Theme From An Unmade Silent Movie

[exiled on the wirral!]

Forgive my ignorance, was it played when the players came out back in the day?

[thick_mike]

Possibly in a minority of one here, but I can't stand it.  I don't really remember it being played at the ground, so don't have that emotional connection to it, and as a piece of music it's just shit.  Sorry.

You are not. I understand why it is part of Villa lore but it does nothing for me.

Yeah, me neither.

Off to the naughty corner all three of you and think about what you’ve said!

[pauliewalnuts]

It is one of those things that will mean lots to you or absolutely nothing depending on how you experienced it back in the day. It reminds me of the whole experience of going to the match as a kid - thousands of people streaming through the streets (so many more people used to walk further to the ground back then), the AV floodlights, the immense green-ness of the pitch coming into view as we went up into the stand, the old scoreboard which involved looking in the program to see which match was which - all of that stuff.

As a piece of music it is dirge (mind you, so is HEITS, or the original GRITS), it just triggers memories for me, but that sort of thing is a personal reaction so totally understand why it means nothing for others.


It's like the round badge. Means so much to a lot of us, but there are now whole generations for whom it means nothing.

[ASHTONVILLA]

I loved hearing it, and thought it was a nice nod to our more successful days. Reminds me of when I first started watching Villa as
 kid and brings back special memories. I actually felt uncharacteristically emotional when I heard it, brought a lump to my throat. Suspect it had something to do with Dean as it is from his era.

[Risso]

It's been played at most home matches in my 40+ years of going.

What I mean is, I never went to a match in the 70's, so I don't associate it with a particular period.

[cdbearsfan]

They were definitely playing it much later than that as I didn't start going until 1988.

[itbrvilla]

They played it through the 90s too.

[Risso]

They were definitely playing it much later than that as I didn't start going until 1988.

I went to the odd match with my granddad in the early 80s, but after he died, I started going more regularly in the late 80s, and then had a season ticket from 1991 when I was at university.  Don't recall it all from back then.  But anyway, if it means something to most people then that's great. I liked it when we ran out to Arcade Fire, so what do I know?!

[TopDeck113]

My recollection - and I'll stand corrected - was that it was played in the 70s, got dropped (possibly as through Tony Butler it became associated with all West Midlands football and not just the Villa) and re-surfaced when being in the Premiership meant creating a choreographed "occasion" regardless of the fixture.

As it so happens, the childhood memory that the music evokes in me is more Saturday teatimes listening to the BRMB phone-in rather than actually being at Villa Park.  That was more the atmosphere, the chants and the dawning realization that the fact my dad didn't use a swear word in every sentence made him fairly unusual. 

[john e]

Everton have got the Z cars tune
you can’t sing along to that either And I’ve no idea what the connection is but it’s now a tradition for them

sometimes there’s no rhyme or reason to things they just happen and evolve then become part of you

[Brend'Watkins]

Forgive my ignorance, was it played when the players came out back in the day?

I first remember hearing it mid 70's as a tune played before a game.  As mentioned a few posts back it was played on BRMB by Tony Butler and for whatever reason became synonymous with Villa when we were "on our prayer mats" looking for a goal. Sometimes it worked.  As a result it was adopted as the tune players came out to at the beginning of games and start of the 2nd half too.. I like it only for nostalgic reasons.  As a stand alone piece of music it's awful.  However, if it's readopted and we get success then it will be one of the best pieces of music ever.

[ASHTONVILLA]

Now all we need is the round badge back.

[Small Rodent]

Everton have got the Z cars tune
you can’t sing along to that either And I’ve no idea what the connection is but it’s now a tradition for them

sometimes there’s no rhyme or reason to things they just happen and evolve then become part of you

Irish/Liverpool folk song/sea shanty https://www.irish-folk-songs.com/johnny-todd-lyrics-and-chords.html

Used at Watford under GT too

[TopDeck113]

Z Cars was set in a Liverpool 60s overspill based on Kirkby.   I don't know the actually red/blue split, but I did know two people from the town when I was a student and they were both Evertonians.

[john e]

Now all we need is the round badge back.

gets my Vote