Chelsea Dagger

"Chelsea Dagger"
Single by the Fratellis
from the album Costello Music
B-side
  • "The Pimp"
  • "Dirty Barry Stole the Bluebird"
Released28 August 2006 (2006-08-28)[1]
GenreIndie rock, garage rock, arena rock[2]
Length3:35
LabelFallout
Songwriter(s)Jon Fratelli
Producer(s)Tony Hoffer
The Fratellis singles chronology
"Henrietta"
(2006) 		"Chelsea Dagger"
(2006) 		"Whistle for the Choir"
(2006)

"Chelsea Dagger" is a song by Scottish rock band the Fratellis. It was released as the second single from their debut studio album, Costello Music (2006), on 28 August 2006. It is named after Jon Fratelli's wife Heather, a burlesque dancer whose stage name is a play on Britney Spears.[3][4] Fratelli described the tune as "a rock 'n' roll gig in an old speakeasy or something like that."[2]

This song was number 77 on Rolling Stone's list of the 100 Best Songs of 2007.[5] "Chelsea Dagger" has become notable for its usage in sports. It has also been featured in adverts for Amstel Light and KitKat, the films Run Fatboy Run and Pitch Perfect, a trailer to Shrek the Third, a TV spot for Open Season, an episode of The Inbetweeners, as well as the video games Burnout Dominator and Guitar Hero: On Tour Modern Hits.[6][7] The song peaked at number 2 on the Scottish Singles Chart and number 5 on the UK Singles Chart and was certified triple platinum by the British Phonographic Industry in 2024.

Track listing

CD single, 12-inch "Lady-Shaped" vinyl
No.TitleLength
1."Chelsea Dagger" 
2."Dirty Barry Stole the Bluebird" 
8-inch coloured vinyl
No.TitleLength
1."Chelsea Dagger" 
2."The Pimp" 

Usage in sports

"Chelsea Dagger" is used heavily as a sports anthem. The first team to adopt it was Celtic, for whom the Fratellis are supporters.[7] It is also used by other football teams such as Perth Glory, Major League Soccer franchise Montreal Impact and Cercle Brugge when a goal is scored, while Italian club Juventus used it for more than 8 years and 500 goals, until 15 December 2019. Currently Sporting Clube de Portugal also use it too. New Zealand club Wellington Phoenix also play the song after every victory by their team.

Outside football, it is best known as the goal song of the National Hockey League's Chicago Blackhawks, first used in the 2008–09 NHL season.[8] The song became a sensation during the Blackhawks' first Stanley Cup run in 49 years in 2010.[2] The song was then adopted by the entire Blackhawks' minor league system, as the Rockford IceHogs (AHL) and Indy Fuel (ECHL) clubs.

During the Blackhawks' successful run to the 2013 Stanley Cup, Chicago Symphony Orchestra conductor Riccardo Muti arranged an orchestral version of the song that was performed after the victory, and again after the Blackhawks' 2015 Stanley Cup win.[9][10] The song was also ranked "best goal song in NHL" by Sports Illustrated.[11][12] The Vancouver Canucks, who had lost to the 'Hawks in previous years in the playoffs, used the song after Alexandre Burrows scored in overtime in Game 7 of their 2011 series with Chicago.[13]

The success of the Blackhawks has led "Chelsea Dagger" to be adopted as a goal song by the University of North Dakota, as well as the Pensacola Ice Flyers and the Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs of the SPHL among others. This song is played during Professional Darts Corporation matches shown on ITV4 and at the Hong Kong Sevens.[14] The song is also played after every try scored at European Championship home games of the Leinster Rugby club in the RDS Dublin Ireland. It was also a favorite of the now defunct LSUA Rugby Club which made a Championship run in each of its seasons in NSCRO.

It is also used by the Georgia Swarm of the National Lacrosse League after the team scores a goal at all home games. While the song is played, fans hold their arms out in the air and move them up and down, similar to that of cartoon character Johnny Bravo. This also occurs at the home games of the Brisbane Broncos rugby league team.

The song has been regularly played during ITV4's coverage of the PDC darts events. Sky Sports had popularised the use of "Chase the Sun" by Planet Funk as 'the darts song', but when ITV4 picked up the rights to certain tournaments, they opted instead to use "Chelsea Dagger" for their intros and outros.[15]

It is also used by Oldham RLFC of the RFL League 1 after the team scores a try at all home games. While the song is played, fans hold their arms out in the air and move them up and down, similar to that of cartoon character Johnny Bravo.

Charts

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Italy (FIMI)[28] Gold 50,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[29] 3× Platinum 1,800,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ "Reviews: Singles". Music Week. 19 August 2006. p. 18.
  2. ^ a b c Ruppenthal, Alex (28 May 2010). "'Chelsea Dagger' has become the song of the spring for Chicago Blackhawks fans". ESPN.com.
  3. ^ "One For The Dagger". Scotsman.com. 25 August 2008. Archived from the original on 16 October 2014. Retrieved 6 October 2014.
  4. ^ Sullivan, Caroline (26 June 2008). "'We don't want to be a pop band'". The Guardian.
  5. ^ "The 100 Best Songs of 2007". Rolling Stone. 11 December 2007. Archived from the original on 15 December 2007. Retrieved 6 June 2012.
  6. ^ "Trailer Music: Open Season (2006)". www.soundtrack.net. Retrieved 23 November 2018.
  7. ^ a b Caro, Mark (21 May 2009). "Thank Scottish rockers for Blackhawks song". chicagotribune.com. Archived from the original on 20 June 2015.
  8. ^ Allen, Kevin (13 May 2009). "Blackhawks score with catchy tune 'Chelsea Dagger'". Chicago Sun-Times. Archived from the original on 16 May 2009.
  9. ^ Chelsea Dagger - CSO and Riccardo Muti. 19 June 2015 – via YouTube.
  10. ^ CSO Salutes the Blackhawks with Chelsea Dagger Goal Song. 19 June 2013. Archived from the original on 19 December 2021 – via YouTube.
  11. ^ "Chelsea Dagger Ranked Best Goal Song in NHL". MyFoxChicago.com. Archived from the original on 23 October 2014. Retrieved 23 October 2014.
  12. ^ Allan, Muir (17 October 2014). "Ranking all 30 NHL teams' goal songs". Sports Illustrated.
  13. ^ Canada Owns Hockey. "Alex Burrows slays the dragon (CBC)". YouTube. Retrieved 9 November 2024.
  14. ^ 2015 Japan Darts Masters - Peter Wright & Haruki Muramatsu. 27 June 2015. Archived from the original on 19 December 2021 – via YouTube.
  15. ^ "Frequently Asked Questions". 15 March 2007.
  16. ^ "The Fratellis – Chelsea Dagger" (in Dutch). Ultratip. Retrieved 6 September 2016.
  17. ^ "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select 22. týden 2007 in the date selector. Retrieved 5 January 2022.
  18. ^ "Irish-charts.com – Discography The Fratellis". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 15 January 2020.
  19. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 9, 2007" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  20. ^ "The Fratellis – Chelsea Dagger" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 6 September 2016.
  21. ^ "The Fratellis – Chelsea Dagger". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 6 September 2016.
  22. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 19 September 2016.
  23. ^ "Fratellis: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 1 December 2020.
  24. ^ "End of Year Singles Chart Top 100 – 2006". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 4 September 2018.
  25. ^ "Top 100–Jaaroverzicht van 2007". Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  26. ^ "Jaaroverzichten – Single 2007" (in Dutch). MegaCharts. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  27. ^ "The Official UK Singles Chart 2007" (PDF). UKChartsPlus. Retrieved 4 September 2018.
  28. ^ "Italian single certifications – Fratellis – Chelsea Dagger" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved 30 September 2024.
  29. ^ "British single certifications – Fratellis – Chelsea Dagger". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 9 October 2024.