England fans surprised to learn how much David Baddiel and Frank Skinner earn from ‘Three Lions’
The beloved song Three Lions, created by David Baddiel, Frank Skinner, and The Lightning Seeds, is still a huge favorite even 30 years after it first came out. But you might be surprised by how little money they actually make from it.
This song became an anthem during Euro 1996, giving fans hope that England would finally win an international tournament. Spoiler alert: we’re still waiting for that win! Even after all these years—now 60 years of waiting—Three Lions, along with the popular World in Motion, remains the go-to England anthem for every big tournament, including this year’s World Cup in North America.
Though the song is still downloaded a lot, the money Baddiel, Skinner, and The Lightning Seeds earn from it isn’t as much as you’d expect. This is mostly because of how streaming platforms like Spotify and YouTube have changed how people listen to music.
In a 2024 interview with the Mirror, Baddiel said, “When the song first came out, it brought us a good amount of money. But since Spotify became popular, it hasn’t made us much. For example, during the 2018 World Cup game against Colombia, it was downloaded 4 million times, but we only earned £1,200 from Spotify for that.” The Mirror also reported that the trio earn just 0.003p every time the song is downloaded on streaming platforms.
Baddiel, who is also a Chelsea fan, has explained that back before Spotify, the song was a platinum hit and the money they made was much better. Talking to Chris Moyles in 2020, he said, “Whenever England does well and the song gets popular again, some people get cynical about how much we earn. I wish they knew how little Spotify actually pays. I read a newspaper saying the song was downloaded about 16 million times at the England vs Colombia game, and that only brought us about £900 between the three of us.”
Before the song was officially released in 1996, there was some concern over a lyric mentioning “Butcher at war,” referring to defender Terry Butcher. The FA didn’t like this line because they thought it might encourage bad behavior, so the lyrics were changed to “that tackle by Moore.”
In 2022, when rumors spread that the song might be dropped, the FA made it clear they still love Three Lions. They said, “The FA still plays Three Lions at major matches at Wembley and never planned to stop. The song belongs to the fans and is all about the hope of following the England team.”