A song for Rose Reilly by Lynnie Carson: Singer-songwriter Lynnie Carson on her song about the Scottish footballing legend, the subject of a new play
We were delighted when our pal, singer-songwriter Lynnie Carson, got in touch to tell us about writing a song for a new play, Rose about the Scottish footballing legend Rose Reilly.
Rose written by Lorna Martin, directed by Maureen Carr, with Christina Strachan as Rose opens at Oran Mor in Glasgow on Monday September 13th as part of A Play, a Pie and a Pint’s Autumn season. Based on real life, Rose tells the incredible, uplifting and inspiring story of an underdog, working-class teenager from Ayrshire who refused to play by society’s discriminatory rules, and who overcame numerous obstacles, including a lifetime ban in her home country, to become a professional footballer in Italy who was voted the greatest female footballer in the world.
Thanks to Lynnie for sitting down to chat with us:
Tell us about Rose Reilly? I first heard about Rose and her trailblazing friends like Edna Neillis and Elsie Cook around 2019 when the women’s team made history reaching the World Cup. I couldn’t believe Scotland already had a World Cup winner and that as a female player I had never heard of her. Why were we not told about her? Why were her achievements not held up as an example of what a woman could do in the sport? I think the play covers why very well.
How did you become involved? I was asked by Mo Carr who I met through female comedy troupe Witsherface which she started. We always got on so well and I was stoked when she agreed to appear in the video for my World Cup song ‘We Have Your Back’. I wrote the song to celebrate the SWNT qualifying for their first ever world cup.
You play football don’t you? I have always been a massive football fan and would watch anything from the Champions League final to a game of 5’s down the local park. A group of female friends and I still play 7’s every Thursday at Toryglen and follow both the men’s and women’s international teams around the world.
Where did you record the single? Rose is the most rock’n’roll character you could ever meet so when I was asked to write a song to honour her I knew I wanted it to be big guitars and drums and have an anthemic feel. With the guitar of Eric Lindsey (formerly Whiteout) and Thrum’s Johnny Smillie at the desk I knew that going to La Chunky studios in Glasgow’s west end would give us the sound we were looking for. It was recorded in a few takes one Saturday afternoon with John McLelland on drums and John Kelly on bass and will be released digitally later this month.
Rose opens at Oran Mor on Monday 13th September -– Saturday 18th September
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