BEXLEYHEATH: England's Shakespeare-inspired World Cup song (From News Shopper)

BEXLEYHEATH: England's Shakespeare-inspired World Cup song

8:50am Thursday 4th February 2010 in

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A BEXLEY businessman with three lions on his shirt is hoping a song with echoes of Shakespeare in its title will become a smash hit for this year’s football World Cup.

Former DJ and football fan Richard Edwin, 40, hopes to go down in history as the first black writer and singer of a successful England football song.

He says his anthem, To Be Or Not To Be, echoes the hopes and expectations of England football fans as they set off fo the competition in South Africa in June.

Mr Edwin explained: “Part of the song says we will win the World Cup, while another section accepts we won’t.“ And he has high hopes it will blow rival England songs out of the charts.

Mr Edwin runs a games software shop, Game Raiders in Lion Road, Bexleyheath and on Monday night he was in the bar of his local, the Golden Lion in Bexleyheath Broadway, recording the video which will accompany the song.

Joining him in the song’s chorus were pals from Mr Edwin’s footballing days including from Charlton and Milwall football clubs, as well as friends and family.

He said: “Everyone has said they enjoy it.

“It is a good catchy singalong song and all the crowd can sing the chorus.”

Mr Edwin, who lives in The Spinney in Swanley, said he also hopes the song will be adopted by people who have not got a team playing in the competition, but who support the England team’s efforts.

He added: “I don’t just want to grip English people, I want to grip everyone.”

Mr Edwin’s footballing days go back 30 years.

He said: “This is the first year I have not played any football.

“I was also manager at Erith Town FC and I am now a scout for them.”

He has also been working with Charlton Athletic on its Kick Racism out of Football campaign.

Mr Edwin worked for the charity Action for children and in return, the charity did the filming for the song’s video.

He is also giving the charity half the profits from sales.

The song has already been recorded and the video will now be edited with the aim of putting the CD on sale at the beginning on March.

It will also be uploaded to social networking sites such as Twitter and YouTube.

Mr Edwin said: “I will also be sending the CD to 21 radio stations and entering it in the talkSPORT World Cup song competition.”

Click here to listen to Mr Edwin's World Cup song