Stoke City F.C. - "Delilah"

Next up, we take a trip into the terraces of the Britannia Stadium, the home of the rip-roaring Potters, otherwise known as Stoke City!

(Photo from Click Manchester)

Adopted as my second home as I'm currently at university there, I've been fortunate enough to attend several Stoke City home games. Officially the loudest ground in the Premiership, the atmosphere is one of a true football game and a pleasure to be a part of. The true highlight of it all though is "Delilah", a somewhat crude anthem that sums up Stoke City and their fans perfectly.

Originally a song by Welsh crooner Tom Jones, the story of it's transformation into a football song is shrouded in mystery. There are two main beliefs among Stoke fans though, both of which I will talk about.

The first is that of T.J., a legendary, almost mythical, fan from the 1980's who many think started the tradition single-handedly. An ever-present at home and away games, it is believed he started the singing of it in a local pub, complete with re-done lyrics. Then, at home games, other fans would go deathly quiet and begin to chant "T.J.! T.J.!", demanding him to kick off the song. At this point, T.J. would stand up and begin the song on his own, with the rest of the crowd joining in for the "Woooooaaaahhhh!" and "She stood there laughing!" parts. If this story is indeed true, T.J. will go down as one of the most famous fans in English football ever.

The other strand of belief is that it began in the late 70's, thanks to The Sensational Alex Harvey Band. At the time, "Delilah" had been a huge hit for Tom Jones and many bands produced and released covers. Arguably the most famous of all though is that of The Sensational Alex Harvey Band, their cover reaching number 7 in the 1975 UK charts. It is believed that, later on in the decade, the band played a gig at Stoke's former stadium, the Victoria Ground, playing the song. Stoke City played the next day and, during the game, fans began singing the song. It caught on rapidly and soon, fans from the Boothen End began changing the lyrics, resulting in what we hear today.

The Sensational Alex Harvey Band:

It was a different time....

(photo from Cool Album Of The Day)

However, the song has changed slightly since those times. Instead of people chanting "T.J.!", the crowd often makes a shushing sound, letting everyone know that the song is about to start. The lyrics have also come under scrutiny due to the explicitness, particularly the line "I put my d**k in her hands". Some people have called for them to be changed and "I put my knife in her hands" has been heard instead at some games.

Let's have a listen to the song, this time performed by fans before the FA Cup final in 2011.

Now it's time to gauge the fans' opinion. For this, seeing as I study in Stoke, I spoke to passer-byes in the Shelton area. As Stoke fans are known for being both fiercely proud and loyal to their club and it's traditions, I can see only one outcome.

Roger (54), from Stoke-on-Trent, said, "I love the song. I go to every Stoke home game and it's a pleasure to join in with. It sums us "Stokies" up well I think."

Ross (36), also from Stoke-on-Trent, agreed. He said, "I truly think we have the best traditional club song. Whilst "You'll Never Walk Alone" and other songs are more famous, none of them match the fans as well as "Delilah" does."

Dan (21), from Burton-upon-Trent, whilst admitting to being only a casual fan, said "I love it to be honest. I only go to a couple of home games a year but nothing beats when everybody begins shushing because you know what's coming. They sing it so loud as well!"

Matt (20), from Market Harborough, recalls his favourite "Delilah" memory. "Just after we lost 1-0 to Manchester City in the F.A. Cup final, all of the players came over to applaud us and we started singing it. That's the loudest I've ever heard it and it was a very emotional moment. It summed up the Stoke City spirit well.

An overwhelming yes for "Delilah" then it seems! 

That's all for this post folks! Join me in a few days for the next installment and, don't forget, if you want to agree/disagree, you can always leave a comment!

Thanks for reading!

Derby County F.C. - "Steve Bloomer's Watching"

Hello and welcome to the first "official" post of 'Songs Of The Stands'!

 Today, I'm looking at the traditional club song of my hometown team, Derby County, otherwise known as the Rams!

 

(Photo from The Daily Echo)

As an avid Derby County fan myself, I will try and keep this post as objective as possible but please forgive me if my bias somehow seeps in!


To understand "Steve Bloomer's Watching", we first need to look at the legendary Steve Bloomer (affectionately nicknamed the "Destroying Angel"), undoubtedly one of the best footballers to ever play the game. Truly a brilliant sportsman (he also played baseball and cricket for Derby teams), he made his professional debut at the tender age of just 18, firing home 4 goals in a game against Darley Dale. He went on to have a prolific career, including a 14-year tenure at Derby County, scoring a total of 332 goals in 525 games for the Rams. Known for having a very slight frame, he terrorised defenses with his natural skill and pure instinct for the game.

It's no surprise then that he's considered one of Derby County's biggest icons with an anthem to match. First used on Boxing Day of 1997, "Steve Bloomer's Watching" was written by 2 Derby fans (Mark Tewson and Martyn Miller) after hearing "Up There Cazaly" at an Australian Rules Football game. They re-wrote the song to include Derby's football greats whilst their musician friend Stephen Halston-Reid modernised the composition.

BBC Radio Derby and actor Robert Lindsay soon got involved after hearing the reworked song. Lionel Pickering (director), Jim Smith (manager) and several squad players also joined in to record the song under the name  'Robert Lindsay and the Pride Park Posse' (arguably the most cringeworthy band name ever).

Robert Lindsay: Leader of the "posse"

(photo from The Times)

Since then, it has been played before every single home game, allowing fans young and old to remember the greatness of Steve Bloomer, the game's first real superstar. Bloomer now sits alongside the home dug-out at Pride Park in the form of a bust, "guiding our heroes in the black and the white" as it says in the song.


Now to have a listen:

Another unique feature of this blog is that, for every song, I'll be getting the opinions of the club's fans. Because, let's face it, they're the ones who sing it week in, week out.


For "Steve Bloomer's Watching", I spoke to several people on the DCFCfans forum to gauge their opinion. Unfortunately, the responses were much more negative than I had anticipated.

Sam (17), from Derby, said "When I was younger, it was alright but I've heard it so many times now, its getting on my nerves. No-one really joins in, you just get half the ground clapping and shouting "Derby!" at the end."

James (22),, from Derby, raises the issue of when it's played: "I'm sure the song used to be played to coincide with the kick off which was better as there would be a big load of noise as the game started. Now it's played 10 mins before kick off so less people are interested in joining in and are still finishing off their pints downstairs."

Callum (17),, from Heanor, agrees: "It doesn't help how it's played ten minutes before kick off. Singing it then just feels pointless to me."

On the other hand, Dan (25),, from Blackpool, says, "I like the song & always join in! It's our song & no-one else sings it unlike some chart or old songs adopted by other clubs. It's something nice & unique to us even if the tune is a rip-off of an old Aussie song!"


As for myself, I have to agree with Dan. I find the song to be very uplifting and, just before the kick-off of an important game, it certainly gives me chills when it rings around the stadium. Take the other weekend, for example, during the passionate East Midlands derby between Derby County and Nottingham Forest. 27,000 home fans all standing and belting out "Everybody's frightened of that Derby pride!"

That, my friends, is what a football game is all about.


That brings to a close the first real post of 'Songs Of The Stands'! Thanks to all the participants who gave their opinions and I hope you stick around for the next post in a couple of days!

Hello!

Hello and welcome to the first post of 'Songs Of The Stands', a brand new and entirely unique blog that covers both music and football in one fell swoop!

In the coming months, I'll be looking at one of the biggest factors of the matchday experience besides the football itself. The music.

Responsible for creating the atmosphere that keeps us coming back every Saturday, the music is one of the true traditions of a football game, passed down from generation to generation to allow fans to showcase their love, not only for their team, but also for the beautiful game.

The main focus of this blog will be to look at traditional club songs, from the euphoric anthems that ring out of Anfield and Old Trafford to lesser known songs from Bramall Lane and Easter Road. All leagues will be covered in a tireless effort to find and discuss the best songs.

That's not all though, as I'll also be looking at other instances where music and football have met, including the advertising and branding of major world tournaments. I'll also be delving into the dark, and sometimes unnerving, world of footballers trying to crack the charts, often ending in embarrassment and humiliation.

Stick around and I hope you enjoy it! The first "song from the stands" will be up shortly.