Snooker Loopy
{{short description|1986 single by Chas & Dave}}
{{Infobox song
| name = Snooker Loopy
| cover = Snooker Loopy cover.jpg
| alt =
| type = single
| artist = Chas & Dave, The Matchroom Mob
| album =
| B-side = Wallop (Snookered)
| released = May 1986
| recorded =
| studio =
| venue =
| genre = Novelty
| length = 3:49
| label = Rockney
| writer = {{hlist|Chas Hodges|Dave Peacock}}
| producer = {{hlist|Chas Hodges|Dave Peacock}}
| prev_title =
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"Snooker Loopy" is a novelty song written by Chas & Dave. As performed by them, alongside professional snooker players Steve Davis, Dennis Taylor, Willie Thorne, Terry Griffiths and Tony Meo as guest vocalists billed as 'The Matchroom Mob', it was released as a single in May 1986 and reached No. 6 on the UK Singles Chart.{{cite web |title=Snooker Loopy |url=https://www.officialcharts.com/search/singles/Square%20Dance%20Rap |publisher=Official Charts Company |access-date=5 February 2009}}{{cite news |title=Willie Thorne: From Mr Maximum to Snooker Loopy – remembering one of the game's great characters |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/snooker/53070045 |publisher=BBC Sport |date=17 June 2020 |access-date=17 June 2020}} (Matchroom Sport, owned by promoter Barry Hearn, was the company that at the time employed all these snooker players.){{cite news |title=When Snooker Went Loopy |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/in_depth/2000/uk_championship_snooker/1024916.stm |url-status=live |publisher=BBC News |date=20 November 2000 |access-date=20 June 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070903225721/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/in_depth/2000/uk_championship_snooker/1024916.stm |archive-date=3 September 2007}}
The lyric is a mild roast of the styles and antics of the players involved: "old Willie Thorne, his hair's all gawn", for example. The verse on Steve Davis also makes light of the 1985 World Snooker Championship final and his missed black in the final frame, and notes his manager is not concerned who should win the upcoming 1986 Championship, "because he's got the rest of us signed up!" Somewhat ironically, the player who won the 1986 World Snooker Championship – Joe Johnson – was not involved, having been a 150–1 outsider before the tournament.{{cite web |title=When Snooker Loopy became an unlikely smash hit 35 years ago |url=http://www.theguardian.com/sport/that-1980s-sports-blog/2021/apr/30/when-snooker-loopy-became-an-unlikely-smash-hit-35-years-ago |website=The Guardian |date=30 April 2021 |access-date=19 January 2023}} Johnson did, however, go on to release a cover of "Everlasting Love" later that year.{{cite news |title=Johnson is still optimistic |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/burton-mail-johnson-is-still-optimistic/124413863/ |newspaper=Burton Mail |date=26 October 1986 |page=24}}
Upon reaching the top 10, the players joined Chas & Dave and performed the song on Top of the Pops.
The Romford Rap
{{Infobox song
| name = The Romford Rap
| cover =
| alt =
| type = single
| artist = Chas & Dave, The Matchroom Mob
| album =
| B-side = The Crackerjack! Theme Song
| released = April 1987
| recorded =
| studio =
| venue =
| genre = Novelty
| length = 2:50
| label = Rainbow Records
| writer = {{hlist|Chas Hodges|Dave Peacock}}
| producer = {{hlist|Chas Hodges|Dave Peacock}}
| prev_title =
| prev_year =
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A follow-up snooker song, The Romford Rap, was released in 1987. This time, 'The Matchroom Mob' was made up of Steve Davis, Willie Thorne, Jimmy White, Neal Foulds, Dennis Taylor, Tony Meo and Terry Griffiths.{{citation |title=Chas & Dave With The Matchroom Mob – The Romford Rap |url=https://www.discogs.com/release/3094626-Chas-Dave-With-The-Matchroom-Mob-The-Romford-Rap |date=1987 |access-date=2023-01-19}} It was far less successful, only reaching No. 91 on the UK chart.{{cite web |title=romford rap {{!}} full Official Chart History {{!}} Official Charts Company |url=https://www.officialcharts.com/search/singles/romford-rap/ |website=www.officialcharts.com |access-date=2023-01-19}}
Cultural impact
Chas & Dave performed "Snooker Loopy" at their live shows with the original lyrics during the subsequent part of their career, even after all the players mentioned had retired from the professional game; this included a performance at Glastonbury Festival in 2007,{{citation |title=Chaz and Dave Snooker Loopy Glastonbury 2007 |date=29 June 2007 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Extsah_svcY |access-date=2023-01-19}} and a performance by Chas' band alongside Willie Thorne and Dennis Taylor in 2014.{{citation |title=Snooker Loopy – Chas and his band featuring Dennis Taylor & Willie Thorne |date=7 July 2014 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MBLI_2pPlRg |access-date=2024-05-26}}
The song was mentioned to Ronnie O'Sullivan during an episode of A League of Their Own in 2012, leading to Freddie Flintoff singing the chorus, with the audience joining in at the end.{{citation |title=Freddie Flintoff singing Snooker Loopy – A League Of Their Own | date=16 July 2012 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oo8F-GSbCOg |access-date=2023-01-19}}
A rival single was released in the same year by snooker players Tony Knowles, Alex Higgins, Kirk Stevens and Jimmy White; it was a cover of "The Wanderer", released under the name Four Away.{{citation |title=Four Away ~ The Wanderer |date=24 June 2013 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SMwCA64xOTU |access-date=2023-01-19}}
A Dutch cover of the song was released in 1986.{{cite web |url=https://www.discogs.com/release/6252895-De-Strangers-Snooker-Maf |title=De Strangers – Snooker-Maf |website=Discogs |date=1986}} In 2001, the song was covered by V/Vm and released on vinyl. It was pressed in all snooker ball colours (white, red, yellow, green, brown, blue, pink, black), in editions of 147 hand-numbered copies.{{cite web |url=https://www.discogs.com/master/15284-VVm-Snooker-Loopy |title=V/Vm - Snooker Loopy |website=Discogs |date=2001}}
In January 2023, comedian Tom Mayhew and YouTuber Joe Hannard launched The Snooker Loopy Podcast, which takes its name from the song. The podcast features a regular section, Cue the Music, where Joe and Tom review music either related to snooker, or recorded by snooker players. This has included numerous different recordings of the song itself, including solo versions by Dennis Taylor, John Virgo, and listeners of the podcast.{{citation |title=The Snooker Loopy Podcast |url=https://shows.acast.com/snookerloopy |access-date=2024-04-30}}