UB40’s new single has touched the hearts of football fans across the UK. Even rival teams are singing the praises of the new Birmingham City Football Club (BCFC) song and now want to wear “Royal Blue,” the team’s colours, because they like the song so much. Will it replace Keep Right On? | video | article |

Four-time Grammy nominated English pop-reggae band UB40 topped the UK album charts with the release of UB45, in celebration of their 45-year anniversary. The recently released single, Forever True, from UB45 also scored No. 1 on the UK iTunes single download chart.

Forever True has become a favourite among English fans, UK football or soccer fans, UB40 fans and music lovers in and outside of the UK, many of whom have said so in the comments section of the video. As the new official BCFC anthem, in the band’s UK hometown, the song Forever True features new lyrics set to the beat of Food For Thought. Fans chant the tune Brian Travers plays on saxophone every time the team scores a goal. The single was released to mark the re-opening of the renovated St. Andrew’s @ Knighthead Park stadium and the location of UB40’s first show of the year.

Knighthead Park is owned by Knighthead Capital Management, which includes American champion footballer Tom Brady and company co-founder Tom Wagner. A month after the deal was signed, Brady told BluesTV that he would try to learn the words to Keep Right On, the Blues’ anthem for generations of Bluenoses who love the team, but added that he doesn’t know if he could sing the song as well as the fans do.

The words to Keep Right On were originally written by Scottish music-hall performer Sir Henry “Harry” Lauder in 1917. The words sung by Bluenoses this century are different from the original lyrics. Now there is the UB40 version, Forever True.

Forever True is also available as a bonus track on the limited-edition vinyl and CD of UB45. UB40 will be touring the U.S. and making a pit stop in Canada on the “Red Red Wine Tour” this summer at The Bowl at Sobeys Stadium, a new open air entertainment complex in Toronto.

by Cherryl Bird – Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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