Released 28 August 2006 Recorded 2006 | Format 8"
12"
CD Length 3:35 | |
B-side "The Pimp"
"Dirty Barry Stole the Bluebird" Genre Garage rock revival
indie rock | ||
"Chelsea Dagger" is a song by Scottish rock band The Fratellis. It was released as the second single from their debut studio album, Costello Music (2006), on 28 August 2006. It is named after Jon Fratelli's wife Heather, a burlesque dancer whose stage name – a play on Britney Spears – he borrowed for the song. Fratelli described the tune as "a rock 'n' roll gig in an old speakeasy or something like that."
This song was number 77 on Rolling Stone's list of the 100 Best Songs of 2007. "Chelsea Dagger" has become notable for its usage in sports. It has also been featured in an Amstel Light ad, the movie Run Fatboy Run, an episode of The Inbetweeners and the video game Rock Band 2. The song peaked at number 2 on the Scottish Singles Chart and number 5 on the UK Singles Chart and was certified gold by the British Phonographic Industry in 2016.
Usage in sports
"Chelsea Dagger" is used heavily as a sports anthem. The first team to adopt it was Celtic FC, for whom The Fratellis are supporters. It is played at Stamford Bridge after Chelsea wins an important match. Jon Fratelli commented that their use of the song had resulted in the band supporting the club in the Premier League. The Major League Soccer franchise Montreal Impact also play this song after a goal is scored on home field. It is also used by other football teams such as Perth Glory and Juventus when a goal is scored.
Outside of football, it is best known as the goal song of the National Hockey League's Chicago Blackhawks. The song was first used after owner Rocky Wirtz inherited the team from his father, Bill, and introduced more up-tempo music in an effort to attract younger fans. The song became a sensation during the Blackhawks' first Stanley Cup run in 49 years in 2010. The success of the Blackhawks has led "Chelsea Dagger" to be adopted as a goal song by the University of North Dakota, among others. Blackhawks Executive Producer, Tom O'Grady said, "We aggressively searched for a memorable goal song, then heard "Chelsea Dagger" watching a Celtic match and was immediately struck by the song's quirky and contagious chant..." It wasn't an immediate hit, however. "The first few games playing "Chelsea Dagger", fan responses were pretty tough, but at the same time the Blackhawks started playing very well, piling up the goals and victories and boom... "Chelsea Dagger" was adopted as the teams' anthem and quickly became a huge part of the Blackhawks brand experience." The song is used now by the entire Blackhawks system, as the Rockford IceHogs (AHL) and Indianapolis Fuel (ECHL) clubs, all part of the Blackhawks system, use the song after goals.
During the Blackhawks' successful run to the 2013 Stanley Cup, Chicago Symphony Orchestra conductor Riccardo Muti arranged an orchestral version of the song, which was performed by the CSO after the victory, and once again after the Blackhawks' 2015 Stanley Cup win. The song was also ranked "best goal song in NHL" by Sports Illustrated.
This song is played during Professional Darts Corporation matches shown on ITV4 and at the Hong Kong Sevens.