The duo have reworked the 1996 anthem, with new lyrics revealed exclusively to The Sun. Sir Geoff Hurst and Lionesses Jess Carter and Beth England also star in a festive video. 7 World Cup winner Sir Geoff Hurst features in the video for the new track 7 David Baddiel and Frank Skinner reveal their new Christmas version of the Three Lions ahead of the World Cup 7 The team behind the song hope it can go to No1 next Friday and help boost the England team — just like it did at Euro 96 As England prepare for Monday’s opener against Iran, Frank said: “We just had to do it.” The comedians have also reunited with singer Ian Broudie to record the new version. The original famously referred to “30 years of hurt” for England footballers, but this has now risen to “56” — although it’s just “20 weeks” for the women. The Sun first revealed in September that Baddiel, 58, Skinner, 65, and Lightning Seeds singer Broudie, 64, were updating their hugely popular song. They officially released the track today – three days before England kick off against Iran in Qatar on Monday – and shared their new lyrics exclusively with Sun readers. Skinner said: “We just had to do it. Christmas World Cup songs are not like buses. “If we let this opportunity go, it would be too long a wait for the next one.” Baddiel quipped: “It’s between me and Mariah Carey as to who really is the voice of Christmas.” The trio has included some of the highlights of the past 26 years – most notably the Lionesses’ Euro win at Wembley in July. It opens with them at England’s victory press conference – with Skinner singing: “Loving that Lionesses win”. The first chorus then gets into the festive spirit, with: “Three Lions on a sleigh, with She-Lions inspiration. Santa Claus says let’s play, the formation of the Christmas tree.” The comedians also poke fun at themselves, with Skinner referring to his past drinking addiction. Baddiel sings: “When they decided on Qatar, they should have checked the VAR. It’s too hot and too far away – so we’ll be snowflakes watching it here. This is our season, we’ll have a beer. . . ” The exclusive look at the song’s updated lyrics 7 Lionesses are honored in new edition – but it’s only ’20 weeks of wounds’ for womenCredit: Rex To which Skinner says, “Actually I won’t because I have a drinking problem.” Christmas gets more mentions as one commentator says during a match: “What a cracker of a game . . . England gives them a very good fill. . . Ding Dong Merrily in the sky. . . oh no it’s not on sky. . . it has to be terrestrial doesn’t it? . . . for legal reasons”. Baddiel and Skinner were also to extend England’s trophy drought – but only for the Friends. In one of the last choruses they change “30 years of hurt” to “56 years of hurt – for the men’s game”. The comedians, along with a children’s choir, then sing: “20 weeks of wounds, for the women’s game apparently.” In the video, Baddiel and Skinner are confronted with their 1990s selves as they sit on their tired old furniture. The pair also decorate a Christmas tree – with the Jules Rimet trophy from 1966 – wearing festive jumpers. England’s 1966 hero Sir Geoff Hurst appears on a doorstep with children singing carols before tearing off his coat to reveal a festive jumper. Lionesses Jess Carter and Beth England also sing in the video, while moments from their Euro success play throughout. The team behind the song hope it can go to No1 next Friday and help boost the England team – just like it did at Euro 96. Released in May of the same year, it reached No.1 where it stayed for three weeks. The first iteration, Three Lions ’98, also topped the charts during the World Cup two years later. In total it has sold nearly two million copies – and been streamed tens of millions of times. In 2018 it was played 450,000 times in one day when England beat Colombia at the World Cup in Russia. Earlier this year Baddiel revealed that fans mistakenly believe he’s getting them from the royalties. He said: “I want to say to them, ‘Do you know how much you’re getting from Spotify?’ He claimed that 16 million plays had been estimated to earn around £900 between the three writers, adding: ‘I can’t retire on that.’ Last month Broudie spoke of his pride in the Lionesses putting it into coach Sarina Wiegman’s victory press conference. He said: “They all ran in and danced on the tables, singing Three Lions. That was great for me.” It comes as a new set of photos of the England players with manager Gareth Southgate have been released below.
The new version of Three Lions is now available for purchase and streaming.
7 The footage shows England’s 1966 hero Sir Geoff Hurst appearing on the doorstep with children singing carols before ripping off his coat to reveal a festive jumper 7 Harry Kane will lead the England men’s team on Monday as they look to follow the Lionesses and bring the football homeCredit: Getty 7 Arseneca and England ace Boukayo Saka will also be hoping England can go all the way in the QualifierCredit: Getty
