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Jonzey

Is 'On The Ball City' the worst chant ever?

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Now it has been well and truly confirmed that we are unquestionably the Pride Of Anglia pub talk has turned to other things:

Now, my opinion is unimportant for now. But we recently discussed how good ''On The Ball City'' actually is as a song.

There were two conclusions:
1. I love the song, but it is actually crap.
2. It''s the best song ever.

What do you think?

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''On The Ball City'' is a fantastic and unique gift to footie chantdom. No other club has such a great chant that isn''t just a rehash of the same old choons with new words to fit the occassion/player. Let''s be proud of this!

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No joke Delia. I just want to know what people really think of our no 1 song from an unbiased perspective. I know we all love the song, as I do. But how do you rate it as a song, and why has no one ever copied it?

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Hi there!

Firstly, Jonzey, Im no imposter.... I joined first!.. I like our surname, some people say it''s common. I know Im wright when I say it''s not common but popular!!!!!!!

Seriously though ''On the Ball City'' is a fantastic song! Its original, soely our song, doesn''t offend anyone & has to be the oldest song still sung from any terrace!!!!

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On the ball city is the best chant ever.Although it doesnt make that much sense in places anymore you just cant beat it!

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It''s a great song.

Wish that idiot PA announcer would stop referring to it as "Kick It Off" though...

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It depends what speed its sung at.

Remember this chant is over 100 years old and has been sung in whatever form for all that time - it will continue to be sung as well as it is an integral part of the match day experience. The recent attempt at a community version before the start of home games has blighted it slightly as no two stands are in time together.

The whole song but especialy the OTBC chorus is a powerful and positive statement to the team indicating the way WE want to see them play. It is not negative about other teams or boastful (although these chants definitely have a place) about recent successes. Neither does it idolise a single player or particular era.

I have always thought that it encourages and supports both the lads on the pitch and us in the stands no matter howsoever our fortunes. I am proud to have such a unique song (it was written for the club) to sing. It sends a tingle down my spine knowing my grandfather and great grandfather used to sing it too many decades ago with the same passion as I do now. The fact that no adequate replacement has ever been coined capturing the true sentiments of the song is surely testament enough

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Very eloquently put DL - couldn''t have said it any better if I''d spent all day over it! I have always liked the fact that on the unfortunate occasions we concede, OTBC starts up - think how this must feel to the players, rather than the silence other teams greet a goal against with.

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after watching the city hall celebrations i was amazed yet bursting with pride to see our captain, adam drury, (i cant his name normally now after hearing duncan forbes pronounce it that monday, i have to say it in a strong scottish accent) mouthing the words to the line ''on the ball city'' tis true thae players might not know all the words but the most important bit he knew and joined in with that line - i almost soiled myself i felt proud to see this happen.
OTBC is a great song and will never be matched on the terraces

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I can see where your coming from but i think it is something to be proud off! However, does anyone else get annoyed by the way the song is started by the pa announcer before kick off? Why dosn''t he just let us get on with it? It all feels a little bit false, football chants/ songs are supposed to come from the terraces, not orchastrated by an anouncer!

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Ron Saunders called it a dirge, but he was absolutely wrong on that point. I''m not aware of any other club with its own chant which hasn''t been ''nicked'' from a show, musical or popular song. Unfortunately it is usually sung badly - too fast, and starting in too high a key for most voices.
What we need is someone to record an updated version (along the lines of the recent ''Mad World'') in a suitable key for a crowd to sing along with. Weren''t The Darkness going to do something of the sort? This could be played in the ground without embarrassment, and the crowd could join in if they feel like it.

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It is just an amazing chant/song that is totally unique to us...apart from many other clubs/parts of the media use the phrase "on the ball".
It is also unique in that it is sung to celebrate and commiserate.
However, it is rarely sung correctly...it is "scrimmage" not "scrummage", and it is supposed to end with "hurrah we''ve scored a goal!! City, City, City etc", not just "hurrah we''ve scored...City, City, City etc"
Having said that it is probably the only song/chant that you will hear coming from any part of any ground that contains NCFC fans.

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Has anyone got the whole thing on record/CD/Tape/iPod? Not the easiest of songs to redo and its just the chorus that people know, the rest seems a bit lengthy from what i remember when reading the lyrics. Would be hard to remix but might be worth a go.. will have to bring a recorder to the next match and see what we can do...!

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I''ve tried to set it to a bluesy guitar, but it only works when belted out from the snakepit!

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No idea where this site came from but fair play to em.

http://www-users.york.ac.uk/~rjb9/otbc.htm

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It must have something going for it to have survived for so long.
I can remember it being sung in the early 60s. Has it been sung continuously for all of those 100 years? And, if so, does anybody know why it has survived when other songs from the days of yore have been forgotten?

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agreed bryan, i guess you might not be old enough to remember when OTBC was recorded (don''t know who sung it) and played before matches many moons ago, now that WAS embarassing!!!!

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In answer to whether OTBC has been sung continuously for 100yrs: apparently there are rumours that occasional pauses for breath or refreshment have been observed ;)

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I''m afraid I am to young to remember a recorded version played before kick off! I have complete faith in wothington and the board in all their financial and transfer desisions but they really should leave it up to us to start the songs!

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when the digital phone co sponsored us there was a digital version available. I heard it once and sadly couldn''t recommend it.

Whilst on, a small claim to fame, if I can call it that. I have an apalling voice and years ago in the barclay was singing OTBC when a guy about 3 rows in front turned round and said "who''s making that row, is it you, well will you shut the **** up" As everyone else was singing I felt a bit stupid - but carried on.

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The title of the thread had me up in arms - how could any City fan speak such heresy?

Jonzey, you still have a case to answer having started this off without so much as a hint at your own views on the matter - do I sense a degree of doubt in your own mind? Come back in to the debate, let us know you weren''t serious. We need you, man...

Having said which I am sure that you will all agree with me that if you have ever been brought to tears of pride and joy at a match, then it would have been during a rendition of OTBC - I know I have. Nothing like it, when we really puff our lungs out for the lads...

I remember that AWFUL version that used to waft over the tannoy in Stringers time! Does anyone remember that bizarre Middle 8 section to the song when the crooner would go "Sing up the River End, Sing Up the City Stand, Sing Up the South Stand"? Embarrassing...

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Soon Flick-Fleck, soon. As there''s nothing else to talk about I''d like to see what a few more people think until it''s concluded.

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I DJ for a local amateur radio station. We get numerous requests for OTBC to be played. As next year is the centenary of the club turning professional I reckon a compilation album should be recorded featuring versions of the legendary song in a range of different styles. Any musicians out there (and a sponsor for the project) up for that.

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Yea, its just getting hold of an orginal recording to doctor, and of course a good sample of the crowd doing the chorus.

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It''s time to set straight the reason I started this thread. Here''s the story:

The company I work for happened to be short staffed one day so a guy was posted up to Norwich from Ipswich to cover. He''s a decent bloke as it happens and a big supporter of Ipswich.

We were discussing which team had the best song. His opinion was that OTBC was the worst song he''d ever heard in football, and not only because he was biased. He believed it sounded out of tune, didn''t rhyme, had no tune and wasn''t particularly clever.
Ok, there is no tune and it doesn''t rhyme, but that''s not the point of the song. I pointed out the lyrics describe our football philosophy. They''re a statement of intent. They''re the reason we chose to adopt the chorus of this song to use at games. The rest of the song is unimportant to me, if you ever read it (see link above) they don''t particularly mean much. It''s the chorus that counts.
I love the song, I love to sing it at full volume at all games. In fact one of my best memories this year is singing it at the end of the game at Vicarage Road in the Watford end with two mates while watching the other 3,000 City fans sing away in the away end. It''s such a unique song, it''s means much more to be the only team to sing it. So many other teams only have rehashed pop songs and well known tunes. OTBC is ours and written for us, it''s a passionate song with the ability (as pointed out above) to be sung both in triumph when we''ve scored and when we''re behind to spur the team on.
So sorry about the title of this thread, I worded it like that as the Ipswich guy reckons he knew a City fan who agreed with him. I didn''t believe him and judging by the replies to this thread I was right.

OTBC is a great song.

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