Why Wonderwall has become England's World Cup anthem

Author and broadcaster PJ Harrison, who last year released the biography Gallagher: The Rise and Fall of Oasis, finds the process of pop songs being adopted by football fans fascinating.

In the 1960s, the Evertonian tells BBC News, there was a tradition for fans simply singing pop hits of the day.

He thinks what is happening now with England and Wonderwall could not have been contrived.

"You have the long lifespan of Wonderwall, then you have the renewed interest with the tour," he notes. "And obviously, if you've got to put one song on from that tour, that fits.

"Then it's just a case of the DJ having the situational awareness to think, 'This is the song for the moment', put it on and everybody just embrace it."

He adds: "Once it takes root and it becomes melded to an emotional moment, like winning a first World Cup game, it just takes on this emotional life and quickly gathers an immediate nostalgia."

As for the song itself, Noel told Uncut magazine around the time of its release that it was a musical love letter to his then-wife Meg Mathews. But he subsequently changed his story, telling Q Magazine it was about "an imaginary friend who's going to come and save you from yourself".

The ambiguity in the lyrics allied to the familiar, easy melody, Harrison believes, allows fans to "express an outpouring of love without necessarily specifying what it's towards".

"What is a Wonderwall? I'm not really sure what it is but I can sing about it and it can be whatever I think it is," says the former Plymouth Argyle director and co-founder of the LA-based City of Angels FC.

"If I think it's Jude Bellingham or if I think it's England winning, it can be that, or it could be my girlfriend or whatever."

Unlike some of the other more upbeat, hopeful England songs, he feels the reflective nature of Wonderwall means it "would also still work in consolation if the team get knocked out".

The term Wonderwall is originally taken from the psychedelic and surreal 1968 film of the same name.

It stars Jane Birkin as the object of obsession for a man who lives next door, slowly making holes in his wall so he can watch her through it (not creepy at all).

George Harrison provided the soundtrack - the first solo album by a Beatle - which is where avid record collector Noel came across it.

The original working title for his tune had been Wishing Stone, but a smart tweak to the lyrics resulted in his best-selling song - millions of records and billions of streams - and probably paid for his swimming pool.

Louder Than War writer and Membranes musician John Robb, who also released an Oasis book last year titled Live Forever: The Rise, Fall And Resurrection Of Oasis, tells us Wonderwall is the perfect song for football fans due to it's heady mix of "euphoria" and "melancholy".

"There's something really melancholic about being a football fan because any second you're about to lose but any second you're about to win," says the Blackpool supporter.

"The song captures both - it's the perfect football song."

He continues: "It has that thing where you can sing along to it but it's got that undertone of sadness, it's also got that lift in the chorus."

Although not written as a football song, Noel has spoken of the influence of his time spent on the terraces at the old Maine Road watching Manchester City on his songwriting, Robb recalls.

"Football is about community and camaraderie and everybody being together in the moment, and those kinds of songs are perfect for it," he adds.

"The ultimate choir is a football terrace, because it's a lot of people who can't really sing, singing together and in harmony.

"That's quite a beautiful thing."