Many memorable terrace chants have been adopted by the Hoops’ faithful and bellowed around the old Celtic Park over the years, and one such song will forever be associated with the club’s invincible treble-winning campaign – ‘This is How it Feels’.
Crafted by Clint Boon in the late eighties, ‘This is How it Feels’ became one of Inspiral Carpets’ biggest hits upon its release in 1990. This song became a Madchester classic, and renditions have previously rang out at the city’s Old Trafford and Main Road stadiums. Then, in homage to Brendan Rodgers’ quest to lead Celtic to their sixth consecutive league title in-a-row, the tune travelled to Glasgow for a reworking by those renowned tunesmiths, The Green Brigade.
Listen to the latest episode of the award-winning A Celtic State of Mind“This is how the feels is a bit of a theme tune now for Celtic,” explained Clint Boon when he spoke to A Celtic State of Mind. “The story behind that song is that I wrote it back in the late eighties. I was still living with my mum and dad when I wrote it. I love it that the song has gone out and got its own life. It’s like my eldest child going out in the world and it’s doing its own thing now. I can’t control it.
“I loved it when Manchester United adopted it 15-20 years ago, when they were doing great. They adopted the song, and were taunting City fans with it for years. It seemed to bring United quite a bit of luck in their time, and then suddenly City started doing brilliantly, United dropped a bit, and City adopted the song and started taunting United fans. And then Celtic adopted it and it seems to have brought them a bit of luck if you like.
“It’s a beautiful thing. I know for a fact that song will go on to be on the terraces for a lot of different teams for years to come – it has become a football anthem.
“What I like about it, it’s probably one of the most sung songs in the UK in this present day, because you think about the tens of thousands of people who sing it every week on the terraces. It’s like, you’re talking 50,000? 60-70,000 people a week will be chanting that song whether it’s at United or City or Celtic.
“It’s a great thing. That song was nothing, and then I sat down with a pen and paper, and people are still singing it 30-odd years later.”
But ‘This is How it Feels to be Celtic’ is now consigned to the depths of time along with the manager who was supposedly “here for ten-in-a-row.”
It has been replaced by a reworking of another Mancunian classic in ‘I Wanna Be Edouard,’ as Celtic supporters once again show their penchant for endless artistic and musical creativity, which never ceases to amaze, and their decision to return to the late eighties Madchester scene for their latest anthem is coming up smelling of roses.
Talking of Roses terrace chants, the band’s very own Manchester United (supported by Mani, Ian Brown and John Squire) have been serenaded on to the ‘Theatre of Dreams’ to a cacophony of ‘This is the One’ for years. A quick Google check will tell you that Gary Neville was responsible for this inspired intro choice, but ACSOM can reveal that it was, in fact, an ex-Celt who called the tune.
When Brian McClair left Celtic for Old Trafford in 1987, Manchester United ran out to the sound of ‘Simply the Best’ by Tina Turner. It was a song that didn’t quite hit the spot with Choccy, who could be described as something of a musical aficionado; his band t-shirt collection includes the likes of The Specials, The Clash and Stiff Little Fingers, whilst Liam Gallagher used to wash his motor and once gave him a now-rare Oasis demo tape.
McClair approached Alex Ferguson with his concerns and the gaffer agreed that the Tina Turner standard was completely lacking any kind of invention (I mean, what kind of club would choose that as their anthem?) and suggested that it should be replaced with one of his own personal favourites from Matt Monro…
Having been given the green light by Ferguson to get rid of the turgid ‘Simply the Best,’ Choccy decided against The Man with the Golden Voice and opted instead for the iconic This is the One, the penultimate track from the Roses’ classic eponymous debut.
The Roses defined a city and a generation; they were a band that changed music history and paved the way for the colossal charge of the Gallaghers. Their music is now soundtracking a defining era in Celtic’s history, as an exquisitely talented Frenchman leads Neil Lennon’s side to what has become the holy grail for many among the Celtic support.
Paul John Dykes
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