| "Snooker Loopy" | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Single by Chas & Dave, The Matchroom Mob | |
| B-side | "Wallop (Snookered)" |
| Released | May 1986 |
| Genre | Novelty |
| Length | 3:49 |
| Label | Rockney |
| Songwriter(s) | Chas & Dave |
| Producer(s) | Chas & Dave |
"Snooker Loopy" is a novelty song released as a single in May 1986, and entered the UK Singles Chart, reaching #6.[1] It was written and performed by Chas & Dave and featured snooker players Steve Davis, Dennis Taylor, Willie Thorne, Terry Griffiths and Tony Meo, as backing vocalists under the name 'The Matchroom Mob'[2] – Matchroom Sport being the company owned by promoter Barry Hearn which employed all these snooker professionals at the time.[3]
The lyric is a mild satire on the style 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, seeing as he was a 150-1 outsider before the tournament.[4] Johnson did, however, go on to release a cover of Everlasting Love later that year.[5]
Upon reaching the top 10, the players joined Chas & Dave and performed the song on Top of the Pops.
- ^ "Snooker Loopy". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2009-02-05.
- ^ "Willie Thorne: From Mr Maximum to Snooker Loopy - remembering one of the game's great characters". BBC Sport. Retrieved 17 June 2020.
- ^ "When Snooker Went Loopy". BBC. 2000-11-20. Archived from the original on 3 September 2007. Retrieved 20 June 2010.
- ^ "When Snooker Loopy became an unlikely smash hit 35 years ago". the Guardian. 2021-04-30. Retrieved 2023-01-19.
- ^ "Johnson is still optimistic". Burton Mail. 26 October 1986. p. 24.
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