Arsenal Influencers Pick Their Favourite Fan Chant

Football supporters are renowned for their ingenuity when it comes to chants. Few sports can match the wit and creativity of the songs that accompany every Premier League game. 

Although Arsenal are occasionally criticised for a lack of atmosphere at the Emirates Stadium, their supporters have still come up with some iconic songs. Those are perhaps heard most frequently on Arsenal's away trips—their travelling fans are particularly vociferous.

For this piece, we spoke to a number of Arsenal influencers to determine their favourite Gunners chant. Some refer to a specific player or event, whereas others are heard week in and week out among the Arsenal support.

Arseblog: Arsenal blogger

Twitter: @arseblog

Favourite chant: 'One nil to the Arsenal'

This is probably the most famous Arsenal chant of all. It emerged in the 1990s, with the tune derived from the Village People's 1979 song "Go West." The song enjoyed a revival when covered by the Pet Shop Boys in 1992 and was then repurposed to celebrate Arsenal's miserly defence under George Graham. A tongue-in-cheek Arseblog said:

"It's got to be one nil to the Arsenal. As a keen Village People fan, to have one of their songs co-opted by Gooners was a dream come true. Its haunting melody is juxtaposed perfectly with a complex lyric that, when you finally come to understand it, takes the breath away. To hear this song echo around the Emirates Stadium when Arsenal have scored the first goal of the game is to understand the very essence of football."

It's not a particularly complex chant—but then, sometimes, simplicity is key. 

Dave Seager: Arsenal columnist and author

Twitter: @goonerdave66

Favourite chant: '49 undefeated'

Arsenal writer Dave Seager also first cited a chant inspired by nostalgia. He initially plumped for "You are my Arsenal," which is, of course, based on the old country music song "You are my sunshine": 

"I guess if I look back to when I first started going regularly, a football fan's life was so much simpler, without social media. Live football then, for me at least, meant standing in the middle of the North Bank when everybody sang for 90 minutes. With those nostalgic specs on, I would go for 'You are my Arsenal, my only Arsenal. You make me happy when skies are grey'."

However, Seager has a personal reason for choosing a more modern chant. He explains:

"In more recent times, I wrote a blog after a defeat to Robin van Persie and Manchester United at Old Trafford that suggested a new Arsenal anthem. I could not get the annoying '20 times' Man United song out of my head and wrote some alternative lyrics to our version entitled '49, 49 Undefeated.' It seems that my song caught on shortly after with mates telling me it was being sung by travelling fans in Munich.

"For me, being among the 9,000 who made the trip to Old Trafford in March 2015 and singing it nonstop as the United fans skulked out after Danny Welbeck's winner in the cup quarter-final was right up there with my best moments as a Gunner."

It must be quite the thrill to hear a chant of your own devising sung by so many fans—especially one that commemorates Arsenal's remarkable Invincibles side.

Tim Payton: Arsenal Supporters' Trust

Twitter: @TimPayton

Favourite chant: 'We all live in a Perry Groves world'

Many football chants are responses to songs sung by other clubs. Manchester United fans used to sing "we all live in a Georgie Best world" to the tune of The Beatles' "Yellow Submarine." Arsenal fans later produced their own spin to praise cult hero Perry Groves. Tim Payton described his affection for the song:

"I'd choose 'We all live in a Perry Groves World'—partly because it takes me back to my first Arsenal away games but also for the way it encapsulates the humour of football fans and our identification with those who put in a shift on the pitch like we would if we were lucky enough to wear the shirt."

Groves was no match for Best in terms of ability, but few could rival his loyalty or commitment. This is a great example of a song celebrating a player who was obviously dedicated to the cause.

Luke Kempner: Comedian, impressionist and Arsenal fan

Twitter: @LukeKempner

Favourite chant: 'We're the North Bank, Highbury' 

Luke Kempner is capable of a quite uncanny impression of current boss Arsene Wenger. However, his favourite chant does not celebrate Arsenal's long-serving manager but is instead one associated with the ground where Wenger won his three league titles: Highbury.

It's a simple call-and-response chant. One end of the ground would sing "We're the North Bank, Highbury" and the other would then reply with "We're the Clock End, Highbury." When asked why he liked it so much, Kempner said: 

"Because it takes me back to my childhood and all those many happy Saturdays screaming myself hoarse singing that again and again."

Like all the best chants, it's stuck around—this song can still be heard reverberating around the Emirates Stadium.

Yankee Gunner: Arsenal blogger

Twitter: @YankeeGunner

Favourite chant: 'We won the league at White Hart Lane'

Ian Walton/Getty Images

Arsenal blogger Elliot Smith, AKA Yankee Gunner, was tempted to cite "We've got Cesc Fabregas" as his favourite chant—it's fair to say he's one of many Arsenal fans who would love to see the Catalan schemer back at the Emirates Stadium.

However, in the end, he opted for another reference to Arsenal's Invincibles, specifically their league-securing result at White Hart Lane in April 2004:

"There are lots of great ones to choose from, but I'd have to say my favourite is 'We won the league at White Hart Lane.'

"It manages to celebrate a great Arsenal achievement and a Spurs humiliation in one simple refrain." 

It's difficult to argue with that. It gives Arsenal fans enormous satisfaction to know that they won more Premier League titles on Tottenham Hotspur's ground than their neighbours ever did. Tottenham may have finally finished above Arsenal last season, but Gunners fans will always have the glory and hilarity of 2004.

Raymond Herlihy: REDaction fan group

Twitter: @REDactionAFC

Favourite chant: 'We won the league in Manchester'

Arsenal fan Raymond Herlihy's favourite chant is almost identical to Smith's, except that it celebrates the Premier League win of 2002 at Old Trafford: 

"My greatest day following the Arsenal was at Old Trafford in May 2002. I was too young for Anfield '89, so this was my first taste of winning the league on the ground of a hated rival. 'We won the League in Manchester' is still my all-time favourite chant."

Arsenal fans are lucky to have experienced so many great occasions at rival grounds. Hopefully, they will soon experience similar days that create a number of new chants to join these classics.

James McNicholas is Bleacher Report's lead Arsenal correspondent and follows the club from a London base.