Football fans love a good chant, and there are hundreds of good ‘uns to choose from. Most of them, of course, are not written as football chants, but are pop songs repurposed by fans, the words changed to cheer on a team/played (or offend an enemy).
Duran Duran’s “Rio,” John Denver’s “Country Roads,” Joy Division “Love Will Tear Us Apart,” and “La Donna È Mobile” by Luciano Pavarotti – all have been sung by pint-wielding blokes crowded around pub screens on a Saturday afternoon.
As the 2018 World Cup has progressed, two songs have become omnipresent across the country. First, there’s the Lightning Seeds, David Baddiel and Frank Skinner collaboration “Three Lions,” AKA the one that goes: ”It’s coming home / It’s coming home / It’s coming / Football’s coming home.”
Then, to many people’s surprise, there’s Atomic Kitten’s “Whole Again.” Thanks to Gareth Southgate's success, the 2001 song has been repurposed as a celebration of the waistcoat-wearing manager, quickly becoming a phenomenon.
“Looking back on when we first met / I cannot escape and I cannot forget,
“Southgate you’re the one / You still turn me on / Football’s coming home again.”
But how did an old British girl group banger become one of the nation’s go-to celebratory songs? Well, as original as everyone thinks they are being, “Whole Again” has been used before as a football chant – by our Scottish neighbours.
Rather than being about Southgate, the lyrics were initially changed to mention Mikael Lustig by Celtic FC fans. While the Swedish footballer signed to the Scottish Premier League club back in 2011, the song became huge around November last year thanks to a good season.
“Looking back on when we first met / I cannot escape and I cannot forget,
“Lustig you’re the one / You still turn me on / You can make me whole again.”
Come June 2018 and English fans decided to take over the song, some of the earliest viral videos featuring the Southgate lyric dating back to when England beat Panama.
The England team has come a long way since that victory and Atomic Kitten’s anthem has only become more popular; so popular that one of the group’s singers, Natasha Hamilton, performed a version with the new lyrics for Twitter.
Chances are, we will hear an officially re-recorded version if/when England reach the final. Follow along with all the latest World Cup coverage here.
