"Snooker Loopy" is a novelty song released as a single in May 1986, and entered the UK Singles Chart, reaching #6.[1] It was written and performed by Chas & Dave and featured snooker players Steve Davis, Dennis Taylor, Willie Thorne, Terry Griffiths and Tony Meo, as backing vocalists under the name 'The Matchroom Mob'[2] – Matchroom Sport being the company owned by promoter Barry Hearn which employed all these snooker professionals at the time.[3]
| "Snooker Loopy" | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Single by Chas & Dave, The Matchroom Mob | |
| B-side | "Wallop (Snookered)" |
| Released | May 1986 |
| Genre | Novelty |
| Length | 3:49 |
| Label | Rockney |
| Songwriter(s) | Chas & Dave |
| Producer(s) | Chas & Dave |
The lyric is a mild satire on the style and antics of the players involved: "old Willie Thorne, his hair's all gawn", for example. The verse on Steve Davis also makes light of the 1985 World Snooker Championship final and his missed black in the final frame, and notes his manager is not concerned who should win the upcoming 1986 Championship, "because he's got the rest of us signed up!" Somewhat ironically, the player who won the 1986 World Snooker Championship - Joe Johnson - was not involved, seeing as he was a 150-1 outsider before the tournament.[4] Johnson did, however, go on to release a cover of Everlasting Love later that year.[5]
Upon reaching the top 10, the players joined Chas & Dave and performed the song on Top of the Pops.
The Romford Rap
edit| "The Romford Rap" | |
|---|---|
| Single by Chas & Dave, The Matchroom Mob | |
| B-side | "The Crackerjack! Theme Song" |
| Released | April 1987 |
| Genre | Novelty |
| Length | 2:50 |
| Label | Rainbow Records |
| Songwriter(s) | Chas & Dave |
| Producer(s) | Chas & Dave |
A follow-up snooker song, The Romford Rap, was released in 1987. This time, 'The Matchroom Mob' was made up of Steve Davis, Willie Thorne, Jimmy White, Neal Foulds, Dennis Taylor, Tony Meo and Terry Griffiths.[6] It was far less successful, only reaching #91 in the UK charts.[7]
Cultural impact
editChas & Dave performed Snooker Loopy at their live shows with the original lyrics during the subsequent part of their career, even after all the players mentioned had retired from the professional game; this included a performance at Glastonbury Festival in 2007,[8] and a performance by Chas' band alongside Willie Thorne and Dennis Taylor in 2014.[9]
The song was mentioned to Ronnie O'Sullivan during an episode of A League of Their Own in 2012, leading to Freddie Flintoff singing the chorus, with the audience joining in at the end.[10]
A rival single was released in the same year by snooker players Tony Knowles, Alex Higgins, Kirk Stevens and Jimmy White; it was a cover of "The Wanderer", released under the name Four Away.[11]
A Dutch cover of the song was released in 1986.[12] In 2001, the song was covered by V/Vm and released on Vinyl. It was pressed in all snooker ball colours (White, Red, Yellow, Green, Brown, Blue, Pink, Black), in editions of 147 hand-numbered copies.[13]
In January 2023, comedian Tom Mayhew and YouTuber Joe Hannard launched The Snooker Loopy Podcast, which takes its name from the song. The podcast features a regular section, Cue the Music, where Joe and Tom review music either related to snooker, or recorded by snooker players. This has included numerous different recordings of the song itself, including solo versions by Dennis Taylor, John Virgo, and listeners of the podcast.[14]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Snooker Loopy". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2009-02-05.
- ^ "Willie Thorne: From Mr Maximum to Snooker Loopy - remembering one of the game's great characters". BBC Sport. Retrieved 17 June 2020.
- ^ "When Snooker Went Loopy". BBC. 2000-11-20. Archived from the original on 3 September 2007. Retrieved 20 June 2010.
- ^ "When Snooker Loopy became an unlikely smash hit 35 years ago". the Guardian. 2021-04-30. Retrieved 2023-01-19.
- ^ "Johnson is still optimistic". Burton Mail. 26 October 1986. p. 24.
- ^ Chas & Dave With The Matchroom Mob - The Romford Rap, retrieved 2023-01-19
- ^ "romford rap | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". www.officialcharts.com. Retrieved 2023-01-19.
- ^ Chaz and Dave Snooker Loopy Glastonbury 2007, 29 June 2007, retrieved 2023-01-19
- ^ Snooker Loopy - Chas and his band featuring Dennis Taylor & Willie Thorne, 7 July 2014, retrieved 2024-05-26
- ^ Freddie Flintoff singing Snooker Loopy - A League Of Their Own, 16 July 2012, retrieved 2023-01-19
- ^ Four Away ~ The Wanderer, 24 June 2013, retrieved 2023-01-19
- ^ https://www.discogs.com/release/6252895-De-Strangers-Snooker-Maf [bare URL]
- ^ https://www.discogs.com/master/15284-VVm-Snooker-Loopy [bare URL]
- ^ The Snooker Loopy Podcast, retrieved 2024-04-30