Vindaloo (song)

"Vindaloo" is a song by British band Fat Les. The music was co-written by Blur bassist Alex James and bassist Guy Pratt. The lyrics were written by comedian Keith Allen. It was released as a single in 1998 and recorded for the 1998 FIFA World Cup. The song was originally written as a parody of football chants, but was adopted as one in its own right and became a cult classic. Much of the song consists of the phrase "nah nah nah" and the word "vindaloo" repeated over and over by a mixed group, occasionally interspersed with lines such as "And we all like vindaloo" and "We're England; we're gonna score one more than you".

"Vindaloo"
Single by Fat Les
Released8 June 1998
FormatCD single
Recorded1998
GenreComedy, football chant, britpop
Length3:39
LabelTelstar
Songwriter(s)Alex James, Guy Pratt, Keith Allen.
Fat Les singles chronology
"Vindaloo"
(1998)		 "Naughty Christmas (Goblin in the Office)"
(1998)

The song has brief verses, spoken/sung by Keith Allen (in a voice sounding similar to that of Ian Dury) over a marching snare drum beat. The song's name comes from the vindaloo, a type of very spicy Goan curry. It is often eaten by football supporters in the United Kingdom (and other nations) accompanied by large quantities of lager, after matches or as part of a "lads' night out".[1] "Vindaloo" reached number two on the UK Singles Chart in June 1998; it was beaten by "3 Lions '98" by David Baddiel and Frank Skinner and Lightning Seeds, a re-release of football anthem "Three Lions" from 1996 with slightly altered lyrics.

Controversy

The song sounded a little too much like a "hooligan's anthem" for some observers, and from the point of view of the BBC (who commission the official UK Music Chart) the band were deliberately waking the ghost of an earlier racial incident on the BBC TV programme The Late Show. Guest Keith Allen got into an extremely heated row with the panel over his view that comedy was now being hamstrung to appease rules of political correctness. Just before storming off the live broadcast, Allen stormed at an Asian member of the panel, writer Farrukh Dhondy, that "It's not a chip you've got on your shoulder, it's a fucking vindaloo!". He later attempted to explain to press reporters, claiming he used vindaloo because it is faux ethnic (this piece of Goan cuisine actually originated from Portugal), like those who he accused of being self-appointed spokespeople for ethnic minority communities' rights in order to censor arts and culture. Others have praised the song for showing the multiculturalism of England, how a Goan/Portuguese dish became a postmodern national football anthem, although most of the lyrics are fairly nonsensical or as The Guardian put it "irritating, pretentiously proletarian jape".[2]

B&Q use the music (with altered lyrics) to advertise their Tradepoint concession on their in store marketing.

Music video

The music video for the song is a parody of the video for "Bitter Sweet Symphony" by The Verve, which was itself inspired by the music video for "Unfinished Sympathy" by Massive Attack.[3] The video is recorded in the same street, and features comedian Paul Kaye as a Richard Ashcroft lookalike forcing his way down the street. Unlike the original video, in which Ashcroft is alone, Kaye gradually gathers a large crowd which includes Fat Les members Keith Allen, Alex James, and artist Damien Hirst, further on Rowland Rivron (as the drumming Queens guard), Edward Tudor-Pole, Matt Lucas and David Walliams (wearing Mash and Peas jumpers), comedian/actor Ricky Grover as a security guard, a young Lily Allen, and the late Malcolm Hardee, sumo wrestlers, French maids, a French mime artist, an Onion Johnny, Pearly Kings and Queens, a Max Wall lookalike (as Professor Wallofski), a priest, women dressed as girls from St Trinian's and many others who dance around him, some brandishing bags of curry. By the end, Kaye has joined in celebrating with the rest of the crowd.

Track listings
  • CD 1.
  1. "Vindaloo" (Radio Edit)
  2. "Vindaloo" (Laughter Mix)
  3. "Vindaloo" (Karaoke Mix)
  • CD 2.
  1. "Vindaloo" (Radio Edit)
  2. "Vindaloo" (Cocktail Mix)
  3. "Vindaloo" (Extended Mix)
  4. "Vindaloo" (Video)
  • Cassette
  1. "Vindaloo" (Radio Edit)
  2. "Vindaloo" (Cocktail Mix)
  3. "Vindaloo" (Laughter Mix)
  • CD Promo
  1. "Vindaloo" (Radio Edit)
  • 12" Promo
  1. "Vindaloo" (Extended Mix)
  2. "Vindaloo" (Laughter Mix)
  • 12" Promo 2
  1. "Vindaloo" (3 Day Sag Master Mix)
  2. "Vindaloo" (3 Day Sag Drum Mix)

References
  1. Curry Addicts Vindaloo
  2. Smith, Andrew (2000-05-21). "Three lions". The Observer. ISSN 0029-7712. Retrieved 2017-10-05.
  3. (2005, 8 February)"100 Greatest Pop Videos", London, 4 Ventures Limited
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