SCOTTISH pop group Belle and Sebastian have unveiled their offering for Scotland’s World Cup anthem.
The track – titled It Only Takes One Lion – was released on Tuesday with the hope it may be used to represent the nation in the eagerly-awaited football competition, which kicks off later this month.
The seven-piece band said they wrote the song following Scotland’s 4-2 win against Denmark last year which won the team a place in the World Cup finals, and hope the upbeat track will capture the excitement of the upcoming matches.
The band – made up of Stuart Murdoch, Stevie Jackson, Chris Geddes, Richard Colburn, Sarah Martin, Bobby Kildea, and Dave McGowan – can be seen in the accompanying music video amid archival football footage.
Lead vocalist Murdoch sings about the different places Scotland will play football in the upcoming competition, which is being held across the US, Mexico, and Canada.
The disco-pop track also tells of the emotions of football fans as they support their country in the World Cup, singing of “hope” and “despair”, as well as feeling the urge to “dance” and “swear”.
The song also names Scottish footballers including Kieran Tierney and Kenny McLean – who helped the men’s national side qualify for the World Cup for the first time since 1998 – as well as Scott McTominay, nicknamed “Big McSauce”.
Murdoch, who is from Ayr, said of the track: “It’s a personal song about following the travails of Scotland’s national team for the last 50 years and it came out naturally the day after the game against Denmark.
“The song tries to encompass the experience of the whole country following Scotland.”
The group debuted the track earlier this year on the London leg of their current world tour, which has upcoming shows in Glasgow, Madrid, Singapore and Tokyo as the band commemorate their 30th anniversary.
The group, known for songs such as The Boy With The Arab Strap and Lazy Line Painter Jane, have achieved five UK Top 10 albums and won prizes such as a Brit and an NME award in their decades-long career.
