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Forever Everton – The Story of the Song

Rob Sawyer retraces the origins of one of teh most iconic Everton songs, with recollections from David Exall and Jimmy Husband.

Every Goodison match is preceded by the musical “Holy Trinity” of Forever Everton, It’s a Grand Old Team (…and if you know your history) and Z-Cars.

Most know that Z-Cars hails from Johnny Todd via the eponymous TV series whilst the origins of Grand Old Team are murkier with Spurs, Celtic and Everton all laying claim to it.

But what of Forever Everton? – 2 minutes and 36 seconds of Bluenose breast-beating with a brass backing? A recent piece by Joe Horrigan in the excellent When Skies are Grey fanzine (issue 174) highlighted that the song was penned, remarkably, by Graham Gouldman of Mancunian art-rockers 10cc. How so? Read on for the untold story…

The road to vinyl immortality begins with a visit to an Anfield nightspot by Everton’s First Promotions Manager, David Exall:

“Early in 1972, I went to the Wookey Hollow venue to see Neil Sedaka perform on what was, for him, a comeback tour. The band supporting him was called Hotlegs – whom I had never heard of.

The Wookey's compere was a rabid Red who, nonetheless, regularly tapped me up for Goodison tickets and, by way of returning the favour, invited me backstage to meet the great man.

As I recall, three members of his backing group, whom I later identified as Graham Gouldman, Eric Stewart and possibly Lol Creme, were deeply in conversation with Sedaka when we entered the dressing room. They were not best pleased with the interruption as, after a cursory shake of the hand, Sedaka dismissed me by adding, somewhat sarcastically, "I’m not a soccer fan but my daughter, Dana, plays a bit!”

The story might have ended there and Harry’s Boys would never have been recorded for posterity had Gouldman not been a budding football song mogul and sought out David:

“Imagine my surprise when I got a call a few weeks later, from Gouldman, who apologised for the Wookey incident and said he wanted to ‘talk business’ with me. He would not elaborate and until the meeting the following week; I kidded myself that he wanted a publicity manager!

When Graham came to Goodison, the receptionist, Toni, rang to tell me there was "a young curly haired lad" asking to see me. Strangely for someone in showbiz, he came over as very nervous although he later explained that as a Manchester City supporter, he was "just blown away by the magnitude of Goodison Park"!

He went on to say that he and Eric Stewart were partners in a Stockport-based writing and record production venture. Graham told me that it was really a posh name for `a music sweat factory` similar to the one that Sedaka grew up in in New York. Graham had been in The Mindbenders briefly but saw his role more as a songwriter and had already written hits for The Yardbirds, The Hollies and Herman's Hermits. And now... wait for it: he wanted to write a song for Everton!

Toni had been right: Gouldman did look like a young lad of no more than 14 and, had I not seen him performing with Sedaka, I would probably have dismissed him as a fantasist. I'd lost a packet on a similar enterprise at my previous club, Birmingham City, so in spite of one of Britain's most promising songwriters actually wanting to write for us, I was not immediately sold on the idea – I needed convincing that Gouldman’s song could at least `wipe its face` but the studio agreed to take on the risk as our song was seen as a market test for `a nationwide campaign to bring pop music to football`. He left my office with a copy of the club`s history and returned – just 10 days later – with Forever Everton. He even laid on the bus that took the lads to Stockport for the recording!”

The threshold of Strawberry Studios has been crossed by many music legends: Joy Division, The Smiths, Paul McCartney, 10cc, The Stone Roses and… errr… St Winifred’s School Choir to name a few. However, in early 1972, a coach-load of footballers arrived from L4 ready to go to work. Jimmy Husband was one member of the ‘choir’ and takes up the story:

“We were handed sheets of paper with the words on and then we were directed and told what to do. It was hilarious really – you had 15 footballers together and so many of them were totally out of tune. I could probably sing Karaoke and not get booed off stage but some of the lads were so flat!

We weren’t there long – we did a few takes and then it was the coach back to Liverpool. It was a typical football song of those days; it’s petty awful but it has its time at a football match. I still have a copy but I wouldn’t put it on unless somebody said ‘have you got the Everton song?’ It only sold about a few thousand copies – that would have got you in the top 30 nowadays! I think we ended up with maybe £50 each.”

Although Forever Everton was never a chart hit, the Strawberry Studios team went on to record tracks with Leeds United, Manchester City and Lancashire Cricket Club that year. David notes that it would be 13 more years before the charts were troubled by the boys in blue:

“I seem to recall that the last statement I had from Strawberry indicated that only about 6,000 were sold. Here We Go by the Everton players got to No 14 in May 1985 but that was nothing to do with me – or Graham Gouldman!”

In recent years, the song has enjoyed something of a renaissance through frequent airings at Goodison and singing by supporters at away matches; it also has a healthy following on YouTube but, as David recalls, not everyone feels the same way:

“It's one of my most cherished Everton memories. I reminded Graham Gouldman about it when I went to see 10cc last year and he said `Oh dear, they don't still play it do they?’”

So now we have you in the mood… altogether now:

Everton, Everton, We're Forever Everton,
All for one, one for all,
Everton's the team that plays beautiful football.

We've got the best supporters on any football ground,
As long as they're behind us, we'll never let them down,
The men who go from Merseyside to sail the seven seas,
will hear the call of Everton come riding on the green.

Everton, Everton, we're Forever Everton,
All for one, one for all,
Everton's the team that plays beautiful football.

We're the kings of Goodison, we play in Royal Blue,
The home of all the Toffeemen, we play it sweet for you,
We play it on the carpet, we play it in the air
Whichever way we play it, we play it fair and square.

Everton, Everton, we're Forever Everton
All for one, one for all,
Everton's the team that plays beautiful football.

We're after the league, and we're after the cup.
Everton’s on the up and up!

The story that is Everton from the days of Dixie Dean
The story we will carry on for the glory of our team
In every land and continent wherever football's known
We'll play the game that's Everton and bring the honours home

Everton, Everton, we're forever Everton,
All for one, one for all,
Everton's the team that plays beautiful football,
Everton's the team that plays beautiful football!

Music & Lyrics: Graham Gouldman

Thanks to David Exall and Jimmy Husband for their recollections along with Joe Horrigan of WSAG for the inspiration.

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