Big sporting tournaments are a sure fire way of inspiring patriotism. Few other activities unite nations and of all sports, football is the ultimate unifier. In 1996 football came home and England played host to the European Championships. I was in Nottingham, one of the host cities, for the summer of that year and vividly remember the buoyant mood across the city; everyone full of hopes and dreams. I watched a number of the games on a big-screen at a Nottingham nightclub. The atmosphere was fantastic, the beer flowed freely and the air was punched as England drew with Switzerland, beat Scotland and thumped the Netherlands 4 - 1. Yes, England won. 4 - 1.
Nearly 20 years on and England arrived in Brazil for the 2014 World Cup full of youthful hope. Fans began to believe once more. My experience of this tournament was somewhat different to the heady days of the mid-90s. I watched the first game in bed. My wife was away for the second match leaving my mother in law on hand for help with childcare. From beers in a nightclub and the celebrations that followed victory versus Scotland in 96, to watching England defeated by Uruguay on the sofa with my mother-in-law. The third England match was a teatime kick off. During the game I surfed the web, did a crossword and crocheted a cardigan.
The new season is but weeks away and this time last year my 6 Music producer and I cooked up a football based feature for my show, with no knowledge of football required. We found songs that mention every single team in the English Premier league, Scottish Premiership, the Championship and Leagues 1 and 2. Following the success of Home Team Glory we resurrected the feature for the World Cup and searched for well-known tracks referencing every team in the tournament. We kicked off with Algeria and in like a Suarez shot (as oppose to a bite), a listener suggested a Canadian band called Sloan and their 1994 release, Penpals. That one features the line, "I write you from a far country, in North of Africa, It is Algeria.” Ding.
Then followed songs which mention Argentina, Australia, Belgium and remarkably, Bosnia Herzegovina. The one we thought we’d never find! But 6 Music listeners never cease to amaze and came up with a great song by Todd Rundgren - If Not Now, When? Yes, Bosnia and Herzegovina are mentioned separately in the lyrics but producer Jenny’s magic scissors brought the two together and from that point on we never so much as stumbled - ticking off songs for every team through to the USA. The music mix created is an aural wonder - 32 countries name checked in less than a minute. The search for songs may be complete - my challenge for you now is to resist yelling “Ecuador" every time you play it.
Chris Hawkins, 6 Music presenter
- Check out the Home Team Glory: 2014 World Cup Special Megamix
- Listen to 6 Music via Radio iPlayer
