Keep Right On To The End of the Road
{{Infobox song
| name = Keep Right On To The End Of The Road
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| language = English
| written =
| published = 1924
| writer = Harry Lauder
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}}
"Keep Right On To The End Of The Road" is a popular song written by Harry Lauder in 1924.
History
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,{{cite journal |title=Sentimental Harry |journal=Daily News |date=29 April 1924 |page=5}} 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.{{cite journal |title=Sir Harry Lauder's new song acclaimed |journal=Daily Record |date=29 April 1924 |page=9}}
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".{{cite web |last1=Purdy |first1=Dr Martin |title=Harry Lauder: The World's First Musical Superstar and Broken Parent of the First World War |url=https://www.westernfrontassociation.com/world-war-i-articles/harry-lauder-the-worlds-first-musical-superstar-and-broken-parent-of-the-first-world-war/ |website=Western Front Association |access-date=15 May 2024}} Lauder first recorded it on 26 October 1925 at a studio in Hayes, Middlesex, accompanied by the George W. Byng orchestra,{{cite web |last1=Dean-Myatt |first1=William |title=Scottish Vernacular Discography, 1888-1960: L |url=https://www.nls.uk/media-u4/1056436/section-13-l.pdf |website=National Library of Scotland |access-date=15 May 2024}} and it was released on the His Master's Voice label (catalogue number D1085), sharing the shellac with "The Road to the Isles", the following April.{{cite journal |title=Dance and comedy |journal=Northern Whig |date=22 April 1926 |page=10}} John Peel chose it as a representative for 1925 in his "Peelennium" retrospective.{{cite web |title=Songs for the year 1925 |url=https://tsort.info/music/yr1925.htm |website=tsort |access-date=15 May 2024}}
The song was such a success that by 1926 he was using it to close his set.{{cite journal |title=Blackpool shows |journal=Fleetwood Chronicle |date=9 July 1926 |page=6}} It was also played at his funeral, as the pallbearers brought the coffin from his Strathaven home, Lauder Ha' to Hamilton, where the service took place.{{cite journal |title=Funeral of Sir Harry Lauder |journal=Scotsman |date=3 March 1950 |page=5}}
Association with Birmingham City F.C.
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.{{cite journal |last1=Harrold |first1=Charles |title=Alex Govan began this Wembley Theme Song |journal=Sports Argus |date=24 March 1956 |page=5}} The players were also heard singing the song in the dressing-room after the 3–1 win in celebration.{{cite journal |last1=McGhee |first1=Frank |title=Arsenal fall for blind-man's bluff |journal=Daily Mirror |date=5 March 1956 |page=16}}
The fans took to the song quickly, singing it at the semi-final win over Sunderland later that month,{{cite journal |title=Teamwork takes Birmingham City to Wembley |journal=Birmingham Post |date=19 March 1956 |page=18}} 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.{{cite web |last1=Partridge |first1=Eric |title=The Club Anthem |url=https://www.bcfc.com/more/club/history |website=Birmingham City Football Club |access-date=15 May 2024}} The song got to no. 157 in the UK singles charts, and no. 23 in the Independent Singles Charts,{{cite web |title=Harry Lauder |url=https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/31596/harry-lauder/ |website=Official Charts Company |access-date=15 May 2024}} the week before Blues won the EFL Cup in 2011.