"Into the Valley" is a song by Scottish punk rock band

Skids __NOTOC__ Skid or Skids may refer to: * Skid, a type of pallet * Skid (aerodynamics), an outward side-slip in an aircraft turn * Skid (automobile), an automobile handling condition where one or more tires are slipping relative to the road * Skid, ...

, released in 1979 as the second

single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...

from their debut album '' Scared to Dance''. It is their best known song, appearing on a number of punk rock and Scottish music

compilation album A compilation album comprises Album#Tracks, tracks, which may be previously released or unreleased, usually from several separate recordings by either one or several Performing arts#Performers, performers. If by one artist, then generally the tr ...

s. It reached number 10 on the UK Singles Chart for the week ending 24 March 1979.Official Charts Company - Skids - Into the Valley
/ref> It was written by Richard Jobson and Stuart Adamson.

Background

The song's lyrics are notoriously unintelligible owing to Jobson's diction. This has been sent up in a television advertisement for Maxell

audio cassettes The Compact Cassette or Musicassette (MC), also commonly called the tape cassette, cassette tape, audio cassette, or simply tape or cassette, is an analog magnetic tape recording format for audio recording and playback. Invented by Lou Ottens ...

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 Valleyfield consists of High Valleyfield and Low Valleyfield which are neighbouring villages in Fife, Scotland, midway between Dunfermline and Kincardine-on-Forth. Low Valleyfield is on the shore of the Firth of Forth, High Valleyfield on the ...

, 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 Torryburn (previously called Torry/ Torrie) is a village and parish in Fife, Scotland, lying on the north shore of the Firth of Forth. It is one of a number of old port communities on this coast and at one point served as port for Dunfermline. It ...

, Rosyth, Oakley and Inverkeithing), near Skids' home town of Dunfermline. Inspiration may also be the 1971 film ''

The Last Valley The Last Valley may refer to: * ''The Last Valley'' (novel), an historical novel about the Thirty Years' War ** ''The Last Valley'' (film), a 1971 film adaptation of the novel directed by James Clavell {{DEFAULTSORT:Last Valley, The ...

'', starring Michael Caine and with a theme scored by John Barry.

Usage in football/media

"Into the Valley" is still used as a theme song 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. Charlton Athletic Football Club is an English professional football club based in Charlton, south-east London, which compete in . Their home ground is The Valley, where the club have played since 1919. They have also played at The Mount in 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 En ...

whose stadium is named The Valley. It was also used in their premiership years by

Bradford City A.F.C. Bradford City Association Football Club is an English professional football club in Bradford, West Yorkshire. The team competes in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system and are currently managed by Mark Hughes. Th ...

, 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. Redditch United Football Club is an English football club based in Redditch, Worcestershire. The club participates in the and play their home games at the V Trico Stadium. They are managed by former Captain and Assistant Manager Matt Clarke. ...

In 2012, the song was used in a television advertising campaign by the cycle and motoring accessory retailer Halfords. In February 2024, a rewritten version of the song was used in a television advertising campaign for British

organic Organic may refer to: * Organic, of or relating to an organism, a living entity * Organic, of or relating to an anatomical organ Chemistry * Organic matter, matter that has come from a once-living organism, is capable of decay or is the product ...

dairy A dairy is a business enterprise established for the harvesting or processing (or both) of animal milk – mostly from cows or buffaloes, but also from goats, sheep, horses, or camels – for human consumption. A dairy is typically located on ...

company Yeo Valley.

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