Self-deprecating It Only Takes One Lion is partly inspired by team’s current song, Yes Sir, I Can Boogie
The lyrics came to Stuart Murdoch in the hazy aftermath of Scotland’s dramatic qualification for the World Cup.
The Belle and Sebastian frontman had watched his side’s playoff victory over Denmark through his fingers before deciding to write his own anthem to a team he has followed for more than 50 years. “Most people recognised instantly the next day that they’d witnessed the most important Scottish game ever,” says Murdoch. “That was our magic moment.”
It Only Takes One Lion starts by hinting at the travails of the team (“You gave us hope, you gave us despair”), turns into a bombastic four-on-the-floor singalong with self-deprecating lyrics (“This is Scotland, where everybody knows you start with nothing”), and nods to the Tartan Army (“you can join an army that’s for peace”).
Football has been a life pursuit for Murdoch, who is an Ayr United fan, and Belle and Sebastian have broached the topic of football before, notably in the tale of Sunday league woes, Another Sunny Day.
