new arsenal anthem thinktank thread

[T.S]

I disagree. I think the Kasabian's 'Club Foot' actually sounds pretty good as the teams walk out. The Premier League anthem is rubbish, but there isn't an awful lot we can do about that. I really don't think playing 'London Calling', regardless of how good a song it is, will improve the matchday experience or the atmosphere in the slightest.

Still, music for the teams walking out isn't the point of this thread. We're talking anthems here. I don't think 'Fools Rush In' is going to take off, although I'd like it to. So if not that, I think it's going to have to be 'The Impossible Dream'. It's epic enough and the message behind it is awesome. However, I am very sceptical as to whether we'd be able to sing along to it. I'd love to be proven wrong. I'd certainly give it a go.

[N22Gooner]

As for the I.D. being too long we could just sing the chorus or even the last verse instead of the whole song. But obviously whole song would be sung when announcer plays the song over the tannoy.

To dream the impossible dream
To fight the unbeatable foe
To bear with unbearable sorrow
To run where the brave dare not go
To right the unrightable wrong
To love pure and chaste from afar
To try when your arms are too weary
To reach the unreachable star

This is my quest
To follow that star
No matter how hopeless
No matter how far

To fight for the right
Without question or pause
To be willing to march into Hell
For a heavenly cause

And I know if I'll only be true
To this glorious quest
That my heart will lie peaceful and calm
When I'm laid to my rest

And the world will be better for this
That one man, scorned and covered with scars
Still strove with his last ounce of courage
To reach the unreachable star

[Victoria Concordia]

yeah - it would be a great anthem. Lots of words to learn initially - What about the words displayed on the scoreboards by the club? - handed out at the turnstiles? have we been here before with things like this and were the club interested?

[dbrien]

if you read the earlier thread I only suggested London's Calling as a song the team came out to or when the team names are announced. It is definitely not an anthem

[Eboue Can't Defend]

NO, NO, NO, NO ,NO, NO AND F*CKING NO!

PLEASE PEOPLE, GET IT IN YOUR HEADS THAT IMPOSSIBLE DREAM WOULD BE IMPOSSIBLE TO SING - ESPECIALLY IF YOU START AT THE BRIDGE LIKE SUGGESTED BY N22GOONER (BY THE WAY, THAT'S NOT THE CHORUS COZ THE SONG HASN'T GOT A CHORUS AS SUCH).

THE KEY RISES IN THAT SECTION AFTER STARTING OFF LOWER IN THE OPENING VERSE, AND IT WOULD BE AN INAPPROPRIATE - NOT TO MENTION UNCOMFORTABLE - PART TO BEGIN WITH. TRY IT FOR YOURSELVES.

AS FOR THE LYRICS - COME ON MAN! THEY MAY BE GREAT FOR A LOVE SONG OR A CAR ADVERT, BUT WHERE DOES 'ONE MAN SCORNED AND COVERED WITH SCARS' FIT IN WITH THE ARSENAL?

BY THE WAY, DID I MENTION THAT I'M AGAINST IT?

[Anyone For Peanuts]

Impossible Dream has good lyrics but the tune is not singable.

The notes rise in each line. It sounds whingy and whiney. I downloaded a few versions to check it out and it really is a non-starter. It's not uplifting or even remotely moving. The tune sounds like that "doh ray me so far lah tee doh" song. Rip the lyrivs out and put them to a goon tune and perhaps it would work.

If you started to sing it at games as soon as you started the first line there would be people groaning.

Oh...........just a thought...........re. "One man scorned and covered with scars" .................. Martin Keown.

[DB10GOONER]

AS FOR THE LYRICS - COME ON MAN! THEY MAY BE GREAT FOR A LOVE SONG OR A CAR ADVERT, BUT WHERE DOES 'ONE MAN SCORNED AND COVERED WITH SCARS' FIT IN WITH THE ARSENAL?

Any Gooner that has run the gauntlet at shite fart drain and been caught up against the wall by the tottingshizer scum would have an affinity for that line!!

The song really is a bit sh*t to sing, isn't it? I'm kinda going off this idea of a club anthem - it's all starting to feel a little fabricated now. I think handing out lyric sheets at the turnstiles would just be embarrassing. Sorry to be so negative, but with the club leaning ever closer to a sanitised prefabricated match day experience I think we are losing the whole sponteneity of the occasion.

Also, the only reason the Mousers have "You'll never blah blah blah.." is that when they originally started to sing it there weren't many football songs or chants in existence. They just grabbed it as a song to sing, the meaning and relevance grew over the years. We did a similar thing with "The Irish Rover" - it was first sung by Arsenal fans at Highbury. It's now "And it's Arsenal... Arsenal eff cee..."

I say f*ck "forcing" an anthem on the club.

God, it must be the season we've had, but I really am turning into a negative crunt...

[T.S]

DB10: Fair enough. I must say that I worry about whether this'll take off, or not. However, I think it's important that we give this some thought and come up with something that we can at least be reasonably proud of as, based on what Keith Edelman has said, if we don't, we're going to have one that the Club has written for us rammed down our throats. Can you imagine how shit that is going to be? Still, can't be any worse than our take on 'Mambo no. 5'.

[gooner.ed]

keith edelman wants to have an anthem, so the only 'forcing' of an anthem on the club will be the suggestion of a tune. it's going to happen as i stated a few posts ago. if you don't want any part of it, fair enough, but this thread is for those that really want to bat around which tune would be most suited. think it's accepted some won't think it's worth the hassle, but something has to be tried and this could be the start of a part of matchday life which we can all feel good about one champions league semi final evening a few seasons down the line when the sheer volume and passion of the home crowd makes the opposition feel a bit edgy - like they are entering an arena of intimidation. that is what happens on the biggest nights at anfield. you think without the crowd, chavski would not have lost to liverpool in 2005 and 2007? mourinho was worried enough about the effect of YNWA on his players that he kept them in the dressing room last time. if we are to have any chance of achieving something similar at arsenal, it has to start from some sense of ambition. some belief. the club may put the words on the screens game by game whatever anthem they decide upon, but i don't think we'll see songsheets.

what i will do next is post an online exclusive (maybe tmw, maybe friday) on the choices put forth and a general consensus on the criteria. from there, we can debate a little further and narrow it down to five. I'll suggest a possible five to vote on if it's obvious going through the thread, but won't launch the referendum itself until people have commented on what i have to say in the first instance. i'll post something on this thread just so people know there is something on the main part of the site once it's there.

[DB10GOONER]

DB10: Fair enough. I must say that I worry about whether this'll take off, or not. However, I think it's important that we give this some thought and come up with something that we can at least be reasonably proud of as, based on what Keith Edelman has said, if we don't, we're going to have one that the Club has written for us rammed down our throats. Can you imagine how shit that is going to be? Still, can't be any worse than our take on 'Mambo no. 5'.

Yeah, good point about the club choosing it, Tony... God knows what we'd end up with.

Also, Gooner Ed, I like the image of a CL semi and the volume and passion you envisage; it would be amazing. But do we really see this new breed of fan (and yes I agree that we need the club level income) singing their hearts out, no matter what the song? I don't, unfortunately. Remember, there are quite alot of people not singing in the lower tiers too.

I think maybe there is a more fundamental problem than finding our anthem and that is getting the whole house to join in!

More negativity, I know, but in all honesty, if we do settle on an anthem (and it's not by a boy band ) then I will sing it loud and proud.

"Loyalty above all else - except honour."

[Stays till the End]

how about Jump around by House of Pain ? just a thought can you imagine 60,000 jumping around as the players walk out on the pitch now that would be electric!

[T.S]

STTE: I love it. There's your anthem. This thread can be closed now.

[tompfarrell]

Call off the dogs, the hunt is over.

Somebody get that man drink!

[Stays till the End]

maybe we can have another post with the most suggested songs and go with the one what wins the poll is gooner.ed is quite happy to that for us, As I'm going out in a minute otherwise I would do it

[zeta]

I'm not sure we need an anthem, just something to unite the home fans and let the away fans know they are at The Arsenal.

I go to Franklin Gardens, home of Northampton Saints RUFC occasionally. The atmosphere is always good with plenty of singing albeit the same song! For a couple of seasons, they have been playing the theme from Gladiator which is a) very stirring and b) has the crowd swaying - literally. I think it's quite a dramatic piece of music and would give the ground an ampitheatre feel, ready for battle and all that.

"Arsenal, Arsenal, Arsenal through and through" scans quite well to it.

2nd, not quite so classy, but the intro to "Can you feel it" (not the Jackson's version) is also quite stirring . . . us singing "Can you feel it" as the teams walk out.

Both pieces of music would need some adaption; not sure if this is possible by this route and could also be playing as we shout out the player's names which I quite like.