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After thirty three years and eight world cups, Mark E Smith has finally come around to the idea of a World Cup Song. Not that he was really trying up to now, being too busy with the music machine that is The Fall.ÌýHe's the featured singer on 'England's Heartbeat' by a one off band called Shuttleworth. It's pointless trying to compare it to his day job because the Fall never sound the same from one record to the next. He does sing as if he's really trying to hold the tune, over massed acoustic guitars singing about England going to South Africa and trying not to become a 'Brazilian breakfast'.
The is worth watching if only to see MES wandering around a park looking like someone's uncle out for a kickabout with no intention of taking off his leather coat and laughing to cover up the fact that he can't run as fast as he used to. Not sure if he wrote the song - its not as good as Kicker Conspiracy but that's like complaining that Wayne Rooney isn't as good as Martin Peters. I am biased of course. The best ever England World Cup song was written by a man from Derry. Phil Coulter's 'Back Home' reminds the overpaid leather kickers that people back in England will be 'watching and waiting and cheering every move'. It didn't stop them going out in the quarter finals in 1970 of course. Neither will 'England's Heartbeat', unless they replace Fabio C with Mark E.