World Cup Songs
Even though the World Cup 2010 is now over, the music of the World Cup continues to grow on people’s mind. Every four years football fans are treated to a deluge of songs, all promoting the spectacle of football, sportsman spirit and the thrill of competing. This year we saw many songs that were very popular hitting the charts. First off was Akon's Oh Africa, then came the very popular Wavin Flag by K’naan, then we had Sign of Victory by R Kelly and finally the most popular song of the World Cup; Waka Waka by Shakira. There is something about these offerings that make people stand up and take notice.
Over the years there have been some very poor efforts in regards to World Cup songs but then there have been some excellent ones as well. There are two main points to a World Cup song; firstly it is meant to promote the event that is about to take place and get people interested in it. The second reason is to inspire players and fans alike to perform their best on the pitch and off the pitch. Usually the lyric of the song reflects this mood as well. The lyrics are full of words like believe, struggle, perform, best effort, fight, never give up and many other inspirational messages. Sometimes the singer and songwriters get it spot on and sometimes they get it horribly wrong.
What is interesting about the songs of the World Cup is the fact that even though they are meant to be used solely for the event, the very popular ones become chart toppers as well. The history of having a theme song for the World Cup actually started in 1978, when the first official theme song was chosen and composed. A lot of places and sources claim that the best World Cup song of all time was the 1998 song by Ricky Martin; La Copa de la Vida. The reason that this song was so popular was that it was very catchy, had a great beat, was peppy and had a strong multicultural aspect to it. Ricky Martin sang in Spanish, English and French in the song. It fitted in nicely with the overall theme of the World Cup and football in general of being a multicultural sport.
Shakira's song for the 2010 World Cup was similar to Ricky Martin's number. It is very catchy, has a great beat, is great to sing along to and is sung in different languages as well. The fiery Columbian can be heard singing in Spanish, English and African. The song has not only been very popular during the World Cup but it has also become a chart favourite as well in the last few weeks. Everything did not go smoothly for the song though. A lot of South Africans were not happy that the song was the official theme for a South African World Cup and it was being sung by a non African singer. Others did not mind too much though and the song became a hit in South Africa and around the world.
The most interesting part about the songs of the World Cup are the ones that are not official and are made in basements and by non commissioned artists from all over the world. One of the best non official songs of a World Cup was Elvis' A little less conversation that was remixed and featured in a Nike ad before the 2002 tournament began. Most football fans can probably remember that song as opposed to the forgettable official song.
Every tournament to come after this one will have an official theme song. What is interesting to think is what will be on offer for the 2014 World Cup, which is going to be held in one of the most musical and creative places on Earth; Brazil. Whatever it is, if it is catchy, invokes a sense of pride and fulfilling potential while being sung in many different languages, it might just take the crown from Ricky Martin's great song from 1998. The official song of the World Cup is one of the most interesting aspects of the whole tournament, after football of course.
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