Team Songs

@Jennifer1984 Said

I completely disagree.

I can quite easily watch a game (for example) between Man Utd and Barcelona (as they were in the Champs League Final last year). I have absolutely no affiliation with either club but enjoyed the game. Found it entertaining, thought the skill of both teams was brilliant and thoroughly enjoyed it.

Rugby Union however I very rarely, if ever enjoy. The only game I remember enjoying was England vs Australia in the World Cup final. That wasn't because the game was good, rather a home nation became the best team in the world at Rugby. <<<< JMO



Fair enough @ disagree.

You appear to be quite an exception to the usual footballing rule, JMO and for that reason, there is hope for you yet. LOL. Personal opinion aside though, I think it's a bit harsh to completely dismiss a sport out of hand as "s***". But hey, as I said..... if that's how you feel, then fair enough.

But this thread is about club songs. I already mentioned the national hymns and arias of the major national rugby teams and perhaps we can compare some of those to the footballing equivalent.

As far as Scotland goes, Flower of Scotland covers all sports and that's quite good in my opinion. It's about national identity rather than the sport itself.

Ireland's "Fields of Athenry", England's "Swing Low Sweet Chariot" and Wales' "Bread of Heaven" compare favourably, in my opinion to the monotonous, unceasing repetition of The Great Escape in which there aren't actually any words, just a constant "doo-doo... doo doo da doo doo.... doo doo da doo da doo doo doo doo". Novel for about five seconds and then it kinda loses its (limited) appeal.

OK, let's compare a few club songs.... Harlequins fans will sing "The Mighty Quinn"... pretty obvious for a team known as The 'Quins. Northampton Saints fans sing (not surprisingly) "When The Saints Go Marching In" and down in my own end of the country Cornish Pirates fans are all well versed in "Trelawney's Army".

Compare this to such footballing ditties as "You're gonna get your f***in' heads kicked in". A quaint little number usually directed by one set of fans at their opponents.

Another one that goes around is the welcoming refrain of one set of fans for their nearest local rivals... let's say Chelsea.... "We hate Chelsea and we hate Chelsea. We Hate Chelsea and we hate Chelsea. We hate Chelsea and we hate Chelsea. We are the Chelsea haters".

Wow. :80:

But the sickest, vilest symptom of football's tribal disease is the song sung by Leeds United supporters, that they use to taunt Manchester United fans over the Munich Air Disaster. To the tune of "Daisy, Daisy", how about this:

Man United went in an aeroplane
Went to Munich and never come back again
They went in a DC7
And now they're all in heaven
They're sat up there
In a f***in' great chair
With an aeroplane broke in two.

Now, I don't know of any song in any sport, anywhere in the world that plumbs such awful depths of sick depravity than that. But it's a regular feature of Man Utd vs Leeds United matches.

In truth, there are some sparks of originality though. I do rather like Charlton Athletic's take on "Mull of Kintyre"

Valley, Floyd Road
Oh mist rolling in from the Thames
My desire is always to be here
At Valley, Floyd Road
Many miles have I travelled
Many goals have I seen
Following Charlton my favourite team
Many songs I have sung
In the Covered End Choir
Singing Valley, Floyd Road
My only desire


Now, isn't that nice..? Why can't all football songs be like that, JMO..?

As I said before, football is far too tribal. You may have watched a game of rugby once, and good on you for that. I remember the game well. I was an undergrad and had to explain everything to my student housemates as it happened. When Jason Robinson went over the line for England's try, she asked "Is that good, then..?" Laffin'.... I was jumping around like a maniac, whooping and hollering and she asked if it was good. You gotta laff, aint ya..?

Rugby is a very misunderstood game. As I tried to explain... it exists on a different level to football... a completely different plane.

Compare the songs. You should be able to see what I mean.


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@boobagins Said

Headstrong by Trapt was our team song for soccer back in high school.

Got played right before the game and when we won after the game.

I love that song, it just pumps you up.

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As far as making a song up, yeah, haven't heard of many teams doing that. But they definitely have theme songs and just one song that's there's.

@osm Said

The All Blacks don't have a song, they have the haka but if they got a song as well it would be awesome. Something that means a lot to everyone including them. One day I hope that happens.

@Jennifer1984 Said

England captain Will Carling once described The Haka thus:

"This is where, before the kick off, the All Blacks spend 80 seconds telling you what they're going to do to you. They then spend the next 80 minutes doing it".

Seeing Johah Lomu bomb down the wing, leaving a trail of broken, bloodied tacklers behind him, that was very easy to believe.

I took the trouble to learn the words of The Haka, OSM, and I know what it means. It's very spiritual and I can see how it will raise the blood of the All Blacks. I think we could do without the throat cutting gestures that have crept in recently though. That's a tad unnecessary, don't you think..?


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@jmo Said

What do you think of team songs?

In the AFL (Aussie football) each team has a club song, and the winning club song is played at the end of the game. The songs are a bit twee and not great musically, but in a way its great that each club has it's own song.