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Keep Right On To The End of the Road

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"Keep Right On To The End Of The Road"
Song
LanguageEnglish
Published1924
Songwriter(s)Harry Lauder

"Keep Right On To The End Of The Road" is a popular song written by Harry Lauder in 1924.

History

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Lauder wrote the song in a railway carriage in April 1924, returning home to prepare for a tour of England. He débuted the song at the Victoria Palace Theatre in London, on 28 April,[1] to an enthusiastic reception; one gentleman in the audience rose to declare it a "sermon on the stage" and Lauder was prevailed upon to sing it a second time.[2]

Lauder wrote the song in honour of his son, killed in the First World War, and it was originally published under the name "The End Of The Road".[3] Lauder first recorded it on 26 October 1925 at a studio in Hayes, Middlesex, accompanied by the George W. Byng orchestra,[4] and it was released on His Master's Voice (catalogue number D1085), sharing the shellac with "The Road to the Isles", the following April.[5] John Peel chose it as a representative for 1925 in his "Peelennium" retrospective.[6]

The song was such a success that by 1926 he was using it to close his set.[7] It was also played at his funeral, as the pallbearers brought the coffin from Lauder Ha' in Hamilton, where the service took place.[8]

Association with Birmingham City F.C.

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The song is the official club song of Birmingham City F.C., adopted during the club's run to the 1955–56 FA Cup final. On a coach to Highbury for the quarter-final tie at Arsenal in March 1956, the players sang songs to ease the tension, and manager Arthur Turner asked Scottish winger Alex Govan for his choice; he started singing "Keep Right On", and the players were still singing on arrival at the ground, with the coach surrounded by Blues fans.[9] The players were also heard singing the song in the dressing-room after the 3–1 win in celebration.[10]

The fans took to the song quickly, singing it at the semi-final win over Sunderland later that month,[11] and Lauder's recording was played before a home game with Blackpool a week later, with songsheets available for spectators. The song has been a constant at the club's matches ever since, albeit with lyrics slightly altered to suit the club.[12] The song got to no. 157 in the UK singles charts, and no. 23 in the Independent Singles Charts,[13] the week before Blues won the EFL Cup in 2011.

References

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  1. ^ "Sentimental Harry". Daily News: 5. 29 April 1924.
  2. ^ "Sir Harry Lauder's new song acclaimed". Daily Record: 9. 29 April 1924.
  3. ^ Purdy, Dr Martin. "Harry Lauder: The World's First Musical Superstar and Broken Parent of the First World War". Western Front Association. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
  4. ^ Dean-Myatt, William. "Scottish Vernacular Discography, 1888-1960: L" (PDF). National Library of Scotland. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
  5. ^ "Dance and comedy". Northern Whig: 10. 22 April 1926.
  6. ^ "Songs for the year 1925". tsort. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
  7. ^ "Blackpool shows". Fleetwood Chronicle: 6. 9 July 1926.
  8. ^ "Funeral of Sir Harry Lauder". Scotsman: 5. 3 March 1950.
  9. ^ Harrold, Charles (24 March 1956). "Alex Govan began this Wembley Theme Song". Sports Argus: 5.
  10. ^ McGhee, Frank (5 March 1956). "Arsenal fall for blind-man's bluff". Daily Mirror: 16.
  11. ^ "Teamwork takes Birmingham City to Wembley". Birmingham Post: 18. 19 March 1956.
  12. ^ Partridge, Eric. "The Club Anthem". Birmingham City Football Club. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
  13. ^ "Harry Lauder". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
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