Well, I was wrong. A few weeks ago I predicted that few members of the famous Tartan Army of Scotland football supporters would be able to afford the extortionate prices being charged to head to the US for the 2026 World Cup. Instead they have first wowed the people of Boston, then the people of Miami, with their ability to party en masse whatever the result of the match they are there to watch. Bars have been drunk dry, bagpipes have been played, friendships have been forged and cones put on the heads of statues.
We Have A Dream by BA Robertson, John Gordon Sinclair and The Scotland World Cup Squad:
At no point has there been any trouble as the good reputation of The Tartan Army is paramount to all involved. They are in effect self-policing and I can only imagine the “talking to” anyone who stepped out of line would get. There is even a prediction that there will be a baby boom in Boston in nine months time – lots of ginger-haired babies being born and named Angus or Hamish.
As for the World Cup itself, I was excited as I’ve watched every one since Mexico in 1970 but this time, although great that Scotland were actually there, our matches have all landed at really unsocial hours due to the time difference, so not easy to stay awake and have friends over. I even have to admit that due to coinciding with our Take That Circus Tour weekend, we ended up sleeping through the match that took place during the night we got back, as we were so tired. Anyway, the party is nearly over as it seems there is now little chance that Scotland will progress beyond the group stage due to a pretty disastrous match against Brazil. Yes, The Tartan Army partied on despite the result, but it was a tad embarrassing to watch. England have already progressed beyond the group stage so the result of tonight’s match is academic, but I will stay up to watch it anyway. Let’s see how far they get this time under the tutelage of new manager Thomas Tuchel.
In other news it’s been a sad few days for our town. I was supposed to be at a fund-raising quiz last night and a whole weekend of events had been planned by a local businessman. On Wednesday we got a call from Mr WIAA’s sister saying the quiz was now off – we weren’t too surprised as it was going to be held outdoors and the forecast was for torrential rain, but then she told us the real reason why. The local businessman, a good friend of my brother-in-law, had died suddenly that day.
We were so shocked and there has been an outpouring of grief in our town as just about everyone knew him. From the age of 20 he first ran the shop at our local park, then he added the boating pond, the crazy golf course and an outdoor coffee shop. Anyone with children, grandchildren or dogs (there was a pup menu) had interacted with him over the years as he was such a jovial, friendly and generous chap. The gates to his premises are now closed and many, many bouquets of flowers have been left on the railings. He was only 54 and had a young family. I am glad that my plan to pack as many bucket-list type things into a year has begun, as… you just never know. Going to the park will never be the same again. Cue Itchycoo Park by the Small Faces from 1967. The song’s name was apparently derived from the nickname for Little Ilford Park, near where the Small Faces’ singer and songwriter Steve Marriott grew up. The “itchycoo” nickname was attributed to the stinging nettles which grew there.
But back to the here and now. I deliberately haven’t updated my followers on what is topping the UK Singles Chart for a few weeks now as I was waiting for the Sam Fender/Olivia Dean collaboration Rein Me In to permanently drop from the No. 1 spot. As it turns out, that hasn’t happened and the new chart released yesterday at 6pm places it back at the top. That’s now 14 weeks at No. 1 and exactly a year since it entered the chart. What a success story for the pair.
In the three weeks Rein Me In dropped down the chart (by one place), two songs took up the mantle. First of all it was Ariana Grande’s, Hate That I Made You Love Me, from her latest album Petal. It feels a bit lacklustre to me but the video is certainly compelling and in the style of a 1950s horror movie.
Another pop princess made the top spot for two of those three weeks – Taylor Swift with I Knew It, I Knew You from the newly released Toy Story 5. This song I like much better. It’s an upbeat country pop ballad written by Taylor after seeing the film. Written from the perspective of Jessie, the lyrics are about the narrator’s unexpected reunion with a loved one. If you don’t know who Jessie is, or any of the Toy Story characters, why not? The first film came out a bit before DD was born but a friend loaned us a copy of the video (remember those?) when she was old enough to watch such fodder.
It was brilliant and the jealousy experienced by the old-fashioned cowboy doll named Woody (voiced by Tom Hanks), for new space cadet action figure Buzz Lightyear (voiced by Tim Allen) leads to some hilarious exchanges. No-one wants to be replaced as a favourite toy but their owner Andy is torn. The character Jessie appears in the second film in the franchise. The best Pixar films of all time, in my humble opinion.
So, “What’s It All About?” – Once the group stage is past, the football matches in the World Cup are at the knock-out stage. If you can stand the stress of penalty shootouts there will no doubt be a few of those. I hope England do well as it extends the excitement.
I have no idea when the facilities at the local park will reopen but it’s certainly going to make for a very different summer for schoolchildren on their holidays. Not easy to do I know, but makes you realise you can’t keep putting things off.
Who knows what will top the UK Singles Chart next Friday but not many artists have ever had such a long run as Sam and Olivia. Well done them.
Until next time…
I Knew It, I Knew You Lyrics
(Song by Taylor Swift)
I knew you
Through the daze of the blades of the grass in summer
Parachutes for the free fall of being younger
I memorized the sound of your bare footsteps running wild
It’s been a long time
Life has ways of leaving those days behind
But seeing you tonight
I remembered I loved you
Came back when it mattered
I saw you, standing there in the light of the window
Wearing that same smile
Man, it’s been a while
But I knew it, I knew you
I knew it, I knew you
I knew you, all your blues like a mood ring changing colors
You did too, there were times we could fight like brothers
I watched you drive around the bend
For what I thought would be the last time I saw my friend
But love has ways of bringing things back to life
All you said was, “Hi”
And I remembered I loved you
Came back when it mattered
I saw you, standing there in the light of the window
Wearing that same smile
Man, it’s been a while
But I knew it, I knew you
I knew it, I knew you
I knew it, I knew you
Oh, the rivers I cried when we said goodbye
Wondering if I’d made it up in my mind
But now you look me in the eye
And you told me I loved you
Came back when it mattered
I saw you, standing there in the light of the window
Wearing that same smile
Yeah, it’s been a while
Oh
Wearing that same smile
Man, it’s been a while
Wearing that same smile
Man, it’s been a while
But I knew it, I knew you
I knew it, I knew you
Wearing that same smile
I knew it, I knew youI knew it, I knew you
I knew it
Postscript:
In case you don’t know the story of why fans have been placing traffic cones on statues out in the US, this is why. Back in the 1980s, late night revellers in Glasgow had been known for playfully placing a traffic cone atop the head of the Duke of Wellington’s large equestrian statue in Queen Street. This carried on for many years, costing the City Council a lot to continually remove it. Following a massive public petition in 2013, the council relented and the cone has been allowed to remain. The monument has become a beloved symbol of Glaswegian irreverence and humour with Banksy even calling it his favourite piece of artwork in the UK.
What's It All About? 