Forever Everton – The Story of the Song

Rob Sawyer

In Goodison’s final years as the venue for Everton’s men’s team, kick-off was preceded by the Toffees’ musical ‘holy trinity’ of Forever Everton, Grand Old Team and Theme from Z-Cars – with Spirit of the Blues being added to the repertoire more recently. With the move to Hill Dickinson Stadium, these have been joined by The Las’ classic There She Goes. 

Here, I delve into the backstory to Forever Everton – 2 minutes and 36 seconds of proud Bluenose breast-beating with a brass backing. 

As many now know, the song was penned by Graham Gouldman, one quarter of Mancunian art-rockers 10CC. But how so? The road to vinyl immortality begins with a visit to an Anfield nightspot by Everton’s then Promotions Manager, David Exall, who recalled in 2013,

‘In 1972, I went to the Wooky Hollow nightspot in Anfield 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 Wooky`s compere was a rabid Red who 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 Lol Crème, 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 the fruits of Harry Catterick’s players larynxes would never have been recorded for posterity, had Graham Gouldman not been a budding football song mogul, perhaps inspired by Chelsea FC recording Blue Is The Colour, earlier that year. Exall takes up the story;
 

‘Imagine my surprise when I got a call a few weeks later from Gouldman, who apologised for the Wooky incident and said he wanted to “talk business” with me. He would not elaborate until the meeting the following week; I kidded myself that he wanted a publicity manager!’
 
‘When Graham came to Goodison, the receptionist, Jean, 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. He 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!’
 
‘Jean had been right, Gouldman did look like `a young lad` of no more than fourteen. 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 talented 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 he 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 ten days later – with Everton, Everton. He even laid on the bus that took the lads to Stockport for the recording!’

Strawberry Studios has seen many legendary recording artists cross its threshold: Joy Division, The Smiths, Paul McCartney, 10CC (who were reaching number two in the hit parade in October 1972 with Donna), The Stone Roses and…St Winifred’s School Choir, to name but a few. However, on 25 October 1972, 11 professional footballers arrived from Bellefield, ready to put their vocal chords to work and become immortalised on 7” vinyl. Those entrusted to uphold the musical reputation of the Toffees were David Lawson, Tommy Wright, John McLaughlin, Roger Kenyon, John Hurst, Mike Bernard, Henry Newton, Colin Harvey, Howard Kendall, Jimmy Husband and John Connolly.

Harvey, something of a music connoisseur, who was listening to the Beach Boys, Rolling Stones and the San Francisco Sound in the 1960s, and the heavier rock and glam rock in the early 1970s, recalled, ‘Howard was club  captain at the time and he just came in one day and said: “We’ve got this thing, recording a song in Stockport; who wants to go?” I didn’t have much of a voice – I might sing along to records but I’d never sing in the shower! But, I went along with Tommy and Roger and the others.’

Looking back on their day trip to Stockport in his Liverpool Echo column, skipper Howard Kendall wrote,

‘It was most interesting and novel. The music had been pre-recorded by the Northern Dance Orchestra. We had about four rehearsals to get to know the tune, and then we made the final recording. It’s more a pop song than a march, and the rhythm is really catchy. It’s a toe-tapping number.’

Jimmy Husband, one member of the ‘choir’ and a keen music follower (although Dylan was more his scene), recalled the song with slightly less enthusiasm when I spoke with him in 2013,

“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 fifteen 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 back on the coach to Liverpool. It was a typical football song of those days; it’s pretty 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 – but that would get you in the Top 30 nowadays! I think we ended up with, maybe, £50 each.’

Published by St Anne’s Music and released on vinyl by Philips/Phonogram, Forever Everton was backed by an instrumental track titled March of the Gwladys Street Gladiators.  

It is safe to say that the single never threatened to trouble the pop charts. Some years later, David Exall’s son, Richard, was in conversation with Eric Stewart and broached the subject of Forever Everton. Apparently, sales-wise it was a disaster and sold barely 6,000 copies. The man behind the legendary I’m Not in Love, also confessed that he and Gouldman had overdubbed their own voices, to add some of the required tunefulness to accompany the players’ efforts.
In spite of an absence of chart success for Forever Everton (or ‘Forever Ever-ton’ as was printed on the record label), the Strawberry Studios team went on to record tracks with Leeds United, Manchester City and Lancashire Cricket Club that year (none of which were hits). In more recent years the song enjoyed a renaissance through frequent airings at Goodison Park; it also has a healthy following via online channels, but as, David Exall notes, 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?”’

For Colin Harvey, hearing Forever Everton get repeated airings, fifty-three years after it being produced, brings back fond memories, as well as some incredulity about its staying power, ‘When I hear the song played, I do occasionally think back to recording it, all those years ago.’ 

So, let’s sing it, 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 breeze

Chorus

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

Chorus

We’re out for the league, and we’re out for the cup. 

Everton’s on the up and up!

The story that is Everton from the days of Dixie Dean

Is the story we will carry of the glory of our team 

In every land and continent, wherever football’s known

We’ll play the game that’s Everton’s 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)

Rob Sawyer

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Acknowledgments:

David Exall

Colin Harvey

Jimmy Husband

Joe Horrigan (WSAG)

A prior version of this article appeared on Toffeeweb in 2013.