Football songs are usually pretty shameful affairs. The 2006 world cup saw Embrace producing a typically pedestrian effort with the instantly forgettable ‘World at Your Feet’ and this year England wisely decided not to even have an official song.
But over the years the beautiful game has still inspired some great music. Here’s our top ten of the best football songs around.
1. Mano Negra – Santa Maradona
A French band, with members who had origins from across Europe singing about an Argentinian footballer who spent most of his career in Italy. This song seems to encapsulate the spirit of the World Cup.
2. Half Man Half Biscuit – All I Want For Christmas Is a Dukla Prague Away Kit
Half Man Half Biscuit famously missed an appearance on the Tube to watch Tranmere Rovers play. Obscure football references aside this song is a brilliant observation on youth and the dangers of playing Subuteo.
3. The Fall – Theme from Sparta FC
Mark E Smith is a veteran of football songs, from ‘Kicker Conspiracy’ in 1983 to a World Cup song this year. His finest contribution has to be ‘Theme from Sparta FC’, still part of The Fall’s live set and the theme music to BBC’s Final Score.
4. Billy Bragg – God’s Footballer
This contribution from the bard of Barking is about former professional football player Peter Knowles who spent his career at Wolverhampton Wanderers before voluntarily ending his football career to become a Jehovah’s Witness.
5. Adam and Joe – The Footie Song
Adam and Joe are one of the few comedy acts that can write comedy songs that are actually funny. ‘The Footie Song’ is one of their best. Channel 4 don’t allow their content to be embedded, so click here to see the original clip.
6. Morrissey – Munich Air Disaster 1958
This 2004 single b-side is Morrissey’s sad and heartfelt tribute to the Busby Babes.
7. Teenage Fanclub – Kickabout
This, fairly uncharacteristic, Teenage Fanclub instrumental was used by the BBC for football programmes and was released as the b-side to the ‘Aint that Enough’ single.
8. Primal Scream – Big Man and Scream Team Meet the Barmy Army Uptown
Primal Scream, Irvine Welsh and others collaborated on this Rangers baiting unofficial song for Scotland in the European Championships in 1996.
9. Luke Haines – Leeds United
This brilliant song from the misanthropic former Auteur references David Pearce’s book’s The Damned United and the Red Riding Quartet and centres on a terrace chant style chorus.
10. New Order – World in Motion
The only official football song in our chart. Even the presence of Keith Allen and the John Barne’s rap couldn’t stop New Order, fresh from releasing Technique, from producing one of the best football songs of all time.
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