Chelsea F.C. - "Blue Is The Colour"

Next up on our tour of the terraces is Stamford Bridge, home to one of the Premier League's big boys, Chelsea F.C. And whilst the club may be going through a rough patch at the minute, one thing has remained the same. The fans still sing "Blue Is The Colour", the unofficial anthem for the mighty Blues.

 (Photo from Wallsave)

Written by a trio of writers for Penny Farthing Records, the song was written to coincide with the upcoming League Cup final against Stoke City (who we've covered already in SOTS). The song was performed by many members of the squad at the time, including such greats as Tommy Baldwin, John Dempsey and Eddie McCreadie, among several others. It was released officially on the 26th February 1972, peaking at number 5 in the UK singles chart a month later.

"Blue Is The Colour": The official single

(photo from Chelsea Brasil)

Unfortunately, Chelsea went on to lose that cup final 2-1 thanks to goals from Terry Conroy and George Eastham. However, "Blue Is The Colour" has since gone from strength to strength, being sung before every home game and even at cup ties.

It has also been adopted by other sporting and non-sporting organisations. The Danish national team, the Vancouver Whitecaps and Molde FK have all been known to use the song at times. More interestingly, it was also used on one occasion by the 1979 Conservative Party. In what was eventually a successful campaign, a parody of the song was used with the words bizarrely changed to "Blue is the colour/ Maggie is her name".

Back on track, without further ado, here it is.

More recently, the song made somewhat of a comeback thanks to comedian Russell Howard. After Chelsea's glorious 2012 Champion's League victory, the stand-up comic featured them in a section of his BBC3 show Russell Howard's Good News (see below for video). Towards the end, a clip of  possibly-tipsy defender David Luiz singing the song was shown, with Howard adding in his own hilarious lyrics. The section was hugely popular on social networking sites and received many views on Youtube.

(Warning - the following video contains adult themes and some strong language)

Now, it's that time again to gauge the fans' opinions. This week, I visited The Shed End forum to gather your thoughts, along with the help of Facebook and Twitter.

Jon (39), from London, echoed the sentiment of it being a constant among the turmoil. "It makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. And no matter how many managers we have, this song, our ground and our supporters make us proud to be Chelsea".

Graham (25), from Waterford, agreed. "I think it's a great song, properly original unlike most club songs. It will and should always be played at The Bridge".

Alex (20), from Pembrokeshire, however, wasn't so convinced. "I think the song is a bit cheesy, but I'll still sing along. I've got some good memories of singing it after cup games though".

Ben (27), from East Sussex, offered up an alternative to the song. "I prefer "The Liquidator" if I'm honest. That's the song that makes me feel the anticipation that's part of the live experience. I don't get that with "Blue Is The Colour".

A somewhat mixed bag then when it comes to "Blue Is The Colour". One thing's for sure though. Even if the manager's job at Stamford Bridge isn't secure, the song's position in the club's history and in it's terraces will aways remain.

Thanks again for reading! Stop by again soon for the next installment!