Comedian Jack Whitehall has retweeted it. Sports broadcasters Clare Balding and Jake Humphrey love it. And even The Times Educational Supplement has picked up on it.
York’s World Cup anthem has officially gone viral. Bring It Home, a ludicrously catchy song urging England on to victory in Brazil this summer, only went live at the end of last week.
Now its singer songwriters, Huntington School teachers Robin Parmiter and Ian Wilson – collectively Disco Mister – have seen the song collect more than 41,000 YouTube hits by Tuesday evening (May 13).
People love it.
“I’ve found THE World Cup Song!!” tweeted BT Sport presenter Jack Humphrey.
“On the day the World Cup squad is confirmed, these two teachers capture the beautiful madness”, said Clare Balding.
Former Huntington School student turned BBC football commentator Guy Mowbray has retweeted it, as has Sky Sports presenter Ed Chamberlin.
On the day the World Cup squad is confirmed, these two teachers capture the beautiful madness: http://t.co/hTmDGy5Dch #BringItHome
— Clare Balding (@clarebalding) May 12, 2014
I've found THE World Cup Song!!
https://t.co/ahvgS1rIVk
#bringithome @DiscoMisterUK
— Jake Humphrey (@mrjakehumphrey) May 9, 2014
@skysports_ed Begin the day with a smile…the best World Cup Song since 3 Lions – #BringItHome @DiscoMisterUK http://t.co/TRxyZVjQCr RT?
— Robin Parmiter (@robinparmiter) May 9, 2014
So what do Robin and Ian make of it all? We caught up with them before they were signed to a major record label…
How long did it take to write Bring It Home?
We recorded the song over a few weeks, when we found a bit of time after school every few days, in the school recording studio. The excitement, joy, pain and despair of previous World Cups inspired the lyrics and music. We wanted to capture as much energy as we could and create something catchy for people to enjoy.
Did you expect the song to do this well?
We’re amazed by the response and how much people have got behind it. It seems to be getting people excited about the World Cup and about supporting England. It’s crazy how fast things are moving!
What has the response been like, in school and out?
The students and staff are really behind it. Huntington School always has a great atmosphere, but that’s been turned up to 11 over the past week. The people of York have been fantastic, sharing our excitement and spreading the passion on social media. We were even recognised a few times at the York City game on Monday.
What have been your favourite responses?
A Twitter army appeared from nowhere and have been amazing. There are so many favourites, from clips of toddlers dancing to the song to non-football fans confessing some hidden passion.
We’ve also had tweets from Clare Balding, Jake Humphrey, Guy Mowbray and retweets from comedian Jack Whitehall and Sky Sports presenter Ed Chamberlin. Local press and radio have been unbelievable with their support.
What next – are you going to release it?
At the moment we just want to get people excited about England’s World Cup and to reach as many people as we can with the song. We’re teachers in an unsigned band, this is our first song – if a record label wanted to release it as a single, I’m sure we’d jump at the chance. But for the moment, we’re just enjoying the whole experience of getting our music to a wider audience.
What do you think of Gary Barlow’s official England World Cup song?
Firstly, we love Gary Barlow and Gary Lineker (we love all the Garys!). Take That’s Greatest Day is an amazing song but the new version doesn’t have the feel of a World Cup song – it’s not an original song for England, and it seems people feel let down by that.
People won’t be chanting it in the stands at the matches. We hope there are parts of Bring It Home that work as football chants.
Which do you prefer: teaching at Huntington or being pop stars?
We both really enjoy teaching at Huntington school – the staff and students are fantastic. We’re also both passionate songwriters and performers who have written multiple albums/ EPs for different projects between us.
It’s really exciting that a song that we’ve written seems to be taking off. I’m sure we could do both!
What do you think of Roy Hodgson’s squad?
It seems like players under Hodgson have a real thirst to get into the team and enjoy playing for England. We’re really excited about some of the young talent, such as Barkley, Sterling and Sturridge, who have had great Premiership seasons.
Gerrard, Lampard and Rooney offer years of experience and seem to flourish under Roy. We think it’s a great squad.
Will England win the World Cup in 2014?
Does it matter? You should support your team regardless of whether they win the league or whether they’re facing relegation. It should be the same with your national team.
A lot of people seem to be thinking, “What’s the point? We’re gonna go out at the group stage”. But we’re just happy England have qualified for a World Cup IN BRAZIL!
We came together for London 2012, why can’t we do it again for Brazil 2014! Come on England, bring it home!