The song is popular with fans of numerous football clubs in the United Kingdom, including Aston Villa, Sheffield Wednesday, and Wolverhampton Wanderers, where it is often chanted by spectators.
[2][3] Songwriters English and Weiss started writing a song together, with a chorus of "Hi ho silver lining", but no verses.
When producer Mickie Most heard their early version, he suggested that it would be a hit and persuaded English to complete the lyrics.
According to writer and musician Bob Stanley, English wanted to record a finished version of the song himself, so decided to deter Most by writing "the most unusable, stupid lyric he could think up, about flies in pea soup and beach umbrellas".
According to Kate Mossman, writing in the New Statesman, Beck "has likened 'Hi Ho Silver Lining' to having a pink toilet seat hung around your neck for the rest of your life.