Sanjeev Kohli and Tom Urie have a dream … to get the Scotland squad to sing on their new World Cup single.
The comedy duo have written and recorded what they hope will become the anthem for Steve Clarke’s men at our first World Cup since 1998. Now they’re sending a message to Andy Robertson and the boys to add guest vocals to Still Game star Sanj’s singing on his tournament tune Back In The Game.
Sanj penned the lyrics immediately after Scotland qualified for the summer’s finals. He paired up with comedy pal Tom, who wrote the music for the Still Game live shows, to record the song which he hopes matches Andy Cameron’s We’re On The March With Ally’s Army, BA Robertson and John Gordon Sinclair’s We Have a Dream and Del Amitri’s Don’t Come Home Too Soon.
View 4 ImagesTom Urie and Sanjeev Kohli have released a Scotland World Cup song(Image: Daily Record)
The River City pair’s hopes evoke the lyrics of the previous anthems with their bid to get the team on board – in the words of Del Amitri’s hit, they know that “even long shots make it”.
Sanj said: “We’d love the Scotland squad to add vocals to it and it’s not too late. We know they’re busy just now but they will have downtime at that training camp, and we could definitely get their voices on it.”
Either way, he hopes the song becomes a motivator for both the team and the fans when they take on Haiti, Brazil and Morocco.
View 4 ImagesThey have urged the Scotland squad to sing on their track(Image: Tony Nicoletti/Daily Record)
He said: “I made a deal with myself and Scotland that if they got to the World Cup I would write a song. When that Kenny McLean goal went in I started writing the song right away.
“I want Steve Clarke to play it to the boys before they go on to the pitch, and I want the fans singing it. It really has that catchy element.”
Sanj was inspired by a couple of unlikely sources Echo and the Bunny-men and the unofficial 1998 England World Cup anthem by Fat Les.
He said: “In terms of football songs, the template I was using was Vindaloo, but I was also inspired by Born Slippy by Underworld and I think the bagpipes are a nice counterpoint to all that.
View 4 ImagesThey don’t believe it’s too late for the squad to hop on the single(Image: Tony Nicoletti/Daily Record)
“I didn’t mean it to sound so menacing, but it’s a good counterpoint to the bagpipes. My favourite line in the song is ‘fuelled by high cholesterol and low self-esteem’. I just really hope we go out there and kick our height.”
Co-writer Tom is in unexpected territory. He said: “I’ve never been a football fan but my pal, comedian Susie McCabe, has taken me to some games. So I have bought some stuff to decorate the house with and will be watching.
“I watched the game when David Marshall saved the penalty a few years ago and it was maybe a bit of a Road to Damascus moment for me.
“But don’t ask me to explain what’s going on on the pitch.”
Glaswegian indie band Belle & Sebastian have also released a World Cup tune, It Only Takes One Lion, a cheeky dig at Frank Skinner and David Baddiel’s 1998 England anthem Three Lions.
Sanj and Tom’s ambitions actually go beyond getting the team involved. They’re looking to reunite the singers of their three favourite Scotland World Cup anthems.
Sanj said: “I’d like Andy Cameron, John Gordon Sinclair and Justin Currie to get involved visually in some way.
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“They really scored three worldies with their songs. Ally’s Army was overreaching, Don’t Come Home Too Soon was under-reaching and We Have a Dream was perfectly pitched. It would be nice to be considered among them.”
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