In 1984 Apple Macintosh launched their first personal computer.
The advert they used to highlight this historic moment played on probably the most famous George Orwell work of all.
For those unaware, the big moment of the advert is an athlete throwing a sledge hammer into the screen of Big Brother and then there is light and the birth of what we now simply know as Apple.
A technological revolution that few people noted at the time.
Two years later the Mexico World Cup was upon us but technology had revolutionised music as well.
The unofficial England World cup song was released by Colourbox while the England players sang about how they had the the whole world at their feet. Members of Colourbox went on to spearhead the Acid House scene through S’Express and M/A/R/R/S in the late eighties.
Previous official World Cup songs had been turgid affairs with England’s ‘Back home’ and Scotland’s ‘Ali’s Army’ in 1970 and 1974 respectively, but by 1990 Electronic music was now at the forefront of popular culture as well as the underground scene and England’s World Cup song ‘World in Motion’ was a real crowd pleaser. Ticking the boxes of street cool from Manchester with football chant chorus. Lurking in the background of the video was Keith Allen (pictured at the top) who had masterminded the escapade and introduced the famous line “E is for England” at a time when the rave scene was getting politicians all hot under the collar.
It would be eight years before we would get another England song to rival the New Order effort with the famous John Barnes rap.
The next England World Cup song of any note was ‘Vindaloo’ by Fat Les in 1998. Again it was the alt comedian Keith Allen who was pulling the strings, roping in Blur’s Alex James as well as the king of the Young British Art movement Damien Hirst. A genius video parodying Richard Ashcroft of the Verve and filmed in the then up and coming Hipster Shoreditch. It included lots of minor celebrities at the time such as comedians David Walliams, Matt Lucas and musician Eddie Tenpole Tudor. Not forgetting of course a lookalike of comic genius Max Wall at the forefront. What makes the song great in my opinion is the football chant aspect to it rather than it being a song. At the time it was criticised for being a hooligan anthem, irritating and pretentious to some sensibilities (those not working class).
The actuality being that Keith Allen was dragged into an argument about political correctness because of the use of the word Vindaloo. The video has pearly Kings and Queens, children and grandparents from all parts of multicultural England all chanting Vindaloo (the Portuguese/Goan dish) so Keith Allen was right to be angry with the Guardian and the BBC for the criticism. Keith Allen created a football song that was based on parody and with a football chant at its heart.
One of the great things about going to games live is the chanting and the humour that runs deep. What prompted me to write this, was last week I heard Keith Allen being interviewed on the BBC and he was angry at the lack of “edge” with today’s artists across the board, believing we need more irreverence instead of the political toadying we have today.
Too right. Vindaloo is easily the best England World Cup song.