This is a list of songs released with the approval of the Football Association to coincide with the England national football team's participation in the finals of the FIFA World Cup or the UEFA European Championship.
The tradition of World Cup and Euro Cup songs began in 1970. Some of the later official songs were eclipsed by unofficial songs released around the same time; at least 15 World Cup-themed singles were released for the 2002 finals, and 30 for 2006.
The FA announced in January 2010 there would be no official England song for the 2010 World Cup. Likewise, no official song was commissioned for the 2018 tournament, the 2022 tournament, or even Euro 2024.
| Tournament | Year | Song | Chart | Writers | Performers | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| World Cup | 1970 | "Back Home" | 1 | Bill Martin, Phil Coulter | England squad | While not an official song for the England team, "World Cup Willie" by Lonnie Donegan was the official song for the 1966 World Cup, and can be seen as the birth of the link between football and pop music in the UK. |
| World Cup | 1982 | "This Time (We’ll Get It Right)" | 2 | Chris Norman, Pete Spencer | England squad | Norman & Spencer, of Smokie, had written "Head Over Heels in Love" for Kevin Keegan in 1979. |
| World Cup | 1986 | "We've Got the Whole World at Our Feet" | 66 | Tony Hiller, Stan James, Bobby James | England squad | To the tune of "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands"; modified from Nottingham Forest's anthem for the 1980 European Cup Final. The same team co-wrote Scotland's World Cup song, "Big trip to Mexico". |
| Euro | 1988 | "All The Way" | 64 | Stock, Aitken and Waterman | England squad | Released as an official football team song for England before finishing bottom of the Group stage table. Also the first and only official song by the England team within the Euro Cup. |
| World Cup | 1990 | "World in Motion" | 1 | New Order and Keith Allen | Englandneworder (England squad and New Order) | Featuring a solo rap performed by England winger John Barnes. Also samples the conclusive commentary quote from the 1966 FIFA World Cup "They Think It's all Over, It is now". |
| Euro | 1996 | "Three Lions" | 1 | Ian Broudie, David Baddiel, Frank Skinner | The Lightning Seeds/Baddiel & Skinner | Re-released for the 1998 World Cup when it topped the No. 1 spot again. "We're In This Together" by Simply Red was the official song and opening ceremony song of the tournament, which England hosted. |
| World Cup | 1998 | "(How Does it Feel to Be) on Top of the World?" | 9 | Ian McCulloch | England United (Echo and the Bunnymen, Space, Spice Girls, Simon Fowler) | Overshadowed by the unofficial anthems "Three Lions '98" at #1 and "Vindaloo" at #2. |
| World Cup | 2002 | "We're On The Ball" | 3 | Ant & Dec, Harold Spiro | Anthony McPartlin, Declan Donnelly | Whether the song was official or not it also didn't have any other unofficial song overshadowing during that year Ant & Dec's song for the England team reached #3 in the UK singles chart. |
| Euro | 2004 | "All Together Now 2004" | 5 | Peter Hooton, Steve Grimes | The Farm featuring the SFX Boys' Choir, Liverpool | Originally released during World Cup 1990, the Euro 2004 version was edited by DJ Spoony. |
| World Cup | 2006 | "World at Your Feet" | 3 | Embrace | Embrace | Embrace's official song for England reached #3 in the UK singles chart makes it the second England team song to become a No. 3 hit. |
| World Cup | 2010 | "Shout (Shout for England song)" | 1 | Roland Orzabal et al. | Dizzee Rascal (ft. James Corden) | Not an official song, though permission was given for the England football team's logo, and footage of England matches and players was used in the video. Royalties of the single went to Great Ormond Street Hospital. |
| Euro | 2012 | "Sing 4 England" | DNC | Paul Baker, B. Routledge | Chris 'Kammy' Kamara (ft. Joe Public Utd) | A charity single not commissioned by the FA but subsequently endorsed by it. |
| World Cup | 2014 | "Sport Relief's Greatest Day" | 7 | Take That | Gary Barlow, Eliza Doolittle, Katy B and Spice Girls Melanie C and Emma Bunton with former footballers such as Gary Lineker, Michael Owen, Peter Shilton, Glenn Hoddle and Sir Geoff Hurst | A re-recorded version of the Take That song featuring vocals from Barlow and other pop singers. It was announced as the official song for the England football team at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, with the video being presented on YouTube, but it was never released as a single. Following his death shortly before the tournament, Rik Mayall's England song Noble England reached #7 in the UK charts. |
| Euros | 2020 | "Olé (We Are England '21)" | 51 | Krept & Konan feat. S1lva, M1llionz & Morrisson | Krept & Konan feat. S1lva, M1llionz & Morrisson | Released during the tournament, on 26 June 2021. |
| World Cup | 2022 | "Three Lions 2022 (It's Coming Home For Christmas)" | 47 | Ian Broudie, David Baddiel, Frank Skinner | The Lightning Seeds/Baddiel & Skinner | The Christmas version of an England National Football Team song that isn't actually official but reminiscing on how the Women's Football Team hosted and won the 2022 Women's Euro Cup. |
See also
- England national football team discography
- Jerusalem – unofficial national anthem of England
- God Save the King – national anthem of the United Kingdom
References
- ^ "World Cup Special: Anything is passable". Official Charts Lowdown. Official UK Charts Company. 2002. Archived from the original on 22 July 2009. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
- ^ "'No World Cup song', FA confirms". BBC News. BBC. 15 January 2010. Retrieved 17 January 2010.
- "Anthems vie for World Cup glory". BBC News. BBC. 5 June 2006. Retrieved 17 January 2010.
- Davies, Gareth (9 May 2018). "England to travel to Russia 2018 without a World Cup song, FA reveal" – via www.telegraph.co.uk.
- ^ Cooper, Rachel (13 October 2009). "Top 10 England World Cup songs". Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 22 January 2010. Retrieved 17 January 2010.
- "'Lost' World Cup song unearthed". BBC News. BBC. 7 June 2006. Retrieved 17 January 2010.
- ^ Holman, John. "Tony Hiller ultimate discography/jukebox". Tony Hiller official website. Retrieved 17 January 2010.
- ^ "England's Euro 2004 song revealed". BBC News. BBC. 7 May 2004. Retrieved 17 January 2010.
- Perrone, Pierre (22 May 1998). "Music: Rocking all over the World Cup". The Independent. Retrieved 18 January 2010.
- Leggett, Chris (28 March 2006). "Game on for World Cup anthems". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 17 January 2010.
- "The FA back Chris Kamara's charity song for the Euros". FA. 11 May 2012. Archived from the original on 12 May 2012. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
- "Video: England's 2014 World Cup song revealed as Sir Geoff Hurst joins Gary Lineker and Gary Barlow". Mirror Online. 11 March 2014. Retrieved 10 June 2016.
- "FA drops Barlow's official England World Cup song". The Independent. 31 May 2014.
External links
- Chart Archive : World Cups everyhit.com, 2002. UK Top 20 for each World Cup since 1954, together with a list of World-Cup related songs.
- This Time, We’ll Get It Right, 29 March 2006, Yogi's Warrior, "A Cultured Left Foot"
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