Arsenal legend and former co-owner and vice-chairman David Dein has revealed that he ensured his spouse realized the phrases to Good Outdated Arsenal, which was launched in 1971.
Music fever had taken over soccer on British shores across the flip of 1970. Buoyed by the nationwide group’s victory over West Germany on residence soil, the FA launched the primary ever official England music forward of the 1970 World Cup .
Again House , a marching music carried out by the total Three Lions squad, made no reference to really profitable the event – how modest – however centered on the assist they’d obtain from Blighty. It wasn’t the edgiest quantity, but it sailed to No.1 on star energy alone.
Arsenal legend David Dein advised his spouse to study the membership music whereas proposing
Ex-Arsenal co-owner and vice chairman David Dein
Impressed by the success of Again House , pundit Jimmy Hill challenged Arsenal to create a brand new anthem that might rival Liverpool’s love affair with You’ll By no means Stroll Alone
He got here up with Good Outdated Arsenal , to the melody of Rule, Britannia! , which was sung by the Arsenal squad and launched forward of their look within the 1971 FA Cup Last. It reached No.16 within the charts. Some Gooners thought-about it a bit bland, but it surely left an enduring impression on others.
George Armstrong, Ray Kennedy and John Radford document Good Outdated Arsenal (Picture credit score: Getty Photos)
“I completely liked that music,” David Dein remembers to FourFourTwo . “Once I proposed to my spouse in 1972, I made it a situation that she needed to study the phrases of Good Outdated Arsenal , which was launched the 12 months earlier than once we received the Double. She did it, to be honest to her.”
That is not the one membership official music Arsenal have launched, nevertheless.
Among the many dozens of framed platinum and gold discs hanging proudly on the residence of retired songwriter and producer Geoff Morrow, a shock alternative takes centre stage above his couch.
“I’ve had hits with Elvis Presley, The Carpenters and Barry Manilow,” the previous impresario of document label Ammo tells FourFourTwo . “I like to point out them off as a result of it’s the most cost effective method of adorning. However the one I cherish probably the most? The one which takes priority above all others? Sizzling Stuff , by Arsenal Soccer Membership.”
Wright and Bergkamp additionally recorded a music collectively (Picture credit score: Getty Photos)
The shock observe – a rewrite of Donna Summer season’s 1979 smash, sung by a choir of Arsenal stars together with Ian Wright , Dennis Bergkamp and Nicolas Anelka – achieved 100,000 gross sales in 1998 as Arsene Wenger’s facet received the Double.
With lyrics corresponding to, “You’re telling us we’re boring, we’ll simply carry on scoring”, the music was snaffled up by Gooners and climbed to No.9 within the UK charts. “It was an amazing document and it succeeded by itself deserves, regardless of the very fact it was a soccer music,” says Morrow proudly.
Arsenal and Morrow had been again within the charts simply two years later with Arsenal Quantity One . Tailored from Lou Bega’s 1999 hit Mambo No.5 , it reached No.46. The lyrics (“A little bit little bit of Keown in defence, a little bit little bit of Vivas makes good sense”) had been co-written by David Dein, the Gunners’ vice-chairman on the time.
“After my household and soccer, theatre had all the time been my nice ardour and I relished the chance to be concerned in a soccer music about Arsenal,” Dein tells FFT . “My daughter got here up with a superb line: “It solely took a minute, however then we went and did it”, referencing the 1989 league title win at Anfield. It was a household effort, and a number of enjoyable.”
