Who started singing "themed club" songs first ?

[eastlands-lostboy]

Blumoon, Delihla, Never Walk Alone, Forever Blowin Bubbles......what club started this practice in the U.K. I am not sure, was it West Ham ? many teams used to sing religous songs but some are regarded as "not P.C." but who really started this off ?

[dazlebluefrog]

this really is a question for john68 as he was around at the time it all started i'll go and try and find something on google

[Dazzacity]

Im pretty sure near on every team used to sing 'You'll never walk alone' Im sure Iv even seen old City footage where City fans are singing it?? Just that the like of Liverpool,Celtic and I think PSV??? etc kept it up..

[dazlebluefrog]

this site doesn't help in your search but listened to some good songs and some fcuking awful crap check out the LA Galaxy songs !!fcuking total shit the aussies aren't that bad
http://www.fanchants.com/

[Alex Sapphire]

we stole blue moon from crewe so it wasnt us

[Bear60]

I think Birmingham City's song is quite an old one , not sure if they started it all off though.

[Alex Sapphire]

we shall not be moved has been around.
Like Rugby, did footy adopt slave/christian songs (o when the saints etc).

[Wonderwall]

I can remember the kippax singing you will never walk alone many moons ago

[walmai]

Interesting thread.

WHUFC starting singing 'Bubbles' as a result, as I am sure you are aware, of it being popularised in a musical (first seen in USA). However, over and above the sentiment of the song being very apt for our club generally, we had a player named Murray who was apparently the dead ringer for the character pictured in posters for the musical when it was on in London (and on the sheet music that was for sale). This was all in the 1920's, so far as I know.

As for 'Walk Alone', QPR used to sing a version of it in the 80's that incorporated some kind of clapping between each line. It was a song that many different teams fans sang even up to that decade. That as well is from a musical.

One thing I cannot stand - even if sung by West Ham fans - is the ludicrous 'sign on' version of 'Walk Alone'. As if anyone going to games now is on the dole!

[john68]

Club songs have been around since well before I can remember and Bubbles was certainly well known as the West Ham song when I was a kid and before the modern singing ends evolved in the mid 1960s.
Coventry had the "Eton Boating Song", Brum's was "Keep Right On To The End Of The Road" and Spurs sang "Glory, Glory Tottenham Hotspur" for many years before the rags stole it. City had a version of "Bless Em All" for the 1956 Cup Final.

Liverpool's Kop was considered to have been the first Singing end around 1964 and I remember that their favourite song at that time (well before You'll Never Walk Alone was released by gerry and the Pacemakers) was in fact...Doo Wah Diddy.
The Shitford end was considered the 2nd and they adopted "We Shall Overcome" which, as far as I can remember, an anthemn for the Black American Equal rights campaign.
The Gwladys Street was probably the 3rd and may have been before the Shitford end. Their song was "We Shal not be Moved.

As ends grew at every club, most of the songs were sung by all the fans and adapted to suit if necessary. The number of songs and chants grew with everyone stealing off everybody else.

I hope that helps.

[Lev Bronstein]

The memory is blurred, but, there's some record Dennis Law holds - scoring 7 goals in a cup tie and being on the losing side. Anyway, the first meeting - with Sunderland I think was abandoned with Utd 7 up. Sunderland won the re-match and there was a report in the papers that the Sunderland fans were singing "The Blaydon Races" - something they used to do quite often apparantly. I think that was about 1961.

Like the rest I appeal to John68's data file.

[walshawblue]

The memory is blurred, but, there's some record Dennis Law holds - scoring 7 goals in a cup tie and being on the losing side. Anyway, the first meeting - with Sunderland I think was abandoned with Utd 7 up. Sunderland won the re-match and there was a report in the papers that the Sunderland fans were singing "The Blaydon Races" - something they used to do quite often apparantly. I think that was about 1961.

Like the rest I appeal to John68's data file.

It was city againt luto away and city were 6-0 up with 20 minutes Law scored all six and the fef abandoned the game City lost the replay 3-1 and Law scored the goal so he scored seven and still ended up loosing (ONLY CITY)

[john68]

Walshie is right Lev...
Game 1 was on 28th Jan and was abandonded after 69mins.
Game 2 was a disaster and we got stuffed

The Luton management worked out that all of Laws goals in the 1st game were made by George Hannah and reckoned if they could stop City's Hannah, they would stop law...They were right.

Not sure about the Sunderland fans and the Blaydon Races though. It was alweays considered to be the newcastle Anthemn

[Wonderwall]

Interesting thread.

WHUFC starting singing 'Bubbles' as a result, as I am sure you are aware, of it being popularised in a musical (first seen in USA). However, over and above the sentiment of the song being very apt for our club generally, we had a player named Murray who was apparently the dead ringer for the character pictured in posters for the musical when it was on in London (and on the sheet music that was for sale). This was all in the 1920's, so far as I know.

As for 'Walk Alone', QPR used to sing a version of it in the 80's that incorporated some kind of clapping between each line. It was a song that many different teams fans sang even up to that decade. That as well is from a musical.

One thing I cannot stand - even if sung by West Ham fans - is the ludicrous 'sign on' version of 'Walk Alone'. As if anyone going to games now is on the dole!

No Walmai, they have season tickets! I kid you not. There is a famouse doley called carl teese who is a rag fan who has a season ticket and eats lots of pizzas and take aways too.

[Lev Bronstein]

Walshie is right Lev...
Game 1 was on 28th Jan and was abandonded after 69mins.
Game 2 was a disaster and we got stuffed

The Luton management worked out that all of Laws goals in the 1st game were made by George Hannah and reckoned if they could stop City's Hannah, they would stop law...They were right.

Not sure about the Sunderland fans and the Blaydon Races though. It was alweays considered to be the newcastle Anthemn

Ta for that folks. Think I'm right about the Blaydon Races, somehow or other anyway.

[walmai]

Interesting thread.

WHUFC starting singing 'Bubbles' as a result, as I am sure you are aware, of it being popularised in a musical (first seen in USA). However, over and above the sentiment of the song being very apt for our club generally, we had a player named Murray who was apparently the dead ringer for the character pictured in posters for the musical when it was on in London (and on the sheet music that was for sale). This was all in the 1920's, so far as I know.

As for 'Walk Alone', QPR used to sing a version of it in the 80's that incorporated some kind of clapping between each line. It was a song that many different teams fans sang even up to that decade. That as well is from a musical.

One thing I cannot stand - even if sung by West Ham fans - is the ludicrous 'sign on' version of 'Walk Alone'. As if anyone going to games now is on the dole!

No Walmai, they have season tickets! I kid you not. There is a famouse doley called carl teese who is a rag fan who has a season ticket and eats lots of pizzas and take aways too.

Is he their unofficial chant writer? Some are actually quite humourous.

[john68]

You may well be right Lev.
In those days most fans sang everyone elses songs and just adapted them to suit.
My only doubt was that certain songs that pertained to your nearest and hated rivals were often a no-no. Unless the words were changed in an ironic way to throw back at them.
The Kippax never sand "We Shall Overcome" because it was theirs and I reckoned the Blaydon Races might be too entrenched in Geordie culture for the Makkems to take up.
The Kippax certainly sang a version of it...."Waaaaaalking down Maaaaaaine Roooooad....To see Joe Mercer's aces."

[Niall Quinns Discopants]

Interesting thread.

WHUFC starting singing 'Bubbles' as a result, as I am sure you are aware, of it being popularised in a musical (first seen in USA). However, over and above the sentiment of the song being very apt for our club generally, we had a player named Murray who was apparently the dead ringer for the character pictured in posters for the musical when it was on in London (and on the sheet music that was for sale). This was all in the 1920's, so far as I know.

As for 'Walk Alone', QPR used to sing a version of it in the 80's that incorporated some kind of clapping between each line. It was a song that many different teams fans sang even up to that decade. That as well is from a musical.

One thing I cannot stand - even if sung by West Ham fans - is the ludicrous 'sign on' version of 'Walk Alone'. As if anyone going to games now is on the dole!

No Walmai, they have season tickets! I kid you not. There is a famouse doley called carl teese who is a rag fan who has a season ticket and eats lots of pizzas and take aways too.

And goes regularily on holidays.