The high drama and unplumbable emotional depths of England’s footballing adventures have long been heightened by song, from official tournament tie-ins such as New Order’s World in Motion to fan-generated favourites such as dance track turned terrace chant Freed from Desire. Now, ahead of the Women’s World Cup kicking off on Thursday in Australia and New Zealand, the England women’s team hope to have a crowd-pleasing singalong of their own: Call Me a Lioness.
A starting 11 of female-identifying British artists, including Melanie C and Self Esteem, have come together under the moniker Hope FC to record the unofficial track for England’s World Cup campaign. Songwriter Glen Roberts was hit by inspiration as the Lionesses won Euro 2022 and co-wrote it with producer Joel Pott and singer-songwriter Olivia Dean. Rather than focusing on the sometimes miserable experience of being a fan of the underdog – as Baddiel, Skinner and the Lightning Seeds did on their enduring Euro 96 hit Three Lions – it puts fans into the players’ mindset in the dreamlike aftermath of their 2022 victory, and manifests another: “We’re bringing it home again”, as one of several chantable lines goes.
