Music and football more or less go hand-in-hand. Stadium speakers routinely blast player’s ‘theme songs’ and they are also used to build up excitement in the crowd, and that’s not including down-n-dirty chants from the bleachers. From the mind-numbing collaboration between Kid Rock, Aerosmith, and Britney Spears all the way to
Janet Jackson and
Justin Timberlake’s fateful wardrobe malfunction, music has become virtually inseparable from the sports it is meant to enhance.
Given the importance and popularity that modern music shares with modern sports, here is a compilation of what well might be the most popular soccer songs. Keeping in mind if you were to go and search ‘football songs’ on a search engine, you’d undoubtedly come up with links to soccer websites displaying favorite club chants. While that’s all good and fine, these are songs that you associate with professional football.
‘We Will Rock You’/’We Are the Champions’ Queen
What really needs to be said about these two songs? Segued together on Queen’s seminal News of the World, these songs have come to epitomize major sporting events. The first song is the ‘get-the-crowd-amped’ number; the second is the victor’s hymn of triumph. Who could ask for more?
The Lightning Seeds, ‘Three Lions’
One of the most popular football songs to ever come out of England. Perhaps the song resonated with the British public so deeply because it addressed the ongoing disappointment among English footie fans still waiting for their team's big, long-overdue comeback. The overall vibe of this song, however, is hopeful and optimistic, and so this song remains an international favorite to this day.
Fat Les, ‘Vindaloo’
Fat Les was actually a fictional joke side project with a lineup that was no joke at all — Blur’s Alex James, famous artist Damien Hirst, and singer
Lily Allen’s father, comedian
Keith Allen. In 1998 Fat Les came up with their own unofficial World Cup theme, ‘Vindaloo,’ then upped the comedy even further by parodying the Verve’s ‘Bitter Sweet Symphony’ in the song's video. It was winning formula, indeed. The single went to number two in the U.K. chart.
Nelly Furtado, ‘Forca’
This wasn’t specifically a World Cup song, but as the official anthem of the 2004 European Football Championship, ‘Forca’ perfectly captured the sport’s feeling of glory and global unity.
K’naan, ‘Wavin’ Flag’
Now here’s an irresistibly triumphant anthem, seemingly ready-made for stadium shoutalongs. It's no wonder it was chosen as an official song of a cola company for this World Cup, with various ‘Celebration Mixes’ recorded with different artists (David Guetta, will.i.am, David Bisbal, et al) and in different languages. Clearly this winning song has international appeal.
Weezer, ‘Represent’
American band Weezer got in the spirit for the good old U-S-of-A, giving away free downloads of their own U.S. soccer team theme during the World Cup’s kickoff week.