James Approve of Mo Salah’s Kop Song

Mo Salah’s Kop chant has gotten a lot of run this season. With the Egyptian star’s on the rise and his performances scintillating, it’s become a regular feature on the Kop and in fan videos the world over. Who can resist that infectious melody and, of course, rooting for the man with the golden boot and megawatt smile?

Some may not know that the melody for the song is lifted from Manchester pop-band James’ hit single, “Sit Down.” US fans of a certain age may be more familiar with their gorgeous pop song “Laid,” which featured in the American Pie film series.

Lead singer Tim Booth recently sat down with the Liverpool official site and, despite pre-suppositions concerning his Mancunian roots, gave his full blessing to the song:

“It’s a witty song.

“Liverpool supporters have always been some of the best in the world; as a neutral, they’ve always been the fans I’ve respected the most because they get behind the team no matter what.

“I’ve always had a good soft spot for Liverpool and their ability to find a witty song – so, great, they can have it.

“We’ve been precious with Sit Down. We know it means a lot to people and we’ve stopped a lot of adverts or people using it in ways that we felt might denigrate it.

“But one of the greatest footballers in the world can have it, when he’s playing such beautiful football it’s a pleasure.”

As you may have surmised, it helps that Booth isn’t apparently a fan of Manchester United -his footballing allegiance lies with Leeds. But his appreciation of both Mo Salah’s skill and the attractive footballing displays put on by Jurgen Klopp’s charges certainly makes it a joy to have his artistry tied to it.

“I’ve been watching Liverpool a lot for the last year or so because they’re about the most entertaining team to watch. Especially after they sold [Philippe] Coutinho and seeing he actually got them to play better without him, it’s quite remarkable.

“You’ve got the best manager basically; you’ve got a manager who can take players and really improve them by a lot. There aren’t many managers out there doing that.

“Liverpool’s ethos is: everybody plays for the team. That’s what I’ll be rooting for [in Saturday’s final] and it’ll be a joy to watch. I’m very happy that one of our songs will be a soundtrack and maybe an aid to inspire that.”

Hopefully come Saturday, we’ll be feeling the the presence of James in the form of the Mo Salah song making continues rounds at the Olimpiyskiy.