Kirsty MacColl – England 2 Colombia 0 - 2000

Kirsty MacColl was the daughter of folk singer Ewan MacColl and released five albums from 1981 to 2000. This song, England 2 Colombia 0 comes from her last album Tropical Brainstorm.

Unfortunately Kirsty was killed while swimming in Mexico in tragic circumstances, and I have often thought that her early death was a great loss to music, she was only 41.

So what makes Kirsty so special? It’s not the Latin rhythms on this album, which can be found by more authentic artists, nor is it her vocals, which are excellent, it’s her lyrics.

On this song she has managed to combine how the Colombians must have felt when their national team lost to England, with the story of a girl who was deceived with promises of love by a married man. The whole album has lyrics of a similar quality and if you like this, I recommend you listen to the whole album. There is a feminist edge to the lyrics, but it is done in a way that cannot be taken too seriously and in one song on the album, she talks about lust from a woman’s perspective. I’ll leave you to find the song on the album!

Dave Moore