Tubthumping - Chumbawamba

Tubthumping, sometimes known as "I get knocked down", which is the leading lyric, is by the anarchist punk musical collective Chumbawamba. An album track, it was released as a single that came out in 1997. It charted highly not only in the UK but also in the US, Australia and Italy. It is difficult to be sure exactly what it is about, if anything, but it is all in there - a good tune or set of tunes; a football anthem chorus ("We'll be singing when we're winning"); a pleasant girl singer; a nice beat; little jokes (Danny Boy, Danny Boy); some classical music (Jeremiah Clarke's Prince of Denmark's March and the trumpet voluntary on what sounds like a trumpet); a controversial word easily altered for radio airplay; a positive message with an underlying tone of sadness, etc. Some have found the song annoying but for pop music, it is pretty good stuff. The lyrics are so minimalist you can make what you like of them (another useful quality in successful pop songs) and the band has changed them from time to time as they have espoused different causes. The album version of the song opens with a sample of a monologue performed by Pete Postlethwaite in the 1996 film "Brassed off": "Truth is, I thought it mattered; I thought that music mattered. But does it bollocks! Not compared to how people matter." There are various remixes and covers.