We need a new anthem.
Something Rasp mentioned the other day about how he wasn’t very keen on the chant of “stand up if you hate Totnum”, got me thinking. Rasp said:
Something that really wound me up at The Emirates on Saturday happened when we were probably only 20 minutes into the game – the ‘stand up if you hate totnum’ chant started up.
I find it pretty juvenile at the best of times, and it’s disrespectful to the players on the pitch. I just wanted to concentrate on watching the game. It’s usually brought out when there’s not much happening. This time it died down quite quickly, but it was started a couple of times more during the game and was met with the same indifference.
I started to think about the different songs and chants that we hear at the Emirates but also around the other grounds. I would assert that some are more positive, and really grip you, making the hairs on the back of your neck stir.
These songs sweep you along and change the mood in the stadium to a positively Arsenal one that must surely rub off on the players.
I agreed with Rasp that “the stand up if you hate Totnum” had more of a negative feel to it. I am not saying it should be binned entirely, but more that it should be used less often and at the appropriate times.
I have also never been too keen on the “come on Arsenal, come on Arsenal” chant. It just sounds a bit feeble and insipid in its tone to me.
Also invariably it comes out at a time when we are either losing a game or drawing in a game we should be winning. With this chant we are urging the players to shift up a gear, but I never feel it is an entirely inspiring chant.
Back to the main point in the title, and I believe the Emirates needs a new anthem. Something positive that seeps through the stadium infecting every Arsenal fan and player. Something that says to the opposition fans and players “we are the mighty Arsenal, and you have entered our den”.
The kind of chant I feel we are missing out on is one that starts in a slower more haunting way for one verse and then once repeated it builds up in pace to a crescendo ending with the whole stadium chanting “Arsenal,”Arsenal”.
West Ham have ” I’m forever blowing bubbles”, Liverpool have “you’ll never walk alone”, Southampton have “oh when the Saints, go marching in”, and dare I say it Totnum have their own identical version of the latter which I hate to admit is quite haunting and rousing.
I would like to hear from all A.A’ers about how they feel about our chants and songs. Which ones do you like and dislike?
More than this though I want you to seek out your inner Mozart and help us come up with something new. There must be some budding Beethoven’s and Tchaikovsky’s out there that can do this. Let’s start the ball rolling and create a pandemic in goonerdom.
I have my personal choice but will leave that till later and see if anyone else chooses my option…..I’m more of a Des O’Connor than Mozart anyway…… In the meantime, over to you gooners.
Gooner B
Arsenal News 24/7
arsenalarsenal.net 
Cheerio Nacho. You’ve been a good, reliable player for the Arsenal (in some seasons very good) and you have never complained, made a fuss, allowed your agent to embarrass us or you been in the papers for the wrong reasons.
A proper pro who deserves a good reception if ever he comes back to the Emirates in any capacity.
He didn’t he get a new contract this season
It’s official then, Fred. I saw the fee was 250k 😳 pittance!!!
So… does that mean we’ll be seeing a bit more of Sead?!! 😍
Thank you, Nacho…. and good luck in Spain..
GoonerB
An entertaining and well argued Post.
I also have never liked the “Stand up…” song (and never stand for it when I’m at the ground: I prefer to leave the hating to others).
As we all know, the new songs usually emerge from the away supporters, who devise and perfect them on the road.
The best ones really stick: I always loved “We love you Freddie…”
The “49, 49 Undefeated…” song featured in the Post always comes across well on the box when we’re playing away.
The club attempted to create an anthem with ‘the Wonder of You” which is a perfectly fine song but there was no authenticity in its application to Arsenal. I know they had a silly fan vote between a couple of choices, but a proper fan anthem needs to rise from the grass roots, not be imposed from above.
Nevertheless, I will have a think. I have an idea in the back of my head…
GB, following on from you Come on Arsenal chant mention, the following is a cricket commercial I grew up with.
Just replace the Aussie with Arsenal and update player names and their traits…
Poor old Herbie Chapman
Sounded sad upon the radio
But he moved a million hearts in mono
Our mothers cried, sang along, who’d blame them
You’re grown (so grown up)
So grown (so grown up)
Now I must say more than ever
(Come on, Arsenal)
Too ra loo ra too ra loo rye aye
And we can sing just like our fathers
Come on, Arsenal, oh I swear (what he means)
At this moment, you mean everything
In the red and White kit, my thoughts I confess
Are on ya Gooners
Ah, come on, Arsenal
As an ancient who saw the compton brothers in 49 onwards I remember a chant using ‘anchors away’
Can’t we sell mustafi for the same 250k,
We love Freddie, aww didn’t know you felt this way about me rocky
We keep it between us chas and ants might get jelous
Am from a different culture so never really like the singing on the whole
And besides santi and giroud song don’t know any other
Fred 😀
Right, here’s my effort at a song.
First of all you need to know the old song: The Bloody Red Baron of Germany
Here’s a link – perhaps someone cleverer than me can embed the video…
Oh goodie – it embedded anyway.
These are the original lyrics:
After the turn of the century
In the clear blue skies over Germany
Came a roar and a thunder men had never heard
Like the screamin’ sound of a big war bird
Up in the sky, a man in a plane
Baron von Richthofen was his name
Eighty men tried, and eighty men died
Now they’re buried together on the countryside
Ten, twenty, thirty, forty, fifty or more
The Bloody Red Baron was rollin’ up the score
Eighty men died tryin’ to end that spree
Of the Bloody Red Baron of Germany
Monreal is off, shame he d have been a good utility player this year. Great attitude, limited competencies.
El Neny is also off and now Mustafi should not be too far from leaving but I have now my doubts for Mustafi since Monreal left
And here’s my Arsenal version:
After nine tenths of a century
At the hallowed halls of Highbury
We moved to the Grove but we brought the noise
It’s the mighty sound of the Arsenal boys.
Up in the sky, a man looks down
Herbert Chapman, of great renown
He’s happy at heart, ‘cos he enjoys
The mighty sound of the Arsenal boys.
Ten, twenty, thirty, forty, forty-nine
The Invincibles, the best of all time.
In your wildest dreams you will never be
Like the red and white army from Highbury.
(How’s that for entering into the spirit of your Post GoonerB? 😀 )
A worthwhile question to ask, GB, because our chants are simple, fairly tuneless, and don’t make me want to join in.
Then again, having given 5 minutes to the idea of an alternative it is more difficult than it seems.
The best songs (and the ‘Pool one is a good example) are pinched from Musical shows, in their case from Carousel.
How about something from South Pacific?
In some enchanted moment, you will see the Arsenal,
You will see the Arsenal across the lush green turf,
And somehow you’ll know, you’ll know even then,
That somehow you’ll cheer them again and again.
Some enchanted moment, you will lead the cheering,
You will lead the cheering for the Arsenal team,
And game after game, as strange as it seems,
The sound of fans cheering will brighten your dreams.
Naff? I guess so!! 🤪
I like it Redders.
You’re a fan of musicals then?
I really like your effort Rock!! 👍
Fred @11.23
Forgive me for not knowing how old you are or how long you have been supporting the Arse, but if the Freddie song is before your time it’s well worth looking at.
Freddie Ljungberg was outstanding in the second half of the 2001-2002 season as we marched to the league title (and he also scored a beauty in the FA Cup Final that year against Chelsea – I was in the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff for the game, standing right behind the goal where Freddie’s shot went in).
At some point during the season he dyed his hair red, which led to this song being sung for him…
I have a very eclectic taste in music, Rocky.
Take your pick from Classic, Musicals, Opera, Modern Pop, (but — don’t tell Fred — I am not into Rap). 🥺
VP
That’s a great song but it’s Aussie roots may be a problem for some 🙂
Redders
How typical that you and I would be among the first to offer up our own lyrical suggestions 😀
I have been watching Practise 3, of the Belgian Grand Prix, and Lewis Hamilton has in explicably crashed — the crowd have jeered and whooped while watching — seems pretty much a form of racism to me — not heard that for anyone else — bad if that is the case. 😞
@ Rocky Freddie was around the time i started supporting but those days i could have only watch Arsenal on Tv so you wouldn’t even know what the crowds are doing when the game going on since u only hear the commentators
Fred
It’s great to have your namesake back at the club in a coaching role. He has proper Arsenal DNA.
Redders
I never understand why Hamilton, with his extraordinary achievements, is not more broadly popular.
As for Belgians booing him, well they’re probably just feeling sore that Standard Liege are going to be trounced by Arsenal in the Europa League.
Did you ever dye your hair red, Fred? 😁
Elneny on loan to Besiktas of Turkey.
Let’s hope he loves it there and they love him.
I have not said so before, Rocky, because I do not know what your future plans are, but it is great to see you are back in the UK at the moment, and strutting your stuff on AA too!! In some ways it seems that you have never been away! 🤠
After a bit of a wobble, AA is back on the tracks, as strong as ever, as a result of the return of your goodself, and joined by some really good ‘new’ bloggers who really know their stuff, and are giving GB, Slim Ginger, RC, and Rasp a run for their money.
I still hope that Chas, GN5, Big Raddish, Tricky Micky, and Eddie, to name a few, will eventually return too. 😁
Rocky,
😜😜
Rocky…….I like your song and words.
Ive tried for many years to come up with a song for The Arsenal, without any success at all.
I get jealous when I see many other clubs supporters all sing together. Would love an Arsenal anthem that we could all sing to. One with a crescendo build up.
Fred….. try watching the “Away Boyz” on you tube, they have some great songs all about the Arsenal.
Elneny out, one more to go get in
If we do get a song how would it be even song by the masses at the Emirates?
RA what about calypso and soca
We love u Freddie, we love Freddie because your everywhere
My new ring tone
I remember the first time I saw Freddie play he had bandage on his hands and they said he has broken his fingers and still couldn’t keep him of the pitch
I remember thinking that one tough bastard hopefully that toughness robs of
No sue, would you like me to 😀
Yea missing Eddie hope he returns soon
Someone let Eddie know am in England December 2 and I want my mercy arsene jersey
Will do VCC
Hi VCC
If we do ever get a great new song it’s going to be the away boys who come up with it.
United draw great start to the football weekend
Too right, Fred!! Thank you Vestergaard!!!
Rocky… I love the Away Boyz. They are great live before and after a game.
Gutted they haven’t done anything new for a few years now.
Did Nacho move to Real Sociadad for the money? Unlikely, he would almost certainly earn more by seeing out his contract with us, so it has to be a case of him saying to UE that he understands that with the arrival of Tierney he will become backup to spend most of the time on the bench, so rather than that, which is almost certainly not what he wanted, a polite request was made to return to Spain where he will be able to play most weeks for the next two seasons.
A very decent way of doing things and a feather in the cap of the club for doing the right thing, not the ideal thing, that would have been have him in and around the club on the off chance that Tierney breaks his leg in his debut but understandably being an insurance policy is not Nacho’s desired role — playing football is. What I mean by the club doing the right thing is that it sends a good message to the rest of the players and players who might be considering coming to the club. Arsenal does the right thing by its players.
Kolasinac on the other hand almost certainly gets paid way beyond his real worth because no transfer fee was paid when he joined and as such was in a position to negotiate a very good wage package; anyway, because of this he aint going nowhere and will happily continue in the same role on the bench as back up to Tierney.
There is of course one fly in the ointment — why the hell couldn’t you have waited until Monday Nacho?
LB
Sociedad offered him a two year contract, plus the return to Spain.
Just watched Soccer Saturday… omg how boring is Kevin Nolan?!! No funky chicken, nothing! Bad enough with the scouse accent… maybe he had a hangover?? Although having said that, he was watching Chelsea 😂
Plus, Dominic Matteo was around the grounds, christ he’s changed!!
Good old Sheffield United!!! 😎
And Sergio scored twice 😍 so far, a good day… now come on Burnley!!
LBG
I was working on the guess that one year’s wages with Arsenal is the same as two years with Sociedad, the Basques probably have the same budget as Fulham, if that.
Thanks for the comments today guys. Although Rasp gave me a heads up earlier this one caught me slightly by surprise going up today and I have not been about to comment.
RA, very poetic your one. Not even sure I know the song though so probably need to search it out on you tube.
Not sure there is much mileage in your one VP, but it made me laugh all the same 🙂
Rocky I like your red Barron one and think there is mileage in that. Should we do an invincible theme with it? Not sure because I have been having a nasty feeling for the last couple of seasons that either City or Pool will emulate our unbeaten season, and have that same nasty feeling this season. Maybe we can use it but just with some different words like:
10,20,30,40,50 and more
The red and white army were rollin’ up the score
They tried to resist but we just blew them away
Those red and white boys from Highbury
Over and above having a completely new one I love the 49 unbeaten chant, and think that could be tweaked to be sung in that very slow haunting way the first time round and then the second time building up the pace and tempo. Maybe someone in the crowd with an accompanying drum beat to dictate the slow to increasing pace.
Leeds lost today damn
Morning all ….
… New post …