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Story: Jack Foley
A FOOTBALL has yet to be kicked during the 2004 European Championships,
but it seems the FA has already scored an own goal.
The release of the official Euro 2004 song, Altogether Now,
has been undermined by a far better contender, in the form of
Xfm’s Born in England, which is performed by Twisted
X, and which looks set to deliver the red card to the FA’s
re-release.
Twisted X is the brainchild of Sony Award winning, breakfast
show DJ of the year, Christian O’Connell, and it appeared
to have the backing of the FA, during the lengthy selection process
the radio station (located at 104.9FM) embarked upon to find a
contender.
But, at the 11th hour, the FA backed out, in favour of The Farm
makeover, leaving the Xfm crew fuming.
The ensuing record, which was written by the The Wheatleys (John,
Donald and Robert Wheatley and Brett Bibby), has been put together
with help from the likes of Aaron Gilbert and Rowley Fox, from
The Delays (who supplied the vocals in the bridge), Danny, from
Supergrass (on drums), and Bernard Butler, on guitar.
Former Cold Feet star, James Nesbitt, also supplied a unique
vocal, while Carl Barât, from The Libertines, added some
essential hand-claps - not to mention O’Connell and news-reading
co-presenter, Chris Smith, on backing vocals.
The ensuing record, Born in England, while cheesy in
the extreme, has to rate among the better football anthems, and
is notable for the way in which it taps into the Oasis-style of
catchy, sing-along choruses, designed deliberately to appeal to
the terrace crowds, and those singing along in pubs.
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What’s more, proceeds from
the single will be going to the Help A Local Child charity - making
the purchase of the single a very worthy cause.
The FA release their record on Monday, May 31, while Born
in England kicks its way into stores on June 7, which means
it should chart on the day England play their first game against
France.
And if O’Connell has his way, it’ll be at number
one by the time that match kicks off.
Don’t bet against the plucky presenter scoring highly,
either, for the Dj has a knack for upsetting the odds, having
beaten Radio 1’s Chris Moyle’s to the coveted Dj title,
and consistently raising the profile and listening figures of
the radio station, through increasingly extravagant promotion
bids.
Already this year, O’Connell won industry kudos for his
bounty hunter competition, which invited listeners to get celebrities
to telephone the show for a mini-interview - which provided some
of the most enjoyable listening experiences commuters had for
a long time.
And he has previously become ordained as a minister to marry
a colleague in Los Angeles, and is contemplating repeating the
feat for gay listeners.
Born in England, however, marks the Kingston resident’s
most audacious bid yet - and advance word is such that the track
is already performing well in Amazon’s pre-sales chart,
not to mention HMV and NME.
You can play your part in helping to make it a success by following
the links on this page, and ensuring that something a little bit
creative beats the likes of a re-issue and anything from Busted
to the number one spot.
Hell, even Capital Radio’s Dr Fox has pledged to give Christian
a plug, should the track make it to the coveted top-spot.
Editor’s note: Christian O’Connell
has also acknowledged the help of producer, Ben Georgiades, FX
Rentals and Kore Studios, for their help in turning his dream
into a reality. |
