Derek Wood

Nearly half a century ago an African-American recorded a song that was to define not only his career, but also Music in general. The song itself had already been rejected by Tony Bennett, one of the top singers of the time. In hindsight, it probably turned out to have been a very bad decision by Bennett. Anyway, the song was referred to an ageing 66 year old jazz musician who eagerly agreed to record the song. The musician was Louis Armstrong and the song was entitled “What a Wonderful World”. Over the decades since it was released it has become a beacon of hope for the future, as well as being a staple song at weddings during the father and bride dance. With lyrics such as:

“I see trees of green, red roses too. I see them bloom for me and you. And I think to myself what a Wonderful World”.

It is easy to see the positiveness in the song. A song of hope, of a bright future and of the things in life that we take for granted but ultimately we should be thankful for. Indeed, from a certain angle it could be seen to be a very spiritual type of song. However, I have recently been wondering if in fact it is quite the opposite. If we look at the era in which it was released it could be deemed to be a very sarcastic take on society. Let me explain further.

Firstly, a very Happy New Year to all the supporters of Ebbsfleet United and Dartford. Here’s hoping that 2013 is a fantastic year, not only for you personally, but also for both of our North Kent clubs. I also hope that you didn’t all get too merry last night, especially when the clock struck twelve!

The Festive Season is certainly one that involves an abundance of food, drink, family time and relaxation. It is also fair to say that the Boxing Day and New Year’s Day football matches are part of that tradition too. Nothing beats getting away from the house to go to the local football ground to support your team to a win.

Before I go any further, please spare a thought for me. I have had to spend Christmas and the New Year here in Australia. As you can imagine it is a tough life that I lead, especially when the sun is shining and the temperature is hovering around the 30C mark! Wearing t-shirts and shorts all the time also becomes quite boring too! Oh, and I won’t mention the New Year’s Eve fireworks…