They Think It's All Over: English Football in the Music Studio

The 2022 Qatar World Cup kicks off this week, and football fever is once again in the air. For England fans, when a major tournament rolls around, it is impossible to escape the constant bombardment of nostalgia. Be it the squad of '66 or ’96, the nation never fails to let go of past triumphs. In recent years there has been more to cheer about than usual, with a semi-final finish at the 2018 World Cup and an incredible run to the European Championship final in 2021. But there is one element of English football that has seemingly been forgotten, and certainly no

longer practiced today: the inaugural World Cup song.

The England national football team has entered the studio four times prior to participation in the FIFA World Cup. It seems, however, that the tradition of a collective team song, whilst the country prepares for another rollercoaster tournament, is something of a lost art. With nothing released since 1990, it is clear the F.A. has decided, for better or worse, to scrap the singing and focus on more important things, like football.

It would however be doing a disservice to past players, of whom many have become national heroes, to simply forget their ill-fated attempts to pursue pop stardom. So here is a brief history of the recording career of the England national football team, and the reasons as to why the World Cup song has remained a thing of the past.

Mexico ’70: Back Home

The 1970 World Cup in Mexico was the first to be held outside of Europe and South America. For England this was a chance to defend its title four years on from the historic 1966 victory. The squad contained many heroes of the previous World Cup, including Gordon Banks, Bobby Moore and Geoff Hurst, in what was to be their final outing at a major international tournament.

The song, entitled Back Home, began the tradition of the England squad recording songs to celebrate its involvement in the World Cup. Other than its importance in that regard, there is little more positive to say about it. The song features the England players monotonously chanting, singing of the support they hope to receive when defending their title in Mexico. A steady drum beat supports the vocals, and is complemented by an uplifting horn section, the latter being the only redeeming quality to this repetitive, rather uninspiring song.

As the first effort in the studio by the England football team, it is no surprise that producers opted for a musically safe choice for the style of the anthem. Nevertheless, the song managed to reach number one in the UK singles charts for three weeks during May 1970, fighting off artists such as Simon and Garfunkel, and Stevie Wonder.

However, even the chart success of Back Home could not inspire England to defend their world title, suffering a quarter-final defeat at the hands of arch rivals West Germany.

Espana ’82: This Time (We’ll Get it Right)

Spain 1982. The first World Cup tournament to feature a penalty shootout, surely nothing but a bad omen for the England team, which saw itself back in the competition following a twelve year absence.

The team’s song of choice, This Time (We’ll Get it Right), does show some development since the previous effort. With a slightly faster tempo, the result is a little more upbeat and almost infuriatingly catchy. That being said, the collective chanting remains monotonous and tiresome to listen to. The Latin American infused accordion gives off more of a strange, Germanic tone, although it does provide for a bit of flavour in an otherwise rather bland song.

Unfortunately for the team of 1982, they were sent home following the second group stage, despite not having lost a single game, in what was to be the last tournament to feature the old fashioned two-group system. This Time (We’ll Get it Right) still hit the UK charts, peaking at number two in May 1982, whilst Stevie Wonder (featuring Paul McCartney) took the number one spot with Ebony and Ivory.

Despite having a squad of unusual musical talent, notably striker Kevin Keegan, who had previously hit the charts as a solo artist in 1979, this time, they did not get it right.

Mexico ’86: We’ve Got the Whole World at Our Feet

1986 saw the FIFA World Cup return to Mexico for the second time. In the eyes of England fans, this tournament is remembered for two things: The greatest goal of all time, and the worst goal of all time, scored by the same player, in the same match.

With the team anthem, We’ve Got the Whole World at Our Feet, the producers appeared to take some inspiration from their surroundings for the first time. This being the mid 1980s, the song is underpinned by an ever-present synthesiser beat, and whilst it is undeniably a product of its time, it brings a certain vibrancy that England songs of the past had lacked. Unfortunately reminiscent of his forebears however is the squad’s lackluster chanting, although it would be unrealistic to expect anything else from a record featuring twenty two individuals, and none of them musicians.

England’s performance at Mexico ’86 was at least slightly better than the previous effort, however the nation’s quarter-final loss to Argentina and the controversial 'hand of god' goal did leave a bitter taste. Whilst England sung of having the whole world at its feet, Diego Maradona had it in his hands, and as he inspired his country to victory in 1986, he cemented his position as one of the game's all time greats, scoring the 'goal of the century' in the process.

It would seem that England’s rollercoaster ride that was Mexico ’86 unsurprisingly diverted a significant amount of attention from the song, as We’ve Got the Whole World at Our Feet reached a humble UK chart position of sixty six for one week only. Quite unlike the football on show, the 1986 World Cup song has been much forgotten about, and it is clear to see why.

Italia ’90: World in Motion

Italia ’90 is quite possibly the most well publicised four weeks in the history of the beautiful game. It produced some of the World Cup’s best-remembered moments and arguably led to the development of modern football. England’s road to the 1990 World Cup was not an easy one, with English football marred by years of hooliganism and tabloid fear mongering, high hopes for success were few and far between.

Upon deciding that previous years’ songs had been too dull , F.A. press officer David Bloomfield contacted Tony Wilson, head of Factory Records, who agreed to source an artist for the song. As such, World in Motion was recorded as a collaboration between Manchester band New Order and the England football team. Bloomfield’s efforts were rewarded, as this gave the song an excellent commercial feel and marked a true departure from the past.

The F.A. had requested the entire squad’s participation in the song, however only six England players, including the polarising talent Paul Gascoigne, turned up on the day of recording. This proved to be a blessing in disguise as the result saw the end of monotonous squad chanting, with the players contributing effective backing vocals to support lead vocals by the members of New Order. Musically, World in Motion is a high tempo, upbeat track that manages well not to lose its core message, in inspiring the team to World Cup glory. It is no surprise that it held the top spot in the UK charts for an impressive twelve weeks.

As a preparation for the song’s poor reception, co-writer and comedian Keith Allen was enlisted to interject some humour into World in Motion. With this, an iconic moment in English football was born. Several players auditioned for the part of the guest rap, but John Barnes emerged as the strongest candidate. In what are now the most recited lines of the song, the rap is often considered to be the only time a footballer has managed a respectable performance in a World Cup anthem. The verses that Barnes has gone on to adopt as something of a party trick are now familiar to most England fans, as the former winger has seemingly offered an inevitable rendition during every tournament since.

The wider impact of Italia ’90 must not be understated. It was a turning point for English football, as the side defied expectations by going on an awe inspiring run, which culminated in the infamous semi-final penalty shootout and defeat to eventual winners West Germany. England’s participation in 1990 proved to the world that the nation’s fans were not simply hoards of destructive hooligans. The tournament was also highly influential in founding the English Premier League in 1992, effectively creating modern domestic football as we now know it.

It seems fitting therefore, that such an iconic tournament should have such an iconic song, as the incredible legacy of Italia ’90 remains, so does that of World in Motion: English football’s greatest triumph in music.

They Think It’s All Over. Well It Is Now

1990 saw the end of the brief tradition that was the official England World Cup song. The team failed to qualify for the 1994 tournament in the United States, and by France '98, as a new Labour government took the helm and Britpop became the dominant force in popular music, it seemed there was no place for the poxy traditions of old. Perhaps the F.A. felt they simply couldn’t better the efforts of John Barnes, Gazza, and New Order, which most England fans will probably agree was a sensible decision.

World in Motion was re-released for the 2002 World Cup, with the initial version set to feature a David Beckham rap. The F.A. understandably vetoed the idea, but just think what could have been…

It is unlikely that an England World Cup squad will ever take to the studio again, as it is the unfortunate truth that two of the nation’s greatest cultural exports, football and music, simply don’t mix. It may be a shame to know that we will never get another World in Motion, but most fans will agree that as for the one we’ve got, it's perfectly good enough.

Despite their lack of chart success, Gareth Southgate’s squad is not lacking in footballing talent and whilst they might not be achieving a platinum record anytime soon, they’ll certainly have their sights set on success at Qatar '22.