faded. Until four years later when this happened along.

Snippet from Wikipedia:

“The ‘Nottingham Forest March’ (‘We Got the Whole World in Our Hands’) was released in 1978 on 7 inch vinyl. This was a joint collaboration between the group Paper Lace and Nottingham Forest Football Club and features the fans singing as well as the team of the time. Changes to the lyrics included “We’re the best team, in the land / We’re the best damn team, in the land” amongst others.”

Paper Lace and Notts Forest

» Paper Lace & Nottingham Forest FC – We Got The Whole World In Our Hands

Extra Time:

» An interview with Phil Wright (the drummer).

3 Replies to “They Had The Whole World”

  1. Was used earlier this year by ING for a tv ad campaign.

    My girlfriend bless ther though they were singing “we’ve got a wheelbarrow in our house”

  2. Does anyone know where I can get the video for the track from. I remember seeing it when the song was out, but I can’t find it anywhere, not even on youtube
    Cheers

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