Bolton Wanderers ask fans to pick tunes to boost atmosphere

After consultation with the Supporters’ Trust and other fans’ groups, the club has decided to open up its playlist to see if it can benefit the pre-match atmosphere.

A shortlist of eight tracks has been supplied on the official website, with scope for supporters to also nominate songs that are not on the list.

Wanderers are also asking for matchday playlists of 10 songs to be sent by email to the club’s media department, which can also be played in the build-up to kick-off.

Here we look at the tunes which have been put up for vote, with chief football writer (and resident music nerd) Marc Iles giving his verdict on each one.

A Romanian fan consoles his English counterpart as they crash out of Euro 2000, probably with Campione 2000 playing in the background (Image: PA)

Campione 2000 – E-Type

Bless E-Type, otherwise known as the Swedish Eurodance producer/composure Bo Martin Erik Erikson, either he hasn’t updated his Wikipedia for a while, or nobody told him that Bolton Wanderers no longer play his anthemic Campione 2000 each time they take to the field.

The official theme tune to Euro 2000, which is the one where England beat Germany but still crashed out at the group stages after blowing a 2-1 lead against Romania, Campione and its accompanying big screen video was one of the formative tunes of the Reebok Stadium back in the day.

The song only ever reached number 58 in the UK charts but is usually linked with success, its title being the Italian word for champion. Clever eh?

My verdict: Simple and strikes a chord with folk 40 and under. And I doubt Kasabian are bragging about being played at Bolton before kick-off.

Carnival De Paris – Dario G

Almost certainly the only group ever named after a former Crewe Alexandra manager, Cheshire dance act Dario G followed up their catchy 1997 hit ‘Sunchyme’ with this France 1998 inspired hit, which reached number five in the UK charts.

Anyone who played the eminent Pro Evo 2014 will still have this song seared into their memory and like Campione is evokes images of those early Premier League days under Sam Allardyce.

Used by plenty of clubs up and down the land, it has a handy pause at the end of the chorus to enable fans to shout: “Bolton!” Which is nice.

My verdict: As Two Unlimited once (almost) put it, there’s no lyrics. And that helps. Doesn’t feel quite as dated as Campione despite being a couple of years older.

Jeff Beck's Hi Ho Silver Lining is another stadium classic - but does it belong to 'other clubs'? (Image: PA)

Hi Ho Silver Lining – Jeff Beck

Originally recorded by an English band, The Attack, but then made an all-time karaoke classic by guitar legend Beck shortly afterwards in 1967 and 1972.

A great crowd song, there are tribes in the Amazon Rainforest who probably know the chorus. The big drawback, however, is that a few big clubs have already claimed it as their own terrace anthem, namely Sheffield Wednesday, Wolves and Aston Villa – depending on who you ask in the Midlands.

My verdict: Feels like Bolton would be late to the party with this one, as good a song as it is.

Is This the Way to Amarillo – Tony Christie

A solid block of seventies cheese written by Neil Sedaka, Tony Christie took the song to number 18 back in 1977 and then got a career revival thanks to Bolton comedian Peter Kay when he used it on Phoenix Nights. A few years later the song was re-released with Kay filming a famous music video containing numerous celebrity cameos for Comic Relief, It went to the top of the charts, selling a record 1.28 million copies.

Back in the early noughties you couldn’t pass a pub in Bolton at the weekend without a bloke wearing a shirt with a dragon printed on it, belting out Amarillo at the top of his lungs.

Wanderers fans added their own spin and it has always been a fixture on matchday playlists. El-Hadji Diouf was involved. Enough said.

My verdict: A song written by a New Yorker, sung by a Yorkshireman about a bloke travelling to Texas – and yet this could be the most Boltonian song of the lot. Sha-la-la-la-la-la-la-la… You either cringe or sing along!

Rockin’ All Over the World – Status Quo

The lords of three chords recorded this classic in 1977, two years after John Fogerty – formerly of Creedence Clearwater Revival – had first released it.

Quo got to number three in the charts and the song instantly joined stadium playlists for just about every sporting event possible.

It always hits a positive note for Wanderers, as the club has tended to play it after the final whistle when they have won games.

My verdict: There aren’t many better stadium anthems and it should always have some place on the playlist. But is it THE song for Bolton? Doesn’t feel like it.

Tina Turner's The Best has become a sporting anthem since she covered it in 1989 (Image: PA)

(Simply) the Best – Tina Turner

The music snob in me wants to state immediately that the song is called “The Best” and not “Simply the Best”. Now I have that out of my system I will also remind you it was a hit for Bonnie Tyler first, in 1987.

Of course, Tina Turner nailed her 1989 version, taking it to number five. Chris Eubank used it as his walkout music and not a trophy has been awarded in the last 35 years without it being played at least once.

My verdict: God bless Tina Turner, but we’ll save this one for the promotion party, touch wood.

Read more: The musical hits and misses down the years at Wanderers.

The Wanderer – Dion

It’s right there in the title. First recorded way back in 1961, the version we know best was recorded by New Yorker Dion DiMucci, otherwise known as Dion.

Lyrically, quite a dark song, and one voted at number 243 by Rolling Stone magazine in the greatest songs of all time, Wanderers fans have taken it under their wing for donkey’s years.

The song initially contained the lyric: “With my two fists of iron and my bottle of beer” but was changed at the record company’s behest.

My verdict: It is Bolton’s song alright, but is it upbeat or powerful enough to be one played immediately before the teams come out?

(The theme from) 633 Squadron – Ron Goodwin

This is only the beginning… To folk of a certain vintage, this Burnden Park classic can’t be touched.

Recorded for a 1964 war film starring Cliff Robertson – who also played Uncle Ben in the early noughties Spiderman movies - 633 Squadron has been a pre-match staple for generations.

Composer Ron Goodwin scored more than 70 films but also worked in advertising, coming up with the Mr Sheen jingle “shines umpteen things clean”. He also has a road named after him in Plymouth.

My verdict: The traditionalists’ choice but would be a bold one for a 2023 audience and a hit-and-miss sound system.