Some of snooker’s top stars of the 1980s have recalled their part in an “embarrassing” Chas & Dave pop video to help showcase the sport.
The Romford Rap was snooker’s second biggest music record in the 1980s under the infamous Matchroom Mob brand, which saw some of the best players of the 1980s turned into celebrities.
Led and managed by snooker supremo Barry Hearn, players such as Steve Davis, Dennis Taylor, Tony Meo, Willie Thorne and Terry Griffiths enjoyed huge success by singing with cockney duo Chas & Dave in the pop hit “Snooker Loopy” – which is still well remembered today.
A year or so later, the players again turned their attentions away from the baize to the music scene. The Romford Rap essentially told the basics of snooker using rhyming slang.
The catchy lyrics are confusing as a first listen and you need to hear it a few times to get the gist of the song. Players and female dancers each dressed in different colours, symbolising snooker balls.
Neal Foulds recently told Stephen Hendry’s Cue Tips show how he felt about his involvement with the pop video more than 25 years later.
“I drew the short straw,” he said. “I had to wear a yellow suit.
“We came from China in the morning and shot the video – I can’t believe I am saying that.
“It’s totally embarrassing. I can’t look back at it now at some of those things I’ve done.”
‘Jimmy White looked miserable’
An episode from the BBC series Gods of Snooker mentions the Chas and Dave pop video. It explains how new Matchroom Mob member Jimmy White appeared embarrassed during the dancing parts.
Hearn told the BBC documentary: “It’s the only time I’ve seen a miserable face on Jimmy White. He was embarrassed to be part of something which was so naff. It wasn’t where he came from – but he did it.”
White said: “He (Hearn) was just trying to make more money because Snooker Loopy had done it. It was a shocking record.”
Sadly, The Romford Rap didn’t quite pot its way to chart success. Only reaching 91 in the charts compared to Snooker Loopy’s peak position of 6.
Dennis Taylor joked on Gods of Snooker: “It only got to number 91 and it meant we didn’t have to do another record.”
