Words to warm a woman's heart

I heard Rod Stewart's 1977 song You're in My Heart today, which of course is often played on the airwaves. It's a tribute to a woman who is "beauty and elegance," but also, "a rhapsody, a comedy" and "every love song ever written."  But the real compliment is when Stewart says (at 3:00 of the song) "You're Celtic, United, but baby I've decided you're the best team I've ever seen."  What woman would not be charmed by that?

Stewart is a big soccer fan who used to kick balls from the stage into the crowd at concerts and my firm was once involved in a case where a fan was injured by a ball at one of his concerts at the Spectrum in Philadelphia.  His two favorite teams are Manchester United and Glasgow Celtic.

Soccer Sing-Along

Singing and soccer go together like peanut butter and jelly.  Watch any professional game in Europe or South America and you’ll hear the fans singing in the background through 90 minutes.

While there is some singing at games in the United States it just isn’t part of the soccer culture here.

So here are some good soccer songs.  Any additions to the list are welcome.

Ole

            Maybe the best known of them all, not belonging to any one team.  The best version I ever heard was at the USYSA Region I Tournament at University of Buffalo in July 1994 where our Medford Strikers U15 girls represented New Jersey.  As the teams marched into the stadium for the opening ceremonies, Ole sung over a rock version of the Grand March from Aida played over the sound system.  Whether you were a player, coach or spectator, if that didn’t get you pumped up you were probably dead.

The Fields of Athenry

            This relatively recent (1979) Irish folk ballad about the  Great Irish Famine was sung by Irish fans at the 1990 World Cup.  More recently it was sung at the end of Ireland’s elimination by Spain in the 2012 European Cup, prompting Spanish players to remark how the song had given them chills.  This is a recording from that game in Gdansk,  And here’s a more polished concert version by the Dubliners.

Marching On Together

            The song of British team Leeds United.

Glory Glory Man United

            Manchester is one of the best known teams in the world, and its fans sing this song to the tune of The Battle Hymn of the Republic.

Nur Nach Hause

            You haven’t lived until you’ve stood in the Berlin Olympic Stadium with 50,000 German fans singing this anthem of Hertha BSC Berlin after a 2-0 win over Bayern München.  We had that experience on a cold December night back in 2001.  The speed of the game was impressive, especially since Bayern had played in South America the previous Wednesday and Hertha in London on Thursday.  Here’s what the song looks like in the stadium, and here’s the studio version.

FC Bayern Stern Des Südens ("Star of the South")

           I’m not even sure if this is the “official” Bayern theme song, but it’s a great piece for the lyrics and the unbridled enthusiasm with which it’s sung. 

Here’s the chorus:

FC Bayern, Stern des Südens,

Du wirst niemals untergehen,

weil wir in guten, wie in schlechten Zeiten zueinander stehen,

FC Bayern, Deutscher Meister, ja so heißt er mein Verein,

ja so war es, und so ist es, und so wird es immer sein.

Which literally translated means:

FC Bayern, Star of the South,

You will never go under,

Because we stand by each other in good times just as in bad,

FC Bayern, German champion, yes that’s what my club is called,

Yes, it was and it is and it always will be.

Will You Still Need Me When I'm 64?

"When I get older, losing my hair, many years from now. Will you still be sending me a Valentine, birthday greeting, bottle of wine?"

Those lyrics, of course are from "When I'm 64" on the Beatles' immortal Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album released in June 1967, at the end of my junior year in college. Forty-three years later I still remember how I and many of my 20 and 21 year old friends said we could not imagine what it would be like to be 64.

Today I find out. Yep, Coach P is 64 today, May 19, 2010. And if anyone ever doubts the rewards of coaching, I can show him or her the birthday wishes posted on my Facebook pages from a number of my former players on both the Medford Strikers Xtreme and the Medford Strikers '81-'82 team, and from some parents from those teams.

Thanks to all for the good wishes. And what does 64 feel like? Well, I'm still out running, just not as far or as fast. And I'm still working. So not much different than 63. And anyway, it beats the alternative suggested by another song from back in my college days, this one called "My Generation," by The Who: "Hope I die before I get old."

Feed Your Head

Logic and proportion have fallen sloppy dead. Grace Slick turned 70 last week. Pele hit 69 the week before. Just goes to show we all age. Go ask Alice. I think she’ll know.