The World Cup is getting nearer by the day and the numerous attempts to cash in on England's endeavours are becoming more apparent. Since the advent of the England squad's song Back Home in the 1970s, music and football have lived together in an uneasy harmony. There have been some surprising successes along the way such as Baddiel and Skinner's Three Lions, New Order's World in Motion and even the Anfield Rap. But there has also been a fair share of shocking failures associated with the beautiful game from Ant and Dec's "We're on the Ball", "This Time (We'll Get It Right)" by the 1982 England World Cup Squad and the Spice Girls' 1998 effort "(How Does It Feel To Be) On Top Of The World". Unlikely duo However, this year an unlikely duo have emerged with what they hope will be the football song which will get the fans chanting on the terraces - BBC Three Counties own Big George Webley and Wycombe Wanderers commentator Ian Stringer. One is a man with enough showbiz anecdotes to rival Jonathan Ross, while the other has more football stats embedded in his football shaped brain to give John Motson a run for his money. But somehow together they have formed a musical partnership which has managed to bring together George's musical arranging skills and Ian's knowledge of football to produce lyrics which actually mean something - well almost! The so far unnamed band have produced a record which at first appears to be a simple remake of Tony Christie's Amarillo but in time becomes etched on to your brain with a sense of familiarity which actually feels quite nice. Chris Moyles  | | Chris Moyles already a fan! |
So far they have achieved what many bands who come up with a novelty record fail to do and get air play on a major station, BBC Radio 1 no less. Chris Moyles championed the song on his breakfast show: "I listened at first and I wasn't sure if it was any good but then it grew on me a little bit. "It works and you can see it working on the terraces and trust me when I tell you - this will go round in your head all day once you've heard it." In the interess of discovering what really brought about this unusual alliance we got George and Ian together in their first ever interview as wannabe pop stars (only Ian technically because George has had his fair share of success) to discuss how this all came about. Where did this idea for you two teaming up and forming this unusual alliance come from? Ian: On the way to a Wycombe Wanderers football match as it happens. George: To the bastion of football that is the Causeway Stadium. Ian: We were on our way to a football match listening to a CD of football anthems that George loved - it starts with Queen's "We are the Champions". George: That you listen to on your way to every match! | "He asked who was going to write it and I said I didn't know and George said you are, get off you back side and write it yourself." | | Ian Stringer on how he came to write his own England world cup song |
Ian: We were talking about football songs and I said I can guarantee here and now that a version of Amarillo will get to number one in the summer. He asked why and I explained that it is a football anthem, you go to any match and they always play it, it is a massive anthem. He asked who was going to write it and I said I didn't know and George said you are, get off you backside and write it yourself. So George and I got together and I brought some lyrics and George rewrote them a bit and ladies and gentleman put your hands together for a future number one! George: Well I reckon that is about as an accurate portrayal as you could possibly put to this. But what I would have said was that we've always been looking for a musical project that we could both get involved in and this seemed like the perfect time to do it. Is this going to be like Simon and Garfunkel - Stringer and Webley? George: Yeah, what we are going to do is have a number one hit, we're going to go onto Top of The Pops with everybody from Three Counties in our team all in England shirts. We're going to kick footballs into the crowd, we're going to go to number one then me and Stringer are going to have a fall out over musical differences and in 20 years time we are going to do a reunion concert at the Albert Hall. But from that car journey how have you arrived here? George: Well everything that Stringer said is absolutely right. I said to him "why don't you write it?" and he said "I can't, who would take any notice of me?" I said hang about you're Stinger, have a go! Everybody has got something in them - it's whether you have the desire or the drive to do it and Stringer proved that he has! Where do you see this going now?  | | Baddiel and Skinner wrote Three Lions |
George: Well I hoping it goes to number one and I become a multi-millionaire recluse who eats loads of cheese and keeps my toe nail clippings in a special crystal jar! No, it is a good fun kind of song. Ian: We want people singing it on the terraces at the World Cup. Let's face it - England have the best chance ever in my lifetime of winning the World Cup. The squad is so strong and there is going to be an anthem that is attached to that victory. People loved "Amarillo" as a song because they sing along and now football fans can add the lyrics that George and I have to put together! It's our dream for fans to sing it. George: And what this has got in common with something like "Three Lions" is that neither of these songs have got stupid add on raps by a football player. People don't want songs that have a rap in the middle even though John Barnes can do the rap. Ian: Can he? How can you rap 'I come from Jamaica my name is John Barn-es, when I do my thing the crowd go bananas'? Even I couldn't come up with rubbish lyrics like that!  | | Big George in Panto outfit! |
George: Exactly, so what we have done is eradicated the weak parts of this and we've just gone for the strength of a great song, which was great when it came out in the 70s and it was a great song when I did it at pantomime 88 times or whatever and it's going to be an even better song when it is at number one when England win the World Cup. I look forward to standing next to Stringer on Top of The Pops when we are number one with Tony Christie live on stage with us singing 'and England win the world cup' and half way through I'll turn and say 'it's a good job I came to that match that day?!' When will we be able to buy this amazing song? George: Hopefully you will be able to buy it in the second week of May, then by the time that June arrives, "Oi! Here we go!" Due to numerous legal issues which are so mind numbingly boring that we don't want to go into details we are currently unable to allow you listen to this unique single. If however, these are resolved in the near future you will be the first to hear this song. However - here are the lyrics by Big George and Ian Stringer All across the nation
You can taste the expectation
Finish what we started
ENGLAND the lion hearted Every single player (woe oh oh oh oh)
Holds our destiny (woe oh oh oh oh)
and they’ll all be heroes
on plasma screen TVs ENGLAND WIN THE WORLD CUP
Dig Deep, don’t come unstuck
ENGLAND WIN THE WORLD CUP
Stevie G score for me ENGLAND WIN THE WORLD CUP
40 years, who gives a “Oi”
ENGLAND WIN THE WORLD CUP
Beckham scores a penalty Every fan is singing
It’s a ROAR - ENGLAND’S winning
Let’s go down the local
Have a laugh and get all vocal we’re gonna cruise the group stage (woe oh oh oh oh)
Yes we’ll win all three (woe oh oh oh oh)
the last 16’s easy
‘cause we’ve got Wayne Rooney eeeeee ENGLAND WIN THE WORLD CUP
Michael Owen’s always good luck
ENGLAND WIN THE WORLD CUP
Sven’ll dance like old Nobby ENGLAND WIN THE WORLD CUP
40 years, who gives a “Oi”
ENGLAND WIN THE WORLD CUP
Then knight them all Your Majesty
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