James Corden praises Hibs rendition of Sunshine on Leith

COMEDIAN James Corden has shared a clip online showing jubilant Hibs fans belting out a rendition of adopted club anthem Sunshine on Leith.
James Corden has Tweeted a clip of Hibs fans singing Sunshine on Leith. Main picture: Andrew O'BrienJames Corden has Tweeted a clip of Hibs fans singing Sunshine on Leith. Main picture: Andrew O'Brien
James Corden has Tweeted a clip of Hibs fans singing Sunshine on Leith. Main picture: Andrew O'Brien

Tweeting this morning to his 10.2 million Twitter followers, the English comic, now a major star in the US as host of The Late Late Show with James Corden, shared a YouTube clip showing Hibs fans singing along with the Proclaimers tune at Hampden Park in 2016.

The mass sing-along took place following Hibs’ historic 3-2 Scottish Cup Final victory against Rangers.

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A last gasp header from David Gray saw the Hibees lift the coveted trophy for the first time since 1902, sparking wild celebrations among the Easter Road faithful.

Corden, a well-known supporter of West Ham United, wrote: “This is beautiful. Just beautiful. Sunshine on Leith sung by 50000 wonderful people”.

The Tweet was quickly spotted by Hibs’ official Twitter account and promptly retweeted to tens of thousands of dedicated Hibees.

At the time of writing, the online tribute has been retweeted more than a thousand timess and has received almost four thousand likes.

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While many of Jame’s Twitter followers were unfamiliar with the team, song and occasion, the post appeared to be going down well. Follower @c_schneeflocke wrote, “no idea what’s even happening here but i love it!”.

However, some were quick to point out that the Tweet was factually incorrect, noting that Hampden was far short of its 52,000 capacity at the time due to the majority of Rangers fans having already deserted the ground. Corden follower @markwmunro wrote: “Good rendition or not James check your maths”.

This morning’s praise from James Corden’s is not the first time that a world-famous West Ham-supporting English comedian has publicly praised Hibs and their fans after a cup success.

On 14 April 2013, a day after Hibernian had booked themselves a place in the Scottish Cup Final with a tense 4-3 semi-final win over Falkirk, Russell Brand Tweeted: “Congratulations Hibernian. Great team, cool fans”.

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Written by Proclaimers pair and devoted Hibees Craig and Charlie Reid, Sunshine on Leith appeared on the 1988 album of the same name.

Not surprisingly, with their beloved club’s strong ties to Leith, the song proved an instant hit with Hibs fans and was quickly adopted as an unofficial club anthem.

It is not uncommon to hear Sunshine on Leith blasting out the tannoy system when Hibs are at home.

In 2013 the song inspired the title of a feature-length musical, also entitled Sunshine on Leith. The film centred around the fortunes of soldiers Davy and Ally, who were learning how to readapt to life in Edinburgh following active service in Afghanistan.

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Sunshine on Leith has appeared on the BBC’s Desert Island Discs on a couple of occasions. Judy Murray and Nick Park both citing it among their all-time favourite tracks.

Hibs’ Scottish Cup win in 2016 brought a well-documented 114-year hoodoo to an abrupt end.

The day was tainted slightly, however, when hundreds of fans raced on to the pitch at the final whistle.

Sad scenes saw a hooligan minority pick fights with opposition supporters and players as well as ripping up turf and pulling down goal posts.

To date, Police Scotland have made 150 arrests in connection with the trouble on the Hampden pitch. A number of supporters of both teams have been issued with banning orders.