The Boys In Blue: Everton’s “Forgotten” Cup Final Song

I have previously written about the Toffees’ 1972 single Forever Everton, one of numerous sports-related songs recorded at Stockport’s Strawberry Studios and penned by Graham Gouldman of 10cc fame. This enduring Everton matchday anthem is not the end of the story, as far as Strawberry and the Blues are concerned. Thanks in no small part to an excellent book called Strawberry Studios Forever (by Peter Tattershall and Peter Wadsworth), I am able to shine a light on a lesser-feted piece of Everton’s musical oeuvre.

1984’s unofficial Everton song, Spirit of the Blues, which has had a 2020s resurgence in popularity, overshadowed the club’s official release from that year. The Boys In Blue, the Toffees’ FA Cup Final tie-in, would not benefit from the stardust of Graham Gouldman (or Kevin Godley, Lol Creme and Eric Stewart, for that matter).

The man tasked with coaxing musicality out of a squad of Merseyside-based footballers was Londoner Geoff Morrow. Morrow is a threatre owner and songsmith who, with his co-writers, has penned numbers for the likes of Elvis Presley and Barry Manilow (including Can’t Smile Without You). He explained to me how his Everton mission came about:

‘I was extremely good friends with Bill Kenwright. He “adopted” me for many years as the unofficial and unpaid “Everton Music Consultant”. What this meant in practice, was that when the club got into a final, in the hope that they would win a cup, I had to quickly write an appropriate song, get the team together, book a studio and produce the record. Such an example was The Boys In Blue.’

Most of the Toffees squad, including our current assistant manager, convened at the celebrated Stopfordian recording studio that over the years has seen the likes of Paul McCartney, Neil Sedak, Joy Division and The Stone Roses lay down tracks. The presence of a local TV news crew prompted one of Geoff’s most vivid memories of the day:

Strawberry Studios in the 1980s (left) and in 2026 (right)

‘There was a BBC camera crew that had come down to the studio to have an "exclusive". They were filming the band when suddenly I had an idea. Andy Gray had a great sense of humour, so being an okay pianist, I recorded a rather difficult classical piece, and it was played back, with Andy sitting at the grand piano pretending he was playing it. He made it look very very real. The piece went out several times on the news over the following 24 hours, and commentators and people who phoned in asked why Andy hadn't pursued a career as a concert pianist!’

Listening back to it now, it’s clear that The Boys in Blue was very much a song itself of its time in both composition and performance. Clocking it at just shy of three minutes in duration, its synth-laden intro feels quite reminiscent of the theme from the popular Fame film and TV spin-off. The first verse and chorus lyrics went:

We’ve got to keep it nice and low
We’ve got to keep the goal in sight
And if they try and get away
We’ll catch them on the run
We’re going to take it nice and slow
And hit them from the left and right
There’s nowhere they can go until the game is won

Cos the Boys in Blue are back again, to show what they can do
So give a cheer, I want to hear it for the Boys in Blue

Whoo, whoo…

Music Week, 19 May, 1984

Released on the Precision Records and Tapes label, the single appears to have had precious little publicity. There was a mention in trade magazine Music Week, and the aforementioned BBC local news item, but I have found no reference to it in Everton matchday programmes or local newspapers of the time. Ironically, a rare airing on Radio One came courtesy of noted Liverpool supporter John Peel. Unsurprisingly, it meekly entered the charts stalled at number 82 in the week of release before sinking without trace.

Arsenal supporter Morrow would enjoy greater commercial success with two singles released by the Gunners. A reworking of the Donna Summer hit Hot Stuff marked the Highbury team doing the domestic double in 1998. Two years later, he collaborated with the club on Arsenal Number One, inspired by Lou Bega’s Mambo No. 5.

Music chart, 26 May, 1984

A year after The Boys In Blue was committed to vinyl, Here We Go, based on the tune of John Philip Sousa's The Stars and Stripes Forever, was recorded at London’s famous Abbey Road Studios. This musical offering would benefit from being released during the Toffees' greatest-ever season and being featured on the Wogan TV show.

So, while the likes of Spirit of the Blues, Grand Old Team, Goodison Gang, Forever Everton, I Guess That's Why They Call It the Blues and There She Goes have made to move from Goodison Park to Hill Dickinson Stadium, The Boys in Blue remains in a state of obscurity — although it can still be listened to on music streaming sites and YouTube:

Maybe, one of these days, when in a nostalgic mood, the Hill Dickinson Stadium MC will give this old 45rpm a spin!

Acknowledgements

Further reading: Strawberry Studios Forever by Peter Tattershall and Peter Wadsworth.
My thanks to Geoff Morrow for his help and to Stockport MBC Libraries service.

Music Week feature sourced via worldradiohistory.com

1984 Strawberry Studios photo credit: Strawberry Studios Forever