Aston Villa supporters have a reputation for not only loving football but also loving singing. They come together to offer various cheers and songs of praise and affection, while a few others also present and chip in with a sassy song or two, all of which are heard in and around Villa Park. This type of passion can hardly be found in any other team. Those sounds do much more than make noise. These are sound forms of identification, theory and beliefs, which wove fans into many seasons of their support.
Devoted fans of Aston Villa feel the urge to sing aloud almost inherently. Being a fan of the club is not just being a spectator who cries or cheers as per the events on the pitch. Supporters do more than sing, they create conditions leading to scoring goals or riling up the crowd in times when the contest is tight. And it is no small honour to participate in the uproar by reciting a chant that has existed since time immemorial or came into vogue just yesterday. When a group of people sings in unison, it enhances the experience of being an audience of a game since they actively participate in the process.
The Holte End takes a special share of this role. As the spiritual heart of Villa Park, it influences the wave. Many chants are born there, and most times by the people seated behind who start the chants, and then everybody follows. It’s not planned in any special way, but everybody knows it. Someone bursts into a song, the person close enough will do the same, and within moments, the whole crowd is belting out a single song which binds 40,000 people together.
The song, “Holte Enders in the Sky,” has been described as one of the most enchanting chants and is set to the melody of Ghost Riders in the Sky. It encapsulates the profound rapport that fans have with the team as well as between themselves, even in the afterlife.
Lyrics excerpt:
“And if I should die by a Villa fan,
Just bury me at the Holte End,
And tell my boys I did my best,
To sing Villa to their rest…”
There’s something incredibly powerful in this chant, one that is swayed into recognition of the fact that supporting the Villa is a commitment that goes beyond a season; it is an affair of one’s whole life. A connection that dies only with the most significant moments of life. Things of the past easily merged into the life history of the community, relationships of people, and the sense of place, strangely circulated Holte End as something more than the seat for football; it transformed into a handle of belonging and memory.
This chant is not frequently screamed and should not be. It is better delivered in very low tones, some may call it worship. It is not about how to support the team, but about how to respect the followers who were yesterday and the ones who stand today.
One of the most distinguishing features of match days is the “Villa Till I Die”, and it is a term that shows dedication that could not be very easily given up. It is a very simple yet powerful and renaissance song by the fans to reaffirm their unswerving allegiance.
Lyrics excerpt:
“Villa till I die,
Villa till I die,
I know I am,
And so are you…”
At the beginning of games, spectators cheer loudly in the stadium when footballers are in need of encouragement, a goal is about to be scored, or when the fans feel that the game is poised to change in favour of either team. Moreover, this is a song of peace because it brings together people in the bleachers who may be but strangers sharing only the truth. It doesn’t matter what the outcome of the match is; the fans will still be there. Besides, such singing is not only reserved for the winning side. It is a matter of the existence of the individual, not the triumph of s victorious club.
If thousands of people do sing it together, this song is far from being nonsense. It is rather a certain kind of bulletproof wall. For many, this song carries an immense charge of energy, especially those who have seen all the ups and downs of the club’s history.
Less can be more, and we are talking Villa! Villa! Chant. The “Villa! Villa!” hail is a strong, quick outcry telling off the crowd at the stadium from one side, and compelling the opponents from the other. It is usually repeated in quick succession, which results in a booming sound that reaches the farthest side of the stadium, the very last corner of it.
This chant is not about words but about music, more importantly, the spirit. This is a chant that can be pitched, and every fan will catch it. It usually unites the entire family of the fan base, especially the female section in the Holte End.
The lyrics of this chant are more of a mockery to the fans of opposing clubs, particularly those from areas that are considered not so well-off or those with underperforming teams. They are not sung with maliciousness, but more Tricky than Wicky out of mischief. Such a chant is a challenge rather than an insult and, as a result, is generally delivered outside any genuine animosity.
It may not be universally respected, and its humour indeed goes too far into the football culture category, chances of chanting this are what football supporters do not only for themselves. Not to forget, the Holte End has never been retrained in what it wanted to express.
Escape by Craig Armstrong is not an anthem, but it boasts as much importance as any other; this piece of music carries the status of assessment as the official walk-on music for Aston Villa. Whenever Aston Villa runs out of the tunnel, this instrumental piece is played, creating the mood for the match.
Stopping the music before heads start to throb is just one of those moments that the fans go through, where everything is primed and the tension within the stadium is intense in the expectation that the match will start. It is such a special kind of habit which makes visiting Villa Park during the match days such an event.
Although most songs do not have printed lyrics, they are sung on the spot. However, some chanting follows a sequence:
How did the tradition of English football chants evolve? What did song lyrics composed in support of one’s team in the beginning differ from those widely accepted by the end? Or perhaps it did not differ, and everything remained the same?
Contrary to that, perhaps the sort of songs for chanting was as they are today. Pre-vasity fights that used to take place on the sailors’ side were a turning point of sorts in the history of consumerism.
Aston Villa’s fan songs go beyond just background music as they are an identity. Birmingham’s matchday isn’t the same without the most resonant songs, such as Holte Enders in the Sky, as well as simple shouts like Villa! Villa!. These embody their nostalgia, where one sees the charming yet very English story of England.
Everybody is eager and proud. However, the proud and silent ones are important. Still, all count.
In fact, being a devoted supporter or one of the latest converts, these songs are more than just a convention—it is assimilating yourself with the whole.