Gaming Editor Benjamin Oakden looks at the English football staple Three Lions, exploring its history and current use at the World Cup in Qatar
Three Lions has become the anthem for the England football team, with fans singing the famous refrain, ‘It’s Coming Home’, on the terraces and playing it in droves for every major tournament. Variants of the song have entered the UK Singles Chart on separate occasions to coincide with World Cups and European Championships, including three stints at number one. The song has even been rerecorded this year to reflect on the unusual winter World Cup, as well as to celebrate the victory of the women’s team in this summer’s Euro 2022. So why is it that this particular World Cup song has become so iconic?
Variants of the song have entered the UK Singles Chart on nine separate occasions…including three stints at number one
Originally released in 1996 by comedy duo David Baddiel and Frank Skinner, backed by Britpop band The Lightening Seeds, it’s easy to see why the single gained such popularity during that tournament. Euro 1996 coincided with a great period of self-confidence in British popular culture, known as ‘Cool Britannia’. Combine that with the excitement of England hosting their first tournament on home soil since 1966, and the song was well placed for success. The catchy and uplifting chorus became the soundtrack to England’s run to the semi-finals of Euro ‘96.
Plenty of England themed songs have been popular during the initial tournaments, from New Order’s World in Motion to Vindaloo by Fat Les. However, none of those have reached quite the level of popularity that Three Lions has.
To me, the thing that makes this song so immortal is that its lyrics perfectly sum up the experience of being a football supporter
Much of the verses are actually about England’s previous failures, with commentary clips of the side failing to qualify for the 1994 World Cup adding to the painful memories. It makes the optimistic ‘It’s Coming Home’ chorus feel tongue-in-cheek and even self-deprecating, but also sums up the mentality of the average fan- they support their team, whether club or country, with complete loyalty regardless of their side’s actual chances. Years of pain and underperformance contrasted with intense self-belief and moments of sheer joy- that is the life of a football supporter, something that Baddiel and Skinner are able to capture perfectly within the song.
…it will no doubt become the soundtrack to this tournament once again, no matter how well England perform on the pitch
The level of self-confidence in the chant has been taken as arrogance by some, including Croatia midfielder Luka Modric, who believed that the chant was disrespectful. But to me, that is a misunderstanding of the true meaning behind the song. It doesn’t represent over-confidence, but actually represents a mocking self-awareness, and how the excitement of a tournament allows us to briefly let go of that and chase the dream of success. That understanding of the footballing experience is why we come back to Three Lions so often, and why it will no doubt become the soundtrack to this tournament once again, no matter how well England perform on the pitch.
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