:Diamond Lights

Chris Waddle recalls the single coming about following an appearance two of them made for their personal sponsors, Budget Rent a Car, at an annual company awards ceremony. Hoddle and Waddle attempted an impromptu karaoke performance which was praised by a friend with connections in the music industry who was able to introduce the duo to Bob Puzey. Puzey, whose writing credits included "I'm In the Mood for Dancing" by the Nolan Sisters and "Wanted" by the Dooleys, auditioned the pair and agreed to write and co-produce a single for them.{{cite web|last=Puzey|first=Robert John|title=About Robert John Puzey|url=http://www.yogadeage.co.uk/about.html|work=Yoga-De-Age|access-date=31 December 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130813164134/http://yogadeage.co.uk/about.html|archive-date=13 August 2013|url-status=dead}} The "diamond lights" of the title refer to the songwriter's wife's eyes.{{Citation|last=RobertJohnPuzey|title='Its Goodbye' performed by Glenn Hoddle & Chris Waddle 1987|date=2012-02-16|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YP7y89lfTIM |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/YP7y89lfTIM |archive-date=2021-12-21 |url-status=live|access-date=2018-03-05}}{{cbignore}}

Written by Bob Puzey and co-produced by Puzey and Terry Hobart, "Diamond Lights" debuted in the UK Singles Chart at number 30 on 18 April 1987.{{cite web|title=18th April 1987|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/charts/singles-chart/19870412/7501/|work=Official Charts Company|access-date=1 January 2014}} It spent 8 weeks in the chart,{{cite web|title=Glenn & Chris|url=http://www.officialcharts.com/artist/_/glenn%20%26%20chris/|work=Artist Chart History|publisher=Official Charts Company|access-date=1 January 2014}} climbing to a peak position of 12 on 2 May.{{cite web|title=2nd May 1987|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/charts/singles-chart/19870426/7501/|work=Official Charts Company|access-date=1 January 2014}}

The duo's live performance of the song on the widely watched music programme Top of the Pops is often referred to as one of popular music's most embarrassing moments.{{cite news|last=Anthony|first=Andrew|title=Blind faith|url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2003/oct/05/newsstory.tottenhamhotspur|access-date=31 December 2013|work=The Observer|date=5 October 2003|quote=... a Top of the Pops performance of 'Diamond Lights' – the embarrassing pop record the duo made together in 1987 ...}}{{cite news|last=Roberts|first=Genevieve|title=The worst words in pop: 'We'd like to sing a duet ...'|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/the-worst-words-in-pop-wed-like-to-sing-a-duet-7834221.html|access-date=31 December 2013|work=The Independent|date=10 June 2012|quote=It comes as no surprise that Diamond Lights is one of the more embarrassing moments in popular music history.}}{{cite news|title=Way out of tune: Top 10 worst sport songs ever|url=http://metro.co.uk/2009/06/16/way-out-of-tune-top-10-worst-sport-songs-ever-199953/|access-date=31 December 2013|work=Metro|date=16 June 2009}}{{cite news|last=Chowdhury|first=Saj|title=Name Game: John to Jensen|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/funny_old_game/name_game/3714713.stm|access-date=31 December 2013|work=BBC|date=25 June 2004|quote=Diamond Lights: which was excruciatingly performed live on Top of the Pops}} One journalist described it as "... truly awful dad dancing and shocking lyrics" while another opined, "A timeless classic for all the wrong reasons ... You get the feeling that Waddle was rightly embarrassed to be there while Hoddle genuinely felt he was at the start of something big."{{cite news|last=Aikman|first=Richard|title=Gazza, Glenn & Chris and the 10 of the most poptastic football songs|url=http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/opinion/blogs/mirror-football-blog/Gazza-Glenn-Chris-and-the-10-of-the-most-poptastic-football-songs-article168997.html|access-date=31 December 2013|work=Daily Mirror|date=23 September 2009}} Waddle later remembered the Top of the Pops performance as "the most nerve-racking thing [he'd] ever done" and stated that the duo had to appear on the programme in person as the producers had refused to air the accompanying music video because "[it] was so bad."{{cite news|last=Waddle|first=Chris|title=23 April 1987: Hoddle and Waddle appear on Top of the Pops|url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2009/apr/25/tottenham-hotspur|access-date=31 December 2013|work=The Guardian|date=25 April 2009|author-link=Chris Waddle}} In contrast, Hoddle recalled the appearance in a positive light, referred to it as "one of the greatest things I ever did ... I'm glad I did it and I learnt a lot from it."{{cite news|last=Mott|first=Sue|title=Hoddle enjoys the high life|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/tottenham-hotspur/3035209/Hoddle-enjoys-the-high-life.html|access-date=31 December 2013|work=The Daily Telegraph|date=28 September 2002}}

File:Chris Waddle 2012.jpg

Glenn & Chris recorded and shot the music video for a follow-up single entitled "It's Goodbye" but promotion for the release was hampered by Hoddle's transfer to AS Monaco and the song subsequently only reached 92 in the British chart. Waddle later recorded a song titled "We've Got A Feeling" with Olympique de Marseille teammate Basile Boli{{cite news|title=Chris Waddle: One-on-One|access-date=31 December 2013|work=FourFourTwo|date=1 October 2008|agency=Haymarket Media Group|url=http://www.fourfourtwo.com/features/chris-waddle-one-one}} which he said topped the Albanian music charts. The success of "Diamond Lights" inspired another Tottenham and England midfielder, Paul Gascoigne, to release his own single, "Fog on the Tyne (Revisited)" in 1990.{{cite book|last=Hamilton|first=Ian|title=Gazza Italia|year=1994|publisher=Granta Books|isbn=0140140735|page=52|quote=The 'Fog on the Tyne' recording was, he said an attempt to emulate Glenn Hoddle and Chris Waddle, who in the eighties had had a hit with 'Diamond Lights'.}}

"Diamond Lights" is still remembered with amusement for its perceived kitsch, and has featured prominently in popular polls to discover the worst pop song ever.{{cite news|title=Beatles classic voted worst song|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/3998301.stm|access-date=31 December 2013|work=BBC News|date=10 November 2004|quote=Three of the songs on the list are sung by footballers, including the 1987 song Diamond Lights by Glenn Hoddle and Chris Waddle.}}{{cite book|last=McGuinness|first=Mike|title=Sporting Sounds: Relationships between sport and music|url=https://archive.org/details/sportingsoundsre00bate|url-access=limited|year=2009|publisher=Routledge|location=Abingdon|isbn=978-0203887974|page=[https://archive.org/details/sportingsoundsre00bate/page/n196 182]|editor=Bateman, Anthony |editor2=Bale, John|quote=Although some of these became popular hits ... they have also featured in listings of the 100 worst pop records. A recent Channel 4 listing had 'Diamond Lights' at number 33 ...}} Football writer Luke Ginnell described it as "an angsty synth-pop cringefest of a tune" and "a heinous and unforgivable crime against the ear". When interviewing Hoddle for the position of manager of the England national team, FA chief executive Graham Kelly reportedly asked him, "Any skeletons in the closet?" before quipping, "apart from that record with Chris Waddle?"{{cite news|last=Ridley|first=Ian|title=Hoddle's Sweet Revenge|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/hoddles-sweet-revenge-1241633.html|access-date=31 December 2013|work=The Independent|date=28 September 1997}}

1. "Diamond Lights"
2. "Diamond Lights" (instrumental)

{{Reflist}}

• [https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/24974572 When Glenn Hoddle and Chris Waddle became pop stars (video)] at the BBC website

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Category:1987 singles

Category:British synth-pop songs

Category:Association football songs and chants