Oct
18
Top 5 England Football Songs
Blanche Parsons 100 Comments


The Jules Rimet is still gleaming. Welcome to WatchMojo UK and today we’ll
be counting down our picks for the top 5 England football team songs. For this list, we’re belting out some classic
tracks, with every song released to help spur the Three Lions on to great things at the
FIFA World Cup or UEFA European Championship. We’re including official and unofficial
singles and, while the team hasn’t always performed well, these records always hit the
back of the net. First released in 1990 and later used by Everton
as soundtrack to their 1995 FA Cup final, “All Together Now” enjoyed a second wind
when it entered the charts as the England anthem for Euro 2004. Inspired by the events on Christmas Day in
1914, when British and German troops played a game of football on no-man’s land, the
song is an all-out celebration of the beautiful game. The 2004 tournament ended badly for England,
with penalty defeat to Portugal, but this track often crops up during TV coverage of
international matches. The result of arguably the strangest collaboration
in modern pop music, Fat Les saw Blur bassist Alex James, actor Keith Allen and artist Damien
Hirst join forces for one of football’s finest sing-alongs. An unofficial song for France ‘98, “Vindaloo”
was initially created as a parody of other cliched football chants – the fans loved it
though. The instantly recognisable refrain was soon
sung from the terraces, and the trio had a number two hit on their hands. And the Verve-inspired music video is truly
something to behold. This song inspired a new tradition, as England
players sang on the record. “Back Home” may boast some pretty patchy
vocals, but the song stormed to the top of the charts in 1970 – with a rousing chorus
and marching band. Of course, England were reigning world champions
at the time – although they couldn’t retain their crown. But, “Back Home” wasn’t forgotten, and
was famously resurrected as the intro music for Baddiel and Skinner’s ‘90s footy talk
show, “Fantasy Football League”. New Order might’ve seemed an unconventional
choice when they were enlisted by the FA to record a track for the 1990 World Cup in Italy,
but they duly delivered an undisputed classic. “World in Motion” is another example of
pitch perfect player involvement, with the video remembered for Gazza’s boyish grin. But John Barnes is the real star of this show,
delivering a now-legendary rap before the final chorus. The track reached number one in the charts
and inspired England to the semi-finals. Before we unveil our top pick, here are a
few honorable mentions. #1: “Three Lions” (1996)
Baddiel, Skinner and The Lightning Seeds Surprisingly, today’s winner wasn’t actually
the official song for England at Euro ‘96 – Simply Red’s “We’re In This Together”
took that honour – but Baddiel and Skinner are the ones we all remember. Teaming up with the Lightning Seeds, the comedy
double act created a football phenomenon when the European Championships were staged on
home soil. With spot-on sentiment and a standout hook,
it scored an easy number one. And it demanded a re-release (with fresh lyrics)
for France ‘98, when it topped the charts again.