SING WHEN YOU'RE WINNING

FEATURE FOOTBALL SONGS SING WHEN YOU'RE WINNING From El Tel to John Barnes, footballers once delivered a string of memorable tunes and even the odd No.1 FFT salutes a lost tradition

- Ed McCambridge

Among the dozens of framed platinum and gold discs hanging proudly at the home of retired songwriter and producer Geoff Morrow, a surprise choice takes centre stage above his sofa.

"I've had hits with Elvis Presley, The Carpenters and Barry Manilow," the former impresario of record label Ammo tells FourFourTwo. "I like to show them off because it's the cheapest way of decorating. But the one I cherish the most? The one that takes precedence above all others? Hot Stuff, by Arsenal Football Club." The surprise track - a rewrite of Donna Summer's 1979 smash, sung by a choir of Arsenal stars including Ian Wright, Dennis Bergkamp and Nicolas Anelka achieved 100,000 sales in 1998 as Arsene Wenger's side won the Double.

With lyrics such as, "You're telling us we're boring, we'll just keep on scoring", the song was snaffled up by Gooners and climbed to No.9 in the UK charts. "It was a great record and it succeeded on its own merits, despite the fact it was a football song," says Morrow proudly.

Arsenal and Morrow were back in the charts just two years later with Arsenal Number One. Adapted from Lou Bega's 1999 hit Mambo No.5, it reached No.46.

The lyrics ("A little bit of Keown in defence, a little bit of Vivas makes good sense") were co-written by David Dein, the Gunners' vice-chairman at the time.

"After my family and football, theatre had always been my great passion and I relished the opportunity to be involved in a football song about Arsenal," Dein tells FFT. "My daughter came up with a brilliant line: "It only took a minute, but then we went and did it", referencing the 1989 league title win at Anfield. It was a family effort, and a lot of fun."

INSPIRED BY ZEBEDEE

By the turn of the millennium, football songs had become a regular feature on Top of the Pops. Whether written and performed by musicians or sung by players themselves, countless efforts had entered the mainstream over the preceding decades.