"Into the Valley" is a song by Scottish punk rock band Skids, released in 1979 as the second single from their debut album ''

Scared to Dance ''Scared to Dance'' is the debut studio album by Scottish punk rock band Skids. It was released on 23 February 1979 by record label Virgin. Writing Anti-war themes are a recurring motif in the album. There are also a great deal of referenc ...

''. It is their best known song, appearing on a number of punk rock and

Scottish music Scotland is internationally known for its traditional music, which remained vibrant throughout the 20th century and into the 21st, when many traditional forms worldwide lost popularity to pop music. In spite of emigration and a well-developed con ...

compilation albums. It reached number 10 on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

for the week ending 24 March 1979.Official Charts Company - Skids - Into the Valley
/ref> It was written by Richard Jobson and

Stuart Adamson William Stuart Adamson (11 April 1958 – 16 December 2001) was a Scottish rock guitarist and singer. Adamson began his career in the late 1970s as a founding member and performer with the punk rock band Skids. After leaving Skids in 1981, he ...

Background

The song's

lyrics Lyrics are words that make up a song, usually consisting of verses and choruses. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist. The words to an extended musical composition such as an opera are, however, usually known as a "libretto" and their writer ...

are notoriously unintelligible owing to Jobson's diction. This has been sent up in a

television advertisement A television advertisement (also called a television commercial, TV commercial, commercial, spot, television spot, TV spot, advert, television advert, TV advert, television ad, TV ad or simply an ad) is a span of television programming produce ...

for

Maxell , commonly known as Maxell, is a Japanese company that manufactures consumer electronics. The company's name is a contraction of "Maximum capacity dry cell". Its main products are batteries, wireless charging products, storage devices, LCD/lase ...

audio cassettes which features printed (incorrect) "translations" of the words.Skids - "Into The Valley" Maxell advert
/ref> The chorus, often misquoted, is actually "Ahoy! Ahoy! Land, sea and sky". Jobson has said that the lyrics were written about the recruitment of Scottish youths into the army and more specifically about a friend who had been killed whilst on a tour of duty in Northern Ireland.Scotland on Sunday
/ref> Local legend still persists that the valley mentioned is a reference to High Valleyfield, known locally as "the Valley", a village with a reputation for "mini warfare" between its residents and those of nearby towns and villages (namely Torryburn,

Rosyth Rosyth ( gd, Ros Fhìobh, "headland of Fife") is a town on the Firth of Forth, south of the centre of Dunfermline. According to the census of 2011, the town has a population of 13,440. The new town was founded as a Garden city-style subur ...

Oakley Oakley may refer to: Places Antarctica *Oakley Glacier United Kingdom * Oakley, Bedfordshire, England *Oakley, Buckinghamshire, England *Oakley, Dorset, England *Oakley, Fife, Scotland * Oakley, Gloucestershire, England * Oakley, Hampshire, En ...

and

Inverkeithing Inverkeithing ( ; gd, Inbhir Chèitinn) is a port city, port town and parish, in Fife, Scotland, on the Firth of Forth. A town of ancient origin, Inverkeithing was given royal burgh status during the reign of Malcolm IV of Scotland, Malcolm IV ...

), near Skids' home town of Dunfermline. Inspiration may also be the 1971 film '' The Last Valley'', starring

Michael Caine Sir Michael Caine (born Maurice Joseph Micklewhite; 14 March 1933) is an English actor. Known for his distinctive Cockney accent, he has appeared in more than 160 films in a career spanning seven decades, and is considered a British film ico ...

and with a theme scored by John Barry.

Usage in football/media

"Into the Valley" is still used as a

theme song Theme music is a musical composition that is often written specifically for radio programming, television shows, video games, or films and is usually played during the title sequence, opening credits, closing credits, and in some instances at s ...

for fans of Scottish football team

Dunfermline Athletic F.C. Dunfermline Athletic Football Club is a Scottish football club based in the city of Dunfermline, Fife. Founded in 1885, the club currently play in Scottish League One after being relegated from the 2021–22 Scottish Championship. Dunfermline ...

, the local team of the band, and also Charlton Athletic F.C. of the English

Football League Championship The English Football League Championship (often referred to as the Championship for short or the Sky Bet Championship for sponsorship purposes) is the highest division of the English Football League (EFL) and second-highest overall in the E ...

whose stadium is named The Valley. It was also used in their premiership years by Bradford City A.F.C., whose stadium is named Valley Parade. It is also played as the teams come out at the Valley Stadium, home of Redditch United F.C. In 2012, the song was used in a television advertising campaign by the cycle and motoring accessory retailer Halfords.

References

1979 songs 1979 singles Skids (band) songs Virgin Records singles Songs written by Stuart Adamson Songs written by Richard Jobson (television presenter) {{1970s-single-stub