The ‘90s was a golden era for music. The explosion of brit-pop made way for some bands and singers whose music would last forever.
Oasis, Pulp, Blur, Paul Gascoigne, Glenn Hoddle - the list is endless. Well, I might be exaggerating a little. Pulp were never really that big.
The late 1980s and early ‘90s was also a time when many footballers got bored and decided they wanted a crack at another career. They wanted to sing.
Sing is a very loose term for what they did, but for your pleasure, here in Off the Ball, the lads in Team 33 have trawled through records to find the very best of when football meets music.
1: Glenn Hoddle and Chris Waddle - Diamond Lights
Two Spurs legends teamed up again in 1987 for this classic. Everything about this is brilliant, the music video, the hair, the clothes. It’s so stereotypically ‘80’s, I’m surprised it didn’t make an appearance in Stranger Things.
2: Do the right thing - Ian Wright
He was a man of the time when he released this song in 1993 and he stuck to the music of the time. When clubs like the Hacienda were rammed and the Happy Mondays were booming - Wrighty got in on the dance scene.
3: Not the dancing kind - Ruud Gullit
Playing for Feyenoord at the time, Ruud Gullit turned his hand at Reggae with this tune. It came out in 1984 and went straight into the top 10 in the Netherlands.
It got mixed reviews on the very reputable site ‘rateyourmusic.com’. One user very harshly wrote - “there is a reason he’s a football legend and not a reggae legend”
https://youtu.be/YrYH4byNjXo
4: Head over heels in love - Kevin Keegan
It seems unfair that Kevin Keegan is mainly remembered for that outburst as Newcastle manager when really he should be remembered for this.
Although this technically came out in 1979, I'm filing it under the 1980s because it can't be left off this list. The song went to 31 in the UK charts, 20 in the Austrian charts and 10 in Germany.
If this isn't enough Kevin Keegan for you, there's a B-side to this called 'Move on Down'.
5: Outstanding - Andy Cole
Of all the memories from 1999, this might be one Andy Cole will want to forget. The star striker tried his hands at rapping with questionable results.
The highlight of the song is this spitting verse;
"United forever, whatever the weather. Less than 100? Never! The son of a minor, the funkiest rhymer. Always in the news, my crew's the headliner. 7.5 mill record breaker, I'm on the mic, I'm a record-maker."
Outstanding is right.
LISTEN: When football meets Music | Team 33
Download the brand new OffTheBall App in the Play Store & App Store right now! We've got you covered!
Subscribe to OffTheBall's YouTube channel for more videos, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for the latest sporting news and content.
