As Blur's floppy-haired bassist, Alex James is used to thousands of fans chanting 'Parklife', but he's better off when they're singing Vindaloo instead.
That's the title of his enduring 1998 football song recorded with Fat Les which makes a comeback every major tournament. In fact, the terrace singalong has become so lucrative that it makes Alex more money than Blur's Britpop classics. The rocker turned farmer told the Daily Star: 'If England do have a good run, it's incredible how much the song gets listened to.'
'When England got to the European final (in 2024), I think it out earned the whole Blur catalogue in that accounting period.'
'I mean, it's bonkers because it's not like they're singing it in Scotland. But when you think Blur - nine albums and global (reach), Fat Les - one song and very much limited to England, that's bonkers!'
With the World Cup well under way, it's the season to be singing football anthems again, old and new.
'They're like Christmas songs, the same songs come round every Christmas, guaranteed,' laughs Alex. 'Mariah Carey she's set for decades to come - it's like Christmas every two years.'
Vindaloo was an unofficial England anthem but two years later Fat Les were approached by the FA for the Euros in 2000. Alex recalls: 'After seeing how lowbrow we could go, I thought it would be good to try something highbrow, so we did Jerusalem with a symphony orchestra and five choirs.'
'I think it's the most expensive record ever made. But they didn't seem to connect with people in quite the same way as jumping up and down being silly did.'
All the oldies are getting wheeled out from On The Ball to Three Lions ahead of England's first match next week, but Alex believes one special musical World Cup moment inspired them all.
'I think John Barnes' rap on World in Motion is the turning point in football songs because it was the most dreadful, ghastly sub-genre of music. Every time there was a World Cup, or even an FA Cup final, there was an accompanying football record, which sometimes were kind of brilliant, but not in very good taste.'
'We've always had this kind of tradition of people singing at football matches together. It doesn't happen anywhere else and it's a wonderful thing to be a part of.'
'Vindaloo is just basically the equivalent of cooking with leftovers, a bunch of pre-existing football chants all stitched together with that one note chorus going, 'we're going to score one more than you'. I didn't expect people would still be singing it 30 years later.'
It has even become a terrace treat thanks to Pukka pies. Alex guffaws: 'My Vindaloo chicken pie delight has a four chilli star rating. I'm delighted that the nation's favourite pie brand has seen fit to combine two of the great staples of English football culture - singing silly songs and eating lots of pies into one easy to eat at halftime.'
He's also hosting some Britpop football-themed warm-up parties in London ahead of each of England's group matches this month.
Pukka Pies presents Britpop, a series of football-themed warm-up parties hosted by Alex to launch their hottest ever Chicken Vindaloo pie. Events to be hosted at Lost Oasis, St Martin-in-the-Fields, ahead of England's group-stage matches on June 16, 22 and 26.
