THE WONDER OF YOU
When no-one else can understand me
When everything I do is wrong
You give me hope and consolation
You give me strength to carry on
'The Wonder of You’ by Baker Knight, made famous by Elvis Presley
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A year after moving into Emirates Stadium, Arsenal fans twigged that someone was trying to liven up the pre-match atmosphere with a rendition of “The Wonder of You” by Elvis Presley.
The intention, presumably, was to emulate Liverpool’s use of "You’ll Never Walk Alone” by Jerry and the Pacemakers; an Anfield anthem since the 1960s that simultaneously tugs on the heartstrings and whips the home support into a bit of a frenzy.
In all likelihood, long-standing stadium announcer Paul Burrell, and his occasional assistant Dave Duncan, took matters into their own hands. There’s no evidence to suggest “The Wonder of You” was chosen in consultation with supporters. It just started one day and they kept up the tradition for three years before it faded into obscurity.
In the minutes of a Supporters Forum meeting from September 2016, one attendee asks, “We need a club 'song' - played at [the] start. Whatever happened to 'The Wonder Of You?”
That nobody really noticed it falling off the playlist tells you everything you need to know about the experiment. It didn’t have the desired results.
“I’m glad Elvis is gone,” wrote Arseblog in 2010. “It was such a dreary, contrived load of old bollocks. It was hardly inspirational either.”
To be fair, the song did have its moments.
Prior to the 2009 Champions League semi-final second leg against Manchester United, Arsenal gave supporters flags to wave as Elvis got into his groove. Bedecked in a sea of red and white, the terraces were a sight to behold as fans sang along. Unfortunately, the good vibes were ruthlessly nipped in the bud by the visitors who scored twice inside the opening 11 minutes to kill off any hopes of a shot at European glory.
As lyrics go, “You give me hope and consolation” didn’t exactly fit the bill that night. Perhaps we can blame Kieran Gibbs’ dodgy studs for the death of Elvis.
The one man who seems to have good memories of the song is Wenger. Invited to be a guest on the BBC’s Desert Island Discs in 2020 he included “The Wonder of You” as one of his eight choices.
Reflecting on how many times he’s listened to it, he said: “It's many games, many suffering, many sleepless nights, and many happy days as well, I must say.”