New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Cricket is known for plenty of things. Intense rivalries, being the national sport of some countries and also the odd controversy or two. But one thing you may be surprised about is that cricket has some famous songs!
Whilst in your spare time you may be a fan of placing the odd bet on a test series - which you can conveniently do with Cricket-Betting.com - take a few minutes to discover the best (and not so great) songs featuring cricket.
10 - Lord Short Shirt - Sir Vivian Richards Song
Recorded in 1976, this is quite a nice song that praises one of the cricket legends. Featured in a great documentary about the cricket team of the West Indies - Fire in Babylon - the titular hero of the song is Lord Short Shirt. He embodies the virtues and morals of West Indies legend Sir Vivian Richards in the song and anyone who's a fan of the almost unstoppable 70's team will get a kick out of this song.
9 - Lou Bega - Mambo No.5
This party classic was released in 1999 and will instantly be recognisable to any British cricket fan. Channel 4 used the catchy song as their unofficial theme for its cricket coverage, leading to many fans associating the song with the sport - especially the two trumpet blasts!
8 - Mojo Singers - C'mon Aussie C'mon
This song was on par with the national anthem for many Aussies cricket fans - not just when it was released in 1978, but for many years after. When it was originally released, only a small 60-second snippet of the song was used for a World Series Cricket advert, but the fans loved it so much it ended up becoming the national cricket song. It was so popular it even had a two week run at the top of the charts. The song has since been re-released in the form of covers, but these versions didn't have the same charm as the original.
7 - Booker T and The MG's - Soul Limbo
This song was selected to be the theme for a Test Match Special and worked its way into the hearts of fans, ending up as another song that's found a home in the sport of cricket. It's one of the few songs that only really get airplay when it comes to anything to do with cricket.
6 - Half Man Half Biscuit - F***ing 'Ell It's Fred Titmus
With one of the most interesting band names and song titles we've ever come across, Half Man Half Biscuit came up with this cult classic song back in 1985 and it's been memorable ever since. The song came to fruition purely because the artist thought it would be rather funny to have people shouting the name of an obscure cricket player. We don't know how the former English off-spinner feels about the song exactly though!
5 - The England Team - The Ashes Song
Any avid cricket fan who watched cricket during the 70s probably guessed this song would make the list. It didn't exactly fly off the shelves though - apparently, the royalties only came to the grand sum of £53.86m which then had to be split between 17 people. Cricket hasn't seen the same success as football when it comes to teams and players singing songs, but the national cricket team apparently had a ball making the record.
4 - Brett Lee ft. Asha Bhosle - You're The one For Me
When coming up with the lyrics for a song only takes 30 minutes, the end result probably isn't going to be spectacular. This is the case with Brett Lee's attempt to break into Bollywood. This effort from Lee was incredibly phoned in, and whilst he isn't the only major cricket player to try their hand at releasing a smash hit, he certainly put out one of the worst efforts.
3 - Mike Skinner - An English Corner
Known for being the frontman for the band The Streets, Mike Skinner sampled an incredibly poignant moment in cricket history for his track. The sample is from 2011 and is a sample of the main man at The Guardian, Mike Selvey, and the kind words he had to say about the English National team after winning the Ashes in Australia. This was the first time they had won it in Australia since 1987!
2 - Paul Kelly - Bradman
If you're into your cricket history then you know all about 'The Don' also known as Don Bradman. If you aren't up on your history, Don Bradman was Australia's force to be reckoned with when he held a bat. In fact, he was so good, in 1992 Paul Kelly wrote this song about him, describing him like a tide! This song is still much loved by anyone who got to see the Don wielding his trusty cricket bat - and those who didn't.
1 - Roy Harper - When an Old Cricketer Leaves the Crease
Less a song in the normal sense and more a heartfelt ode to the sport, this song is a sheer joy to listen to if you're a cricket fan. With almost haunting lyrics if you ever listen to them, Harper masterfully uses almost poetic words to beautifully describe when 'an old cricketer leaves the crease' as he puts it. Well worth a listen.
