One-Nil to the Arsenal

Summary

99% Invisible: One-Nil to the Arsenal
Hosted by Roman Mars
Release Date: April 22, 2025

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Introduction

In this episode of 99% Invisible, host Roman Mars delves into the vibrant and intricate world of English Premier League (EPL) football chants, using Arsenal Football Club as a focal point. Joined by producer and climate reporter Emmett Fitzgerald, and sportswriter James McNicholas, Mars explores how chants evolve from grassroots creativity to stadium anthems that unify and energize fans.

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The Passion of Arsenal Fandom

[01:15] Emmett Fitzgerald:
"I've been mildly obsessed with the English football club Arsenal for basically my entire adult life... I wake up at like 6:30 in the morning basically every weekend to watch them play in Pacific standard time."

Emmett Fitzgerald introduces his long-standing passion for Arsenal FC, highlighting the dedication required to support a team across different time zones. This personal anecdote sets the stage for a deeper exploration of fan culture and its expressions through music and chants.

---

The Birth of the "Waka Waka" Chant

[01:50] Emmett Fitzgerald:
"Today is a big day because I have an Arsenal story for you... Kai Havertz stepped up and scored a penalty that, while not crucial to the game's outcome, marked his first goal for the club."

During a match against Bournemouth, Arsenal's decision to have Kai Havertz take a penalty kick culminated in a significant moment for both the player and the fans. Havertz's successful penalty led to the creation of a unique chant set to the melody of Shakira's "Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)."

[03:58] Roman Mars:
"Oh, okay, so I do recognize that as the World Cup song. The World Cup in South Africa."

[04:22] James McNicholas:
"60 million down the drain? Kai Havertz scores again."

James McNicholas, a sportswriter from The Athletic, provides insight into how the chant not only celebrates Havertz's goal but also playfully references the hefty transfer fee Arsenal paid for him.

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The Evolution of Football Chants

[06:03] Emmett Fitzgerald:
"There are so many songs like this in the English Premier League, there's no way I could possibly name them all... every time I watched an Arsenal game, it felt like there was a new song that didn't even exist the previous match."

Emmett discusses the prolific nature of chant creation in the EPL, emphasizing the dynamic relationship between fans and music. This phenomenon is not isolated to Arsenal but spans across numerous clubs, each fostering its own unique repertoire of songs.

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Historical Roots of Football Chants

[07:55] Emmett Fitzgerald:
"Let's start with the football writer, Andy Lawn."

Emmett introduces Andy Lawn, author of We Don't Lose, We Part. Lawn traces the origins of football chants back to late 19th-century Norwich, where local football clubs composed songs to celebrate civic pride and team identity.

[09:36] Roman Mars:
"Oh, I actually didn't know that. That makes sense."

[10:16] Andy Lawn:
"In 2025, it's still being sung, like, every game, four or five times in a game."

Andy Lawn explains how early chants like "On the Ball City" served as anthems for merged teams, a tradition that persists today, underscoring the enduring power of music in football culture.

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Liverpool's Musical Influence

[11:19] Roman Mars:
"So you mentioned the first one sort of premiered around 1902. You know, where are we at this point where they start spreading around to other clubs?"

[12:04] Andy Lawn:
"The Liverpool crowd used their songs as a vehicle for kind of pride and self-identity... singing Beatles songs verbatim during home matches."

Liverpool FC became a catalyst for modern chant culture by integrating popular music into their game-day experience. Iconic songs like "You'll Never Walk Alone" transformed into anthems that resonate globally, inspiring other clubs to adopt similar practices.

[14:23] Emmett Fitzgerald:
"That's Liverpool's anthem that's known all around the world."

The adoption of pop melodies with customized lyrics became a template for other teams, fostering a widespread tradition of fan-created chants.

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Crafting the Perfect Chant

[15:48] Emmett Fitzgerald:
"So this is the moment when fans start making their own football specific remixes, taking well known pop melodies and writing their own lyrics to suit their particular city or their football club."

Emmett elaborates on the creative process behind chant formation, where fans adapt familiar tunes to reflect team-specific narratives, player accolades, or local pride.

[16:20] James McNicholas:
"1 nil to the Arsenal wins... simplicity was key back then."
[17:11] Emmett Fitzgerald:
"Yeah. And they did that through songs."

James McNicholas discusses the "One-Nil to the Arsenal" chant, highlighting its simplicity and effectiveness in reinforcing the team's defensive prowess and identity.

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The Social Dynamics of Chant Adoption

[17:42] Emmett Fitzgerald:
"It's just part of the process. But over time, this kind of clever pop music songwriting really spread all throughout football."

Chants rely on communal participation, requiring fans to harmonize and adapt. The absence of digital platforms in earlier decades meant chants spread organically through live interactions, epitomizing the communal spirit of football fandom.

[18:12] James McNicholas:
"They don't hand out a song sheet or anything. You have to go away and ask your mates, what do they actually sing?"

The grassroots nature of chant dissemination underscores the collective ownership and authentic expression inherent in football chants.

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Case Study: Martin Odegaard's Anthem

[24:14] Dan Gunning:
"It started because as a group we wanted to try and improve the atmosphere... we wanted a football song for our new captain, Martin Odegaard."

Dan Gunning, an Arsenal supporter, spearheaded the creation of a chant for Martin Odegaard, leveraging the popularity of the darts-themed song "Chase the Sun" by Planet Funk. Utilizing social media, the chant quickly gained traction, demonstrating the modern interplay between digital platforms and traditional fan culture.

[27:40] Emmett Fitzgerald:
"On the walk into the stadium, he heard more people singing it. But the big question was whether he and his friends could get the song going during and actually, like, in the stadium."

The spontaneous adoption of the chant by the wider fanbase illustrates how individual creativity can resonate collectively, morphing into a unifying anthem within the stadium environment.

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The Impact of Supporter Contributions

[32:22] Roman Mars:
"It really underscores how collective this whole process is... the wisdom of the crowd determines what makes it into the songbook."

The role of supporters extends beyond passive consumption; their active contributions shape the cultural landscape of football. This symbiotic relationship between fans and players fosters a sense of belonging and mutual reinforcement.

[32:56] James McNicholas:
"Supporters... actively engaged. They want to be making that noise, firing up that choir."

The transition from "fans" to "supporters" emphasizes the proactive role fans play in enhancing the match-day experience through their vocal and musical expressions.

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Arsenal's Current Season and Chant Revival

[33:55] Roman Mars:
"So before we go, like, how is Arsenal doing this season?"

[34:14] Emmett Fitzgerald:
"It's been up and down. They're in second place in the League... Arsenal managed to win that game 3-0 and then beat Madrid again to advance to the semifinals."

Arsenal's fluctuating season performance, marked by triumphs and challenges, has been mirrored by the ebb and flow of chant usage. Notably, a significant Champions League victory rekindled the vibrant atmosphere, with supporters intensifying their vocal support to propel the team forward.

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Conclusion

This episode of 99% Invisible illuminates the intricate tapestry of football chants within the English Premier League, exemplified by Arsenal FC's passionate supporter base. From historical origins to modern-day digital influences, chants encapsulate the essence of community identity, collective creativity, and unwavering support that define football culture. Through the voices of Roman Mars, Emmett Fitzgerald, and James McNicholas, listeners gain a deeper appreciation for the seemingly spontaneous yet profoundly impactful world of football anthems.

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Notable Quotes

• Emmett Fitzgerald [01:15]:
  "I've been mildly obsessed with the English football club Arsenal for basically my entire adult life."

• James McNicholas [04:22]:
  "60 million down the drain? Kai Havertz scores again."

• Andy Lawn [09:36]:
  "In 2025, it's still being sung, like, every game, four or five times in a game."

• Dan Gunning [24:14]:
  "It started because as a group we wanted to try and improve the atmosphere."

• James McNicholas [33:00]:
  "Supporters... actively engaged. They want to be making that noise, firing up that choir."

---

References

• Emmett Fitzgerald: Producer and climate reporter for 99pi, Arsenal supporter.
• James McNicholas: Sportswriter for The Athletic covering Arsenal in the Premier League.
• Andy Lawn: Author of We Don't Lose, We Part, historian of football chants.

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Produced by Emmett Fitzgerald, edited by Kelly Prime, mixed by Martin Gonzalez. Music by Swan Real, George Langford, and APM. Fact-checking by Graham Haysh.

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Listen to more episodes of 99% Invisible at 99percentinvisible.org.

Transcript

[Roman Mars]

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[Roman Mars]

This is 99% invisible. I'm Roman Mars and I'm here with Emmett Fitzgerald, a 99pi producer, climate reporter, and as I've recently learned, a psychotic Arsenal fan.

[Emmett Fitzgerald]

It's true, I've been mildly obsessed with the English football club Arsenal for basically my entire adult life. To be clear, I have zero connection to North London where the team is based. But. But for reasons I can barely remember now, 14 year old me chose Arsenal and I've been living with the consequences ever since. You know, I wake up at like 6:30 in the morning basically every weekend to watch them play in Pacific standard time.

[Roman Mars]

That's lunatic behavior. But okay, it's nice to have a hobby.

[Emmett Fitzgerald]

Yeah, yeah, it's just my lot in life. But anyway, today is a big day because I have an Arsenal story for you. Starts with a match. Last season, Arsenal were beating Bournemouth 2 0. And in the 52nd minute, Arsenal won a penalty spot. At the moment. Now normally in a situation like this, they would let their star player, this guy named Bukayo Saka, take the penalty kick. But on this day, a lanky German named Kai Havertz stepped up.

[Roman Mars]

They've given the ball to Kai Havertz.

[Emmett Fitzgerald]

To give him some.

[Roman Mars]

So what's the significance of Kai Havertz and him taking the ball in this moment?

[Emmett Fitzgerald]

So Kai Havertz had recently joined Arsenal from their London rivals Chelsea, and he cost a lot of money. He was a 60 million pound transfer. Whoa.

[Roman Mars]

Okay.

[Emmett Fitzgerald]

But so far that season he had still not scored a goal and the football media was starting to chatter about how all that money had been a waste. So, you know, Havertz is looking a little bit nervous as he approached the ball, but he smashed the penalty into the bottom left hand corner. No problem.

[Roman Mars]

Announced himself as an Arsenal player and.

[Emmett Fitzgerald]

The Gunners leave by three goals to nil. Now this was not a particularly important goal in the season. It wasn't really even an important goal in the game. You know, it was like already over. But it was an important goal for Kai Havertz. And as he wheeled away into the corner to celebrate this, this, you know, first goal with the Arsenal fans, a song starts ringing around the stadium. Do you, do you, do you, does that mean anything to you? Do you recognize that?

[Roman Mars]

It means.

[Emmett Fitzgerald]

Okay, so that, that is that if you did, if you did not pick up on it, that is Shakira's 2010 hit, Waka Waka this Time for Africa.

[Roman Mars]

Oh, okay, so I do recognize that as the World cup song. The, the, the World cup in South Africa.

[Emmett Fitzgerald]

That's right, that's right. But instead of the usual Shakira verse, the Arsenal fans sang a brand new set of lyrics celebrating Kai Havertz and basically saying, who's a waste of.

[James McNicholas]

60 million down the drain? Kai Havertz scores a game. A reference to the price tag that was paid for Kai Havertz and that was heavily criticized. And he does keep scoring.

[Emmett Fitzgerald]

This is James McNicholas.

[James McNicholas]

I'm a sportswriter, I work for the Athletic, where principally I cover Arsenal in the Premier League.

[Emmett Fitzgerald]

And James says that on that day at Bournemouth, a new song was born. And now basically every time that Kai Havertz scores a goal, the fans start singing their version of this Shakira classic.

[James McNicholas]

I've got to say I've got an 18 month old son and that's certainly his favorite charm. Whenever that song comes on or whenever I'm singing that around the house, he really enjoys that. So I do have a particular soft spot for that one.

[Roman Mars]

And when he says that one, what he's implying here is that there are a lot of songs like the Waka Waka Kai Havertz song out there.

[Emmett Fitzgerald]

There are so many songs like this in the English Premier League, there's no way I could possibly name them all. But just to give you a quick taste of a couple of my favorites, Arsenal used to have this handsome French striker named Olivier Giroud and the fans would sing his name to the tune of hey Jude, as in na na na na Giroud. One of my favorites of all time comes from West Ham, who had this song for their striker, Bobby Zamora that was lovingly making fun of the fact that a lot of his shots tended to sail way above the goal. It was sung to the tune of that's Amore, except it went. When you're Satin Rose, Zed, and the ball hits your head, that's Zamora.

[Roman Mars]

That's fantastic.

[Emmett Fitzgerald]

That is truly just the tip of the iceberg. If you have your TV unmuted while you watch an English Premier League game, you're treated to a near constant chorus of songs like these.

[James McNicholas]

I think it's partly what makes the Premier League so special. You know, these are songs with melodies borrowed from pop songs or folk songs and reworked lyrics, sometimes quite complex lyrics, which will be either to kind of eulogize their own players, lionize their own players, or are often quite derogatory about other players and other teams. But the imagination and sense of humor of the British football fan knows few bounds.

[Emmett Fitzgerald]

And, you know, this obviously isn't unique to English soccer. Football fans all over the world sing during matches, and even American sports fans have some simple chance that they break out now and then. But I think English soccer singing has become almost like a folk art form. The songs have complicated melodies and clever lyrics, and each team has an entirely unique songbook that seemingly every fan in the stadium knows by heart. And I have to say, watching on TV from California, I've always been both mesmerized and confused, confused by this whole phenomenon. Like, every time I watched an Arsenal game, it felt like there was a new song that didn't even exist the previous match. And somehow 40,000 fans just seemed to know exactly how and when to sing it. And so I went on a journey into the history of football fan culture and pop music to try and figure out how all this actually works and who is even writing these songs that are perpetually bouncing around in my head.

[Roman Mars]

Okay, so where do you begin with this?

[Emmett Fitzgerald]

Let's start with the football writer, Andy Lawn.

[Andy Lawn]

I have always been fascinated by football crowds or soccer crowds and just the noise that they make.

[Emmett Fitzgerald]

Andy is the author of We Lose Every A History of Football Chanting. And he says that part of why he wanted to write the book in the first place is that singing soccer fans tend to get a pretty bad rap.

[Andy Lawn]

I knew that a lot of the discourse around soccer fandom focused on hooliganism. A lot of the kind of times that football chanting made the news, it was for racism or for homophobia or for some really, like, dark, abusive, horrible stuff.

[Emmett Fitzgerald]

Andy says that that part of football culture is unfortunately very real. But he also knew from a lifetime of experience inside football grounds that it wasn't the full story, because I knew.

[Andy Lawn]

That chanting and singing and that kind of communal experience was much more than hooliganism. It was a way to express kind of civic pride and identity and something that you kind of really believed in. And I didn't think that that story was widely enough known.

[Emmett Fitzgerald]

In his book, Andy traces the origins of football chants back to his own hometown of Norwich in the late 19th century. And back then, most cities had a bunch of different football clubs that were mostly connected to local employers. So, for example, if you've ever wondered where Arsenal got its name, the team was originally made up of workers from a munitions factory.

[Roman Mars]

Oh, I actually didn't know that. That makes sense.

[Emmett Fitzgerald]

And in Norwich, where Andy was from, there were like six or seven different teams.

[Andy Lawn]

So there was a team that was made up of employees from the Cayley's chocolate factory. There was a team made up of teachers. There was a team made up of people from the local church, and they would play against each other in a kind of hyper local league.

[Emmett Fitzgerald]

In the 1890s, a local Norwich man wrote a song called on the Ball City, celebrating the fact that Norwich had so many football teams. And then a few years later, when those teams eventually merged to create Norwich City fc, they basically started singing that song as, like an anthem for the new combined team.

[Andy Lawn]

And it just became a tradition that kind of caught on. And that was in 1902. Now in 2025, it's still being sung, like, every game, four or five times in a game.

[Emmett Fitzgerald]

Okay. So most people consider on the Ball City to be the first football song. But soon, fans of other teams followed suit and started singing songs meant to celebrate local pride. So, for example, supporters of Portsmouth Football Club, which is nicknamed Pompy, started singing a song called Play Up Pompey, which.

[Andy Lawn]

Is a charm that's very simple. It's a bit more like a kind of a US chart in terms. It's simply just Play up Pompey, Pompey Play up, Play up Pompey but the way they sing it chimed perfectly with the town hall bells that was next to the stadium. So it's that Da da da da da da da da.

[Roman Mars]

So you mentioned the first one sort of premiered around 1902. You know, where are we at this point where they start spreading around to other clubs?

[Emmett Fitzgerald]

Yeah, I mean, kind of the early part of the 20th century, it was. It was this, like. It was a phenomenon, but, you know, different teams, they were often sung at the beginnings of games, like, before anything even happened. It was kind of like the players are walking out onto the field like let's sing the song from our town that celebrates local pride. But I would say that like if we're gonna call football songwriting a folk art form, as I did in the intro, I would say that like that didn't really kick into gear until the 1960s and it all went down in Liverpool.

[Andy Lawn]

And what essentially happened was Cilla Black and the Beatles were kind of the first musical acts that became world famous. And they were very, very famously from Liverpool.

[Emmett Fitzgerald]

And meanwhile, Liverpool also had one of the best football teams in the league really in Europe, Liverpool fc. And it kind of, you know, it just kind of made sense that these two things would collide.

[Andy Lawn]

So the Liverpool crowd used their songs as a vehicle for kind of pride and self identity. Because here are these people who are a global success, the first kind of global superstars that certainly England has produced. And they're from Liverpool and they sound like us.

[Emmett Fitzgerald]

And so Liverpool fans just started singing Beatles songs verbatim during home matches at their famously loud stadium, which is called Anfield. Here is a clip from 1964 of the raucous Anfield crowd singing she Loves yous by the Beatles. But the most iconic Liverpool song from this era isn't actually a Beatles song. It's called you'd'll Never Walk Alone. Do you know that song?

[Roman Mars]

I know it, but I really only know it in this context. I don't know where it originates from.

[Emmett Fitzgerald]

Well, it was originally written for a Rodgers and Hammerstein musical, but the song was made famous by a Liverpool rock band called Jerry and the Pacemakers.

[Roman Mars]

It's not exactly a jock jam, you know what I'm saying?

[Emmett Fitzgerald]

Okay, yes, but listen to the Liverpool crowd sing it.

[Roman Mars]

Oh, it's so good. You would never predict that for that song, but it actually comes off so well.

[Emmett Fitzgerald]

Totally, totally. And that has become like Liverpool's anthem that's known all around the world. Like if you tell someone you're a Liverpool fan, they'll start singing He'll Never Walk Alone at you in like an airport. And so, you know, it wasn't long before other clubs started taking notice of what was going on in Liverpool Teams, you know, from all over the country would, would come to Anfield. And when their fans arrived, you know, not only is this team, this Liverpool team, one of the best teams we've ever played against, but there are rows and rows of these crazy Liverpool fans just like singing Beatles songs at the top of their lungs.

[Andy Lawn]

And fans kind of took that inspiration. Like these guys are singing pop songs and they're really loud and it's really, it's a really fun environment. And their team are winning. We can do that at home.

[Roman Mars]

I mean, that's all fine and good, but not every town has a Beatles in their back pocket.

[Emmett Fitzgerald]

You know what I mean? Yeah, yeah, exactly, exactly. Right. I mean like good luck. Good luck singing all the world famous songs from all the bands in Wolverhampton or Bournemouth or Norwich for that matter.

[Andy Lawn]

We don't necessarily have an artist that is from Norwich who is world famous. So what can we do? Well, we can maybe change the words of the song so we can have the same tune. Everyone knows this tune. No one needs to learn the tune. Everyone knows this tune. We can just sing it, but we can change it and make it our own words.

[Emmett Fitzgerald]

So this is the moment when fans start making their own football specific remixes, taking well known pop melodies and writing their own lyrics to suit their particular city or their football club.

[Roman Mars]

So the song itself isn't from a particular city, but now it has new lyrics that might be about how great Norwich is or whatever.

[Emmett Fitzgerald]

Right, right. Or how good their team is on the pitch. You know, for example, in the case of Arsenal, the fans wrote a classic song celebrating how tough the team's defense was.

[James McNicholas]

One which sort of came out of the late 80s, early 90s is 1 nil to the Arsenal. Which I believe is to the tune of Go west by the Pet Shop Boys. And that became kind of the quintessential Arsenal chant. And the reason I love it is because 1 nil, I mean, I'm sure your American listeners will turn up their noses at a scoreline as dour as that. That's the problem with soccer, right? Not enough goals.

[Emmett Fitzgerald]

And back in the 90s, Arsenal was getting criticized, you know, for essentially for being boring to watch because they won so many of games, one to nil.

[James McNicholas]

And Arsenal fans being what they are, you know, they turned that into a positive and they dug their heels in and were proud of that identity. They were going to be the meanest, nastiest, toughest to break down team in the league and celebrate every one of those. One nil to the Arsenal wins. And they did that through songs.

[Emmett Fitzgerald]

Yeah. Can we get a few bars? I've heard you sing on a podcast before.

[James McNicholas]

Okay, I will give you a. I'll give you a blast. So obviously it's one nil to the Arsenal, 1 nil to the Arsenal, 1 nil to the Arsenal.

[Emmett Fitzgerald]

To the Arsenal.

[James McNicholas]

Listen, lyrically it's not the most complex, but you can see why it caught on.

[Roman Mars]

I mean, it's still a far sight better than just defense.

[Emmett Fitzgerald]

Yeah. And, you know, simplicity was key back then. There was, you know, there's no Internet, no social media. These songs needed to go viral in the real world. And you can kind of imagine how this might play out. Like, if you were a die hard fan in the stadium, you would basically need to sing your new song loudly enough and clearly enough that the drunk guys next to you would pick it up and then hope that they sang it loudly enough and clearly enough that the drunk fans next to them caught on.

[James McNicholas]

They don't hand out a song sheet or anything. You know, there's not a hymn book. Right. You have to go away and ask your mates, what do they actually sing? What are the words there? Or just come back enough times that you slowly pick it up.

[Roman Mars]

I mean, given that, it's kind of amazing that any songs got learned at all.

[Emmett Fitzgerald]

Totally, totally. But over time, this kind of clever pop music songwriting really spread all throughout football. And because these songs were sung during the game itself, it made the relationship between the crowd and what was happening on the field so much more dynamic.

[James McNicholas]

Yeah, there is that kind of symbioticism between the crowd and the players. And sometimes they feed each other. You know, it might be that the team is struggling, it might be that they need picking up. And maybe an anthemic song could be what lifts them, what rouses them.

[Emmett Fitzgerald]

Or when a team scored, the fans might start singing a song devoted specifically to the player who got the goal. So, for example, in the late 90s, early 2000s, Arsenal had this legendary midfielder named Patrick Vieira. He was French, but he was born in Senegal.

[James McNicholas]

And he had a chant to the tune of, I believe the song's called Volare, which was, I'll sing it for you. It went, Vieira, whoa, Vieira, whoa. He comes from Senegal. He plays for Arsenal.

[Emmett Fitzgerald]

Because.

[Roman Mars]

So, Saddam, that's amazing. But I take it not every player warrants a special song.

[Emmett Fitzgerald]

Oh, no, no, no. It's something. It's something that, you know, it's something that you have to earn.

[James McNicholas]

The moment where you get your own song from your fans is like when you've arrived, you know, And I think it takes some time, you know, the stadium lyricists have to go away, squirrel away, and come up with something, and then it's got to catch on. But that it must be a wonderful moment for a player. And it's something players often talk about. You know, I heard the fans singing my name for the first time.

[Emmett Fitzgerald]

One thing that has consistently baffled me about the chants that I hear on TV every weekend is the fact that these songs just seem to pop out of thin air. One week a song doesn't exist, and the next, tens of thousands of people are screaming it in unison. So after the break, I will talk with one of the songwriting supporters who make that magic happen.

[Roman Mars]

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[Roman Mars]

Okay, we are back with Emmett to try to understand the origins of soccer songs.

[Emmett Fitzgerald]

So since I started reporting this piece, I've wanted to try and figure out who was actually writing all of these songs that seemed to spring forth from the chaos of the crowd like magic. And that search led me to an Arsenal fan named Dan Gunning.

[G]

It started because as a group we wanted to try and improve the atmosphere. It's circular, right? The fans sing more, it helps the players. The players win. Players win, the fan sing more, it goes round and round.

[Emmett Fitzgerald]

Dan is a season ticket holder in this very famous part of the stadium called the north bank. And you know, he's a regular at Arsenal games. And you know, it must be said that Arsenal have never been known for being a particularly rowdy crowd. They're not Liverpool. But when fans were let back into the stadium after Covid, Arsenal was playing really well and there was this concerted effort to try and improve the atmosphere inside the ground, try and really create, you know, a vibe inside that stadium. Dan and his friends were a part of that and they decided to take it upon themselves to write some fresh songs for some of the team's newest players.

[G]

We start to get some noise from fans saying, you know, well, this person needs a song or that person needs a song.

[Emmett Fitzgerald]

Specifically, Dan thought that the team really desperately needed a song for their new captain, who is a Norwegian midfielder named Martin Odegaard. Odegaard is this incredibly skilled, kind of baby face Scandinavian who wears the number.

[G]

8 jersey, was basically just sitting there in bed and was watching darts on YouTube and the dart song was in my head.

[Roman Mars]

Wait, so he's saying watching darts like watching people throw darts on YouTube. Is that what he's watching?

[Emmett Fitzgerald]

Yeah, yeah, he did. You know, darts is like a popular spectator sport and they televise it in the uk. And the theme song for the main darts television program is by a band called Planet Funk. It's called Chase the Sun.

[G]

And then I put in the group chat and said, what do you guys think about a football song for this?

[Emmett Fitzgerald]

And his North London friends were universally into it.

[James McNicholas]

It was a very astute choice because that song has a particular resonance in North London, I would say even because every year there's the big darts competition here at Alexandra palace, which is only about 20 minutes from the stadium. And so it's a song people knew really well, which I think probably accelerated the rate at which people embraced it.

[Emmett Fitzgerald]

So Dan comes up with some Martin Odegaard specific lyrics to match that darts tune. He was, he was actually. He was. I tried to get him to sing it, but he was, he was too embarrassed to sing it for me on the radio. But James helped me out.

[James McNicholas]

I think it's been. Been dreaming all day about our number eight, Martin Odegaard. When he's on the ball. Can I swear? I don't know.

[Emmett Fitzgerald]

Yeah, you can swear.

[James McNicholas]

Okay. When he's on the ball, he's magical. Martin Odegaard, like, that's. That's a mouthful, right? That's a lot. That's a lot for an inebriated football fan to remember.

[Emmett Fitzgerald]

But in today's day and age, songwriters like Dan have a tool at their disposal, which is the power of social media. And in this case, Dan basically just posted a video on Twitter with his new lyrics rolling over the audio track of the dart song. He went to bed and woke up the next morning and his phone had blown up.

[G]

I'm thinking, God, what's happened? Yeah, open Twitter and just likes, retweets, posts, comments everywhere. And obviously the same from the lads in the group, chats, messages saying, like, it's gone absolutely mad. It's gone everywhere.

[Emmett Fitzgerald]

The next day was a home game against Everton and Dan, you know, followed his usual pre match routine and went to the pub for a drink. And at the bar a bunch of friends started singing the Martin Odegaard song. A lot of people recognized it from Twitter and, you know, it starts to catch on.

[Roman Mars]

So this is before it's even reinforced in a match. It's just out in the bar.

[Emmett Fitzgerald]

Right, right. And so Dan left the bar and the song kept spreading from there. On the walk into the stadium, he heard more people singing it. But the big question was whether he and his friends could get the song going during and actually, like, in the stadium. And for that to happen, you need a spark.

[G]

I always say it takes sort of one idiot to stand out for the rest to sing. So it was another one of my friends quite a few rows back, and all I could hear was him singing the song. His name's Kieran Barry, and I could just hear him shouting the song everywhere.

[Emmett Fitzgerald]

Over time, more and more fans joined him, and pretty soon, this new song was echoing around the stadium.

[G]

People just started singing it, and then as Odegaard came over at the end of the game, people were singing it to him, and it just went louder and louder.

[Roman Mars]

So great. It's so great to see him recognize what they're doing, you know what I mean? In this video, Odegaard is watching them and clapping along and stuff. So great.

[Emmett Fitzgerald]

Yeah, totally. I mean, imagine you're, like, at your workplace and there's thousands of people who love you and really badly want you to be doing a good job, and they're just, like, singing this devotional song that they created especially for you.

[James McNicholas]

Listen, it must be a very special feeling to have 60,000 people singing your name and saluting you for what you do.

[Emmett Fitzgerald]

Yeah.

[Roman Mars]

But it also must be a pretty amazing feeling for the songwriters to see this take off, you know?

[Emmett Fitzgerald]

Yeah, completely. And I brought this up with Dan a lot, and he's very. He's very kind of bashful and humble about it, but, you know, it's wild to me. Like, I would hesitate to guess the number of people who know the words to that song, like, globally at this point, but it is a lot. Like, just the other day, I went to watch a game at a bar in San Francisco, and Martin Odegaard scored. And this entire bar in San Francisco in California starts singing the song that Dan wrote a couple, you know, a year or so ago.

[Roman Mars]

It's a worldwide, global number one hit.

[Emmett Fitzgerald]

Yeah, exactly. He went platinum. But, you know, I think that a thing that has struck me throughout this is just how unprecious Dan and his friends are about their songwriting. They see their role, I think, is just to churn out lots of ideas and sort of see what sticks. They know that most of the ideas that they come up with won't go anywhere, but that's just part of the process.

[Roman Mars]

It's kind of fun to imagine the ones that don't take off, where somebody does stand up and try to start it, and then nothing happens.

[Emmett Fitzgerald]

Totally. I mean, I think that happens literally all the time.

[James McNicholas]

There was one to the Tune of a song called Zombie by the Cranberries.

[Emmett Fitzgerald]

Oh, of course.

[James McNicholas]

Defender called Gabrielle. Yeah.

[Emmett Fitzgerald]

And. Oh, really?

[James McNicholas]

Yeah, I think it was. His nickname is Gabby.

[Emmett Fitzgerald]

I think it was Gabby, Gabby, Gabby.

[James McNicholas]

And you would think, right? That's got all the ingredients to make a success. But apparently it just resulted in one guy just basically just screaming the word Gabby over and over again in a football stadium until he was eventually ignored or possibly even taken away by stewards who were concerned for his well being.

[Roman Mars]

That would be mortifying, but I could totally imagine it perfectly.

[Emmett Fitzgerald]

I'm sure he was fine. Gabrielle did eventually get a song though. And weirdly, Dan and his friends were involved in this one too. Basically, a few seasons ago, a fan had tried to get a Gabrielle song going to the standard tune and it didn't really take, but the lyrics got tweaked a little bit by different people over the years. And then in 2024, Gabriel was just. He was having this incredible season and Dan and his friends decided, like, we really need to make this song happen now. This guy deserves a song. And they posted a video of their crew singing. Singing this Gabrielle song on the train on the way back from an away match. And this time it just went everywhere.

[Roman Mars]

And so is this. Is this song part of the canon? Would you hear this in a bar in San Francisco?

[Emmett Fitzgerald]

Yeah, absolutely. You hear it. You hear it all the time.

[Roman Mars]

I mean, it really underscores how collective this whole process is. I mean, the person who comes up with an idea is just the very first step. And it really is the wisdom of the crowd that ultimately determines what makes it into the songbook.

[Emmett Fitzgerald]

Yeah, I think that's exactly right. And I think that, you know, that collective mentality is just a really important part of European football. Being a fan really means contributing to the culture around your club. You're not just consuming this entertainment product. You have a job to do.

[Roman Mars]

Yeah.

[Emmett Fitzgerald]

And I think that's why you often hear fans referred to as supporters.

[James McNicholas]

It's very interesting. I mean, Arsenal themselves always talk about supporters rather than fans. They want their supporters to be actively engaged. They want them to be, you know, making that noise, firing up that choir.

[G]

We get there an hour and a quarter earlier than kick off every single game. And if I'm not there on time an hour and a quarter before, I get people messaging saying, where are you? Why are you not here? And it's only, you're late to work.

[Emmett Fitzgerald]

You're late to work.

[G]

Yeah, it can feel like that. And it's only with the intention of making fans Sing and get the atmosphere going louder. And ultimately trying to have, as a fan, as a supporter, an influence on the players on the pitch. That's the only thing we can do to influence them is to make noise and try and, you know, inspire them and cheer them on.

[Roman Mars]

So before we go, like, how is Arsenal doing this season?

[Emmett Fitzgerald]

It's been, it's been up and down. They're, as we record this, they're in second place in the League, which is great, but there's a feeling that they could have done even better. And they've had to cope with some really, really tough injuries throughout the season, including Takai Havertz.

[Roman Mars]

Yeah. So you've not heard the Waka Waka song in a long time.

[Emmett Fitzgerald]

Yeah, yeah. There's been no Waka Waka for weeks now and for a little while, the atmosphere at the stadium really felt kind of quiet. But about a week before this episode came out, Arsenal had this massive home game against Real Madrid in the quarterfinals of the Champions League. Real Madrid were the defending champions and probably the favorites to win the tournament again. But Arsenal managed to win that game 30 and then beat Madrid again to advance to the semifinals. And I don't think you can give the supporters all of the credit, but I will say, even through the tv, you could tell the crowd inside that stadium was as loud as it's ever been.

[Roman Mars]

99% Invisible was produced this week by Emmett Fitzgerald and edited by Kelly prime mix by Martin Gonzalez. Music by Swan Real, George Langford and APM Fact checking by Graham Haysh. Special thanks this week to Ben Bennett. Kathy Tu is our executive producer. Kurt Kohlstedt is the digital director. Delaney hall is our senior editor. The rest of the team includes Chris Barupe, Jason De Leon, Christopher Johnson, Vivian Leigh, Lashma Dawn, Joe Rosenberg, Jacob Medina Gleason and me, roman Mars. The 99% invisible logo was created by Stefan Lawrence. We are part of the SiriusXM podcast family now, headquartered six blocks north in the Pandora building in beautiful uptown Oakland, California. You can find us on Blue sky as well as our own Discord server. There's a link to that as well as every past episode of [e-mail].

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