Such a long time for the penny to drop...

[Sultan of Cannock- SRFC]

Having a bit of a sleepless night, i turned on my mp3 player and blinked blearily at the word "nosmoking" appearing on the screen, wondering how the sam hill that got there.

Then Goodbye Nothing To Say by The Javelles feat Nosmo King began to play and the penny suddenly dropped.

I'd first heard this song back in late 1974. I had just been to my first ever live Stafford Rangers game at Martson Road, a 1-0 win against 4th division Stockport in the FA Cup 1st round as we embarked on what the Rothmans Year Book called "an orgy of giantkilling" on the way to the 4th round proper, a feat largely overlooked thanks to a London-based Southern League club. Portugal and Greece had just emerged from military dictatorship. Spain was still under Franco.

It was so simple and right under my nose yet i didn't see the joke back then and it took best part of 37 years until i did. Is there a section in the Guiness Book of Records for this?

OK so most Tinpotters haven't even lived 37 years yet, but has anybody else ever been really slow on the uptake and suddenly realised that things were not quite as they seemed?

[ambersalamander]

Definitely! I will think of a few examples in due course, I expect.

[amberaleman]

I remember the song (although I think it was only a minor hit) and, unlike the Sultan, I was aware of the wordplay in the singer's name at the time. Apparently he saw the 'no smoking' sign in a train carriage and that gave him the idea for a stage name. I dimly recall a smug Radio 1 DJ (possibly Dave Lee Travis) explaining this to listeners.