Post by brummie on Apr 3, 2020 18:56:00 GMT
The History of the Football Chant
The history of the football chant and club songs at the matches began when shouts of "Up the Sappers" was heard at games involving The famous Royal Engineers club in the 1870s. The Royal Engineers made regular appearances in the F A Cup Final during the 1870s. The first ten years or so of the F A Cup were dominated by Public School and University teams. In 1882 Blackburn Rovers became the first so called "working class" team to reach the Final but were beaten 1-0 by the Old Etonians. Darwen had reached the semi final in 1879.
As the more working class and pre Football League sides began to take over the F A Cup some songs from the Variety Halls were heard at football grounds. The Factory Act of 1850 meant that workers had a half day on a Saturday. They would finish work at noon go home, change into, casual wear and still get to the ground for 3pm. With regard to songs the football ground virtually replaced the music halls. The songs sung had little or nothing to do with football or the teams. Songs such as "I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles" which was adopted by Thames Ironworks (later West Ham United) and "Daisy Daisy Give Me Your Answer Do" originate from the music hall.
In the 1890s Sheffield United were known as "The Rowdy Dowdy Boys" and had a song of that name while Southampton St Marys (Later Southampton) had a "Yi,yi,yi" chant before "When The Saints Go Marching In". It is said that Portsmouth's "Play Up Pompey", which went to the tune of the chimes of Big Ben (The Pompey Chimes), was because Portsmouth's initial ground was within earshot of the Town Hall clock wich rang those same chimes out. Early Supporters of Portsmouth, then in the Southern League, would arrive at the ground and hear the clock chime the hour and made up the song around those chimes.
Blackburn Rovers also had a song in the 1890s about their F A Cup history "We've won the cup many times before", actually 5 times up to 1890-91. The famous composer Sir Edward Elgar wrote a song for Wolverhampton Wanderers which was repeated on the Molineux terraces. One of the oldest football songs still in use today is "On the Ball, City" which is still used by Norwich City today. It was written by local businessman Albert T Smith in the early 1900s who became a director when Norwich City were founded. The Blaydon Races, a Geordie folk song from 1862, was adopted by Newcastle United before the First World War.
Occasionally a famous footballer might have a song dedicated to him. Billy Meredith, the Welsh winger who played for Manchester United and Manchester City, had his own song. The music hall song "Chick, Chick, Chick Chick Chicken. Lay A Little Egg For Me" became "Trott, Trott, Trott Trott Trotter Score A Little goal For Me" whenever centre forward Jimmy Trotter played for Sheffield Wednesday in the 1920s and 1930s.
The clubs began to realise the chants and songs were becoming more and more common place on the terraces they decided to have pre-match entertainment in the form of Military Brass Bands playing their music hall songs to "rev up the crowd" before a game. This also became a tradition at the F A Cup Final with the hymn "Abide with me".
With the advent of the Musical Films such as Carousel, My Fair Lady, South Pacific and the like. By the 1960s grounds had tannoys installed and popular chart music was played as pre-match entertainment. As a result these songs were adopted by clubs such as "You'll Never Walk Alone" also Popular songs of the time such as "Guantanamera" by The Sandpipers adapted to "You Only Sing when You're Winning". Birmingham City's "Keep Right On To The End Of the Road" by Sir Harry Lauder was another music hall song. As well as chanting supporters decided to doing something with their hands, clap. After Brazil won the 1962 World Cup some songs took to a clapping Brazilian beat.
The mid 1960s saw the start of the abusive, derogatory chants toward the opposing team and fans. At first it was a tit for tat thing but eventually it would spiral into hooliganism.
Other well known tunes which have been adapted to the football chant are as follows
The Black Spiritual song "When the Saints go Marching In" St Albans City (of course) Southampton and, with Spurs instead of Saints, Tottenham Hotspur.
"Cwm Rhondda" changes to "You're not singing anymore".
The Battle Hymn of the Republic is used for "Glory, Glory, Man United, Tottenham Hotspur, or any number of other clubs.
Songs inspired by TV theme tunes such as Z Cars which is played when the Everton team run out a Goodison Park.
As we move toward the present day more and more songs are adapted and adopted especially with the modern technology of streaming.
So, the next time groups of fans begin to sing a song on the terraces on a cold winters Saturday afternoon. The origin of that song was probably a Hymn, a Musical Hall song, a Spirtual song, a song from a Musical film, a TV advert or programme or a rock and Pop song.
The history of the football chant and club songs at the matches began when shouts of "Up the Sappers" was heard at games involving The famous Royal Engineers club in the 1870s. The Royal Engineers made regular appearances in the F A Cup Final during the 1870s. The first ten years or so of the F A Cup were dominated by Public School and University teams. In 1882 Blackburn Rovers became the first so called "working class" team to reach the Final but were beaten 1-0 by the Old Etonians. Darwen had reached the semi final in 1879.
As the more working class and pre Football League sides began to take over the F A Cup some songs from the Variety Halls were heard at football grounds. The Factory Act of 1850 meant that workers had a half day on a Saturday. They would finish work at noon go home, change into, casual wear and still get to the ground for 3pm. With regard to songs the football ground virtually replaced the music halls. The songs sung had little or nothing to do with football or the teams. Songs such as "I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles" which was adopted by Thames Ironworks (later West Ham United) and "Daisy Daisy Give Me Your Answer Do" originate from the music hall.
In the 1890s Sheffield United were known as "The Rowdy Dowdy Boys" and had a song of that name while Southampton St Marys (Later Southampton) had a "Yi,yi,yi" chant before "When The Saints Go Marching In". It is said that Portsmouth's "Play Up Pompey", which went to the tune of the chimes of Big Ben (The Pompey Chimes), was because Portsmouth's initial ground was within earshot of the Town Hall clock wich rang those same chimes out. Early Supporters of Portsmouth, then in the Southern League, would arrive at the ground and hear the clock chime the hour and made up the song around those chimes.
Blackburn Rovers also had a song in the 1890s about their F A Cup history "We've won the cup many times before", actually 5 times up to 1890-91. The famous composer Sir Edward Elgar wrote a song for Wolverhampton Wanderers which was repeated on the Molineux terraces. One of the oldest football songs still in use today is "On the Ball, City" which is still used by Norwich City today. It was written by local businessman Albert T Smith in the early 1900s who became a director when Norwich City were founded. The Blaydon Races, a Geordie folk song from 1862, was adopted by Newcastle United before the First World War.
Occasionally a famous footballer might have a song dedicated to him. Billy Meredith, the Welsh winger who played for Manchester United and Manchester City, had his own song. The music hall song "Chick, Chick, Chick Chick Chicken. Lay A Little Egg For Me" became "Trott, Trott, Trott Trott Trotter Score A Little goal For Me" whenever centre forward Jimmy Trotter played for Sheffield Wednesday in the 1920s and 1930s.
The clubs began to realise the chants and songs were becoming more and more common place on the terraces they decided to have pre-match entertainment in the form of Military Brass Bands playing their music hall songs to "rev up the crowd" before a game. This also became a tradition at the F A Cup Final with the hymn "Abide with me".
With the advent of the Musical Films such as Carousel, My Fair Lady, South Pacific and the like. By the 1960s grounds had tannoys installed and popular chart music was played as pre-match entertainment. As a result these songs were adopted by clubs such as "You'll Never Walk Alone" also Popular songs of the time such as "Guantanamera" by The Sandpipers adapted to "You Only Sing when You're Winning". Birmingham City's "Keep Right On To The End Of the Road" by Sir Harry Lauder was another music hall song. As well as chanting supporters decided to doing something with their hands, clap. After Brazil won the 1962 World Cup some songs took to a clapping Brazilian beat.
The mid 1960s saw the start of the abusive, derogatory chants toward the opposing team and fans. At first it was a tit for tat thing but eventually it would spiral into hooliganism.
Other well known tunes which have been adapted to the football chant are as follows
The Black Spiritual song "When the Saints go Marching In" St Albans City (of course) Southampton and, with Spurs instead of Saints, Tottenham Hotspur.
"Cwm Rhondda" changes to "You're not singing anymore".
The Battle Hymn of the Republic is used for "Glory, Glory, Man United, Tottenham Hotspur, or any number of other clubs.
Songs inspired by TV theme tunes such as Z Cars which is played when the Everton team run out a Goodison Park.
As we move toward the present day more and more songs are adapted and adopted especially with the modern technology of streaming.
So, the next time groups of fans begin to sing a song on the terraces on a cold winters Saturday afternoon. The origin of that song was probably a Hymn, a Musical Hall song, a Spirtual song, a song from a Musical film, a TV advert or programme or a rock and Pop song.