Baddiel and Skinner’s Three Lions tops iTunes chart after England win
Both versions of the comedy duo’s football anthem are in the top 10.
Comedy duo David Baddiel and Frank Skinner’s 1990s football song Three Lions has topped the iTunes chart following England’s victory over Colombia in the World Cup.
The original version of the pair’s collaboration with band The Lightning Seeds from 1996 is ahead of Shotgun by singer-songwriter George Ezra and electronic group Clean Bandit’s hit Solo.
The tune’s 1998 reworking, which coincided with that year’s World Cup in France, has also entered the top 10.
The charts are based on online sales on the store of Apple’s media player and library.
Baddiel, 54, reacted to the news by retweeting a screenshot of the chart, and writing: “Blimey. Again.”
The song’s chorus has become a favourite chant of England fans at every major international football championship the team has taken part in since 1996.
Baddiel and Skinner, who previously presented comedy sports programme Fantasy Football League together, were among the famous faces to celebrate England’s last-16 win on penalties over the South American country.
After England advanced to the quarter-final stage Baddiel tweeted a photo of himself and Skinner sitting on a sofa with their arms aloft.
The photo was accompanied by a caption that referenced the lyrics of Three Lions. It read: “It’s just about still coming home.”
The Lighting Seeds frontman Ian Broudie has also been reacting to the song’s rejuvenated popularity.
Broudie retweeted TV news footage of England fans celebrating and signing the song in the streets after the game.
In a subsequent post accompanied by a still of himself, Baddiel and Skinner from the Three Lions ’98 music video, Broudie wrote: “Am I dreaming or did England win on penalties last night?
“Were people singing our song in the streets all over the country? Yes we did and yes they were! (trophy emoji, praying hands emoji).”
Both releases of Three Lions topped the singles chart in 1996 and in 1998.
The song is one of only three songs to hit number one in the UK twice with different lyrics. The others are Mambo No. 5 (Lou Bega and Bob The Builder) and Do They Know Its Christmas? (Band Aid and Band Aid 30).
