You hear the word ‘classic’ bandied about a lot but Express Yourself is a solid-gold soul and funk classic of the first order.

Its sound, style and lyrics are synonymous with the joyful feeling of freedom. They should play it in the England team’s dressing room before kick-off tonight.

One of the great funk groups of the late Sixties and early Seventies, the eight-member Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band was recruited from the black ghetto of Watts in Los Angeles by Charles Wright.

A Mississippi-born singer, pianist and guitarist, Wright had moved to LA in the early Fifties to play in a series of doo-wop groups, as well as a stint as a record company talent scout.

In 1962 he formed his first group, Charles Wright & The Wright Sounds, whose members included Daryl Dragon – later to become the “Captain” in Captain & Tennille.

Their break came when Bill Cosby recruited them to back him on an album, and live tour, the exposure earning them a deal with Warner Bros.

Over the next eight years Wright added more members (and changed their name), aiming to be the missing link between Otis Redding and James Brown.
They had a string of hits before disbanding in 1973, none of them better than this.

Express Yourself is one of the most sampled funk tracks in hip hop and rap, most notably by N.W.A. on their 1988 debut album Straight Outta Compton, performed solo by Dr Dre, and, soon after the release of the original, in a rocksteady style by reggae greats The Heptones, also performed solo (I think) by Leroy Sibbles.