World Cup 2014: From World in Motion to Vindaloo - England set for official Brazil World Cup song in attempt to end 48 years of hurt
The Football Association are yet to confirm who will perform the squad, although Wayne Rooney, Steven Gerrard and the rest of Roy Hodgson's team have already been ruled out
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Your support makes all the difference.England will head to Brazil for the 2014 World Cup with an official song aimed at carrying the side to glory 48 years after the 1966 success, but thankfully Steven Gerrard, Wayne Rooney, Andros Townsend and the likes will not be performing it.
The Telegraph reports that all money raised from the release will go towards a Football Association charity, and the trend follows previous campaigns that have seen a new song brought out for each Fifa World Cup.
Rarely has a full squad taken part in an FA-approved song, although in a few have made cameo appearances over the years while many of Sir Bobby Robson’s 1990 World Cup squad featured in New Order’s World In Motion record – made famous by John Barnes’ famous rap.
World in Motion is probably rivalled only by David Baddiel and Frank Skinner’s Three Lions alongside the Lightening Seeds, though the unofficial 1996 European Championship tune has been adopted by England fans as a firm favourite for all tournaments. He line “30 years of hurt” resembles prominently among those who not only remember the song’s release, but the rather saddening fact that this number has already increased by 18 years.
Ahead of the 1970 World Cup in Mexico, Back Home sung by Sir Alf Ramsey’s squad reached Number One in the charts and actually stayed there for three week – nine days more than England spent in the competition.
The 1982 World Cup in Spain was accompanied by This Time (we’ll get it right), although a Group Stage exit proved that to be factually incorrect, and Vindaloo – inspired by Keith Allen for France 1998 – is also fondly remembered by the Three Lions’ faithful.
The FA is regularly inundated with requests to perform the official World Cup song although no decision has yet been taken, and it remains to be seen whether the FA will choose to go with Roy Hodgson’s favourable Motown taste, or sway towards the squad’s liking for R’n’B.
They are also yet to confirm which charity will be the chosen beneficiary of the profits from the song’s release, although the FA have backed two charities earlier this year – the Bobby Moore Fund for Cancer Research UK and Sport Relief.
As part of their work with Sport Relief, the England team and manager attended a training session at a Rio favela in a project run by Brazilian former World Cup winner Jorginho, and it appears that their charity work will continue well into the future.
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