Only six England players turned up to record the 1990 World Cup anthem “World In Motion” with New Order because most of the squad expected the song to be rubbish, John Barnes has revealed. The former Liverpool and England winger told Planet Football that when manager Bobby Robson instructed the squad to meet in Marlow one Sunday to record the track, the majority of players chose to go to the pub instead.
Barnes said: “At the very start, it was just me, Gazza, Peter Beardsley, Chris Waddle, Steve McMahon and Des Walker. We were the only six because one Sunday when the squad met up, Bobby Robson told us to go to Marlow to do the song. Most of the lads thought, ‘Well, the song is going to be rubbish, like the last time, so we’ll go to the pub.’”
The 1990 squad’s scepticism stemmed partly from a poor experience with the 1986 team’s album, which featured ill-fitting songs such as “Tulips from Amsterdam” and “Viva España,” despite the World Cup being held in Mexico that year. Barnes said the previous record was so bad that no one can find any trace of it online.
The presence of New Order and actor Keith Allen at the recording session gave “World In Motion” an edge that football songs before it lacked. Barnes admitted he did not know New Order at the time because their style was not his usual music choice, but he acknowledged their contribution was what made the track catchier than typical football anthems.
Barnes said: “It was only a good song because it was New Order’s work. If you take the England factor out of it, it’s still a catchy tune. Whether it’s much different to what they used to do or what they’ve done since I can’t say as it’s not the type of music I’ve tended to listen to. But as well as we all came out of it, it’s really all down to New Order.”
Barnes also explained how his rap cameo on the track came about during a drinking session after recording. Initially, there was no plan for a rap, but Keith Allen suggested writing one on the spot. The six players had a rap-off to decide who would perform it, with Barnes, Beardsley, Gazza, and Des Walker all trying out. Barnes said his familiarity with rap music helped him secure the part, though he admitted the accents of some others may not have suited it.
He said: “Des was probably the biggest competition, and Gazza might have been in with a shout, but I’m not sure the Scouse or Geordie accents really suited it! So, being a rap fan anyway, I was chosen.” When asked if he nailed the rap in one take, Barnes was blunt: “I was pissed. How does anyone know, we were all drunk and just did it. It’s not a hard thing to do, is it?”
Bobby Robson remained sceptical even after the track was recorded. He allowed only half an hour for New Order and Keith Allen to film the music video before training, and Barnes was not present with the rest of the squad. Barnes said he was injured at the time, so the video shoot for his part took place separately at Melwood, Liverpool’s training ground. This extra time explains why Barnes features heavily in the video.
Barnes said: “Bobby Robson just wanted to start training and usher the band out of the way. Don’t forget, this was before the song was released. After it went to No.1, everyone was on the bandwagon, even Bobby.”
“World In Motion” reached number one all over Europe, a success that made the players regret turning down royalties for the song in favour of a flat payment to split among the squad. Barnes said the players chose the upfront money because they feared no sales would mean no earnings. He said: “We had a choice of getting royalties or getting maybe three or four thousand pounds to split between the players. We heard that royalties meant that if not one single was sold then there would be no money, so we went for the £4000 to split between us. Then it was No.1 all over Europe, so we should have gone for royalties. I wouldn’t be working now if we did.”
Barnes has expressed interest in performing again with New Order, who reunited with Keith Allen to perform “World In Motion” at Glastonbury in 2005. An online petition last year called for the group to appear at the festival once more, but Barnes said scheduling conflicts have kept him away from past opportunities.
He said: “I’d love to do it. I have been asked to perform with them but every time they’ve done it, I’ve been out of the country.”
Before “World In Motion,” Barnes had already dabbled in football rap with the 1988 Liverpool anthem “The Anfield Rap,” which embraced comedy rather than seriousness. Barnes noted that football songs often struggled to be taken seriously and that humour was a better approach. He contrasted this with the 1987 England single “Diamond Lights” by Glenn Hoddle and Chris Waddle, and Paul Gascoigne’s “Fog On The Tyne,” which took themselves more seriously.
Barnes said: “You can’t make a serious song if you’re a footballer. You have to do an arms-around-each-other, ‘here we go’ type of thing or you’ve got to embrace the comedy like we did. You can’t take yourself too seriously. Glenn Hoddle and Chris Waddle had a go at that with Diamond Lights, and Glenn is actually a good singer. Gazza did Fog On The Tyne, but you can’t get wrapped in yourself and I think we got the comedy factor just right on the Anfield Rap.”
The recording of “The Anfield Rap” video was also affected by alcohol, with rapper Derek B, who co-wrote the song with Liverpool midfielder Craig Johnston, leaving the shoot in disgust.
Barnes’ recollections give a window into the uneasy relationship between footballers and music in the 1980s and 1990s, with “World In Motion” standing out as a rare success born from a mix of reluctant players, an acclaimed band, and a spontaneous touch of rap written over drinks.
According to Planet Football.
