Tuesday Tunes 213: More Games And Sports

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As I indicated last week, a second set of songs related in some way to games and sports was on its way. Three of these have a sport in their title, one is about American Football but is also generic, and the other is a lament for a favourite football team (theirs, not mine!).

Let’s get started with a sport I only ever did for fun, never seriously in races. Judging from this I may have missed out:

Queen released Bicycle Race as a double A-sided single with Fat Bottomed Girls in October 1978, peaking at #11 in the UK and #24 in the US, though despite those relatively low placings the record has gone Platinum in the UK and 2x Platinum in the US. Both tracks were then included on the band’s seventh album, Jazz, which came out the following month and reached #2 here in the UK and #6 in the US. If you are wondering what those shots of naked ladies on bikes were about, a bicycle race with them was held to promote both the album and the single, and a poster of the start of the race was included with the album. A smaller part of the poster image also used as an alternative sleeve for the single. Legend has it that the band borrowed the bicycles from a store (Halfords, according to the liner notes), but on returning them were told that they would have to buy all the saddles, as they had been used in an improper way! I had the album and always enjoyed looking at the poster when I played it…

Today’s second tune might need some background explanation. In 1998 the Scotland football team qualified for the finals of the World Cup. Previous appearances at the finals had all ended in disappointment, as the team failed to get beyond the initial group stages, so the Scottish band Del Amitri wrote this as their official record for the occasion:

I really liked Del Amitri and had all of their albums. As songs for football teams go this is an absolute corker – none of the usual jingoistic claptrap. Sadly, Don’t Come Home Too Soon proved all too prophetic, as the team kept up its record by finishing bottom of their group. It has to be said that England didn’t fare much better, going out in the first knockout round to a defeat on penalties by Argentina, so there wasn’t much room for gloating. And they had a far better song anyway! This was released in June 1998 and made #15 in the UK Singles chart, though it is probably no surprise that it went to #1 in the Scottish regional chart. The track wasn’t on a studio album but was included on their first compilation, Hatful Of Rain, which came out in September 1998 and got to #5 in the UK – again, it was a #1 in Scotland.

You know those crappy sports songs I mentioned? They were due at some point to be treated in the right way, like this:

Surely, “we’re great, you suck” is the message behind all of those songs, isn’t it? ‘Weird Al’ Yankovic included Sports Song on his fourteenth and final album, Mandatory Fun, released in July 2104. It reached #1 in the US and made #71 here in the UK. This is described as a parody of the ‘fight songs’ which are apparently beloved of college football teams in the US – an area of sport which means the square root of diddly squat over here, where the only TV coverage for ‘college’ sports is for the annual Oxford and Cambridge universities boat races, and we have proper football anyway. But I think it has a much wider relevance, as the chanting style of the song fits well with what you will hear on the terraces at any football match here and elsewhere in the world.

You’d think that with a title like Tennis my next song might be uplifting, but it’s much darker than that:

This was the title track on Chris Rea’s third album, which was released in March 1980 and peaked at #60 in both the UK and Australia. As the song unfolds it is clear that it is about more than just a casual conversation, highlighting some of the horrific stories in the news which are being hidden behind headlines about tennis. I have long been a fan of Chris Rea, who has made some great records in a career of more than forty years. I’m always surprised at how little success he has enjoyed in the US, as I’d have thought his style was well suited for there. Maybe he doesn’t like flying to promote his records? Or perhaps he has been restricted by his health, having survived pancreatic cancer in 1994? Either way, guys, I think it is your loss.

Having so far given you one of my sets of the mostly unfamiliar, how about a classic to close with:

And if you’d prefer the original studio recording of a truly great song:

The Boxer was the opening track on side two of the  Bridge Over Troubled Water album, which was released in January 1970: Simon & Garfunkel’s fifth and final offering as a duo before they went their separate ways later that year. It topped the charts in the UK, the US and in many other countries, won a total of six Grammy Awards, and has sold more than 25m copies. It is a remarkably good album, and is one that I still play to this day – not a dud track on it. This song had already been released as a single, in March 1969, and reached #6 in the UK and #7 in the US: I just about wore my copy of the album out!

I had a few more for this theme, and may return to it at some point: I have something different in mind for next week, though it is being a bit of a bugger to find enough good songs to play. Watch this space!

Have a great week 😊

37 thoughts on “Tuesday Tunes 213: More Games And Sports”

  1. Pingback: My August | Take It Easy

  2. Like a few other readers, I was unable to watch two of the videos you posted; not a big deal as they can be found with a little searching.
    Funny, I had forgotten about the photo of nude bicycle-riding women but the memory came back once I saw it again. It may have been a good idea to protect the seats with a disposable cover instead of buying all new ones!
    S&G are always a treat, especially when it comes to songs like The Boxer. Exceptional.
    Finally, a huge thank you for featuring Weird Al who, in addition to being hilarious, is extremely bright and talented as can be seen HERE and HERE. I think George would have loved his sense of humor. Maybe I should play “Like A Surgeon” some time today! 😂
    Excellent post, Clive. 😊

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    • I’m glad you could find them – especially as one was American!

      I guess they didn’t think of that with the saddles, but maybe nowadays they would found a market for them on the web 😉

      S&G are among my favourites too, and that is a magnificent song. Thank you for the two clips. I hadn’t seen either before and they prove your point. My favourite of his is Amish Paradise.

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  3. I couldn’t view the Del Amitri tune or the first Simon and Garfunkel video. I’m apparently one of the few people on the planet who has neve been a fan of Queen. Different strokes for different folks, I suppose. The Weird Al and Chris Rea tunes were new for me. The one by Chris Rea was probably my favorite for the week. I’m also not a big Simon and Garfunkel guy, but I do like The Boxer.

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    • Sorry about those two, but as you’re the first to mention them I’m hoping it isn’t a widespread issue. Sounds like this wasn’t the best week I’ve given you, as far as you could tell. I’ll try to do better next time 🤣

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  4. Simon and Garfunkel is my pick this week! Chris Rea does have a good voice, hadn’t heard him before. That is pretty remarkable to have survived pancreatic cancer. That is one of the worst kinds of cancer to get.
    Hmm… curious about your theme for next week. I am sure you will find a way to find enough good songs. You always do. 🙂

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    • It’s a true classic, isn’t it. I’ve played Chris Rea a couple of times before and he has been well received, so maybe I’ll find some more. He lost his pancreas and other bits to the cancer, and has been left with type 1 diabetes as a result, so I admire him for continuing his career for 30 more years or so.

      As for that theme, I’ll be turning my thoughts to it later in the week. One obvious starter and a few possibles – I need to consult my Apple Music library for some reminders!

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    • It’s not one of his better known ones, but I like it too – along with just about everything he does. A lot of sports songs are pretty naff but I’ve always liked the Del Amitri one. And ‘Weird’ Al always gets my vote 😊

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