ADITI SARAWAGI
Popular Sports
Anthems' of All Time
The one thing which is common between sports and
music is the fact that sports unites fans across the globe
as does music. Music in turn unites sports fans all
over too. There is something in the energy fans create
when hundreds and thousands of fans chant a single
anthem. It not only unites them with the single thread
of common anthem which each one of them knows, but
also boosts the sportspersons’ morale on the field. the charts in many countries around the world. Forca
by Nelly Furtado was chosen as the official anthem
of the 2004 European Football Championship held in
Portugal after gaining lot of positive traction by music
critics. The Time of Our Lives by Il Divo and Toni
Braxton became the official theme song for the 2006
FIFA World Cup and became one of the top ten songs in
Europe at the time.
Football has no dearth of popular anthems, and a gem
of a song is The Final Countdown released in 1986 by
Swedish band Europe. When it comes to unforgettable
music, AC/DC cannot be far behind. The song
Thunderstruck is nothing short of iconic and brings
an electric energy to any setting where it’s played.
The song has been playing regularly in stadiums and
numerous basketball games since its release in 1990.
Another all-time favourite is the 1982 Billboard number
one, Eye of the Tiger by Survivor. Initially released as
the theme song for Rocky III, it has come to become the
greatest sports anthem across generations, selling more
than nine million copies worldwide. Another football favourite is Wavin' Flag by Somali-
Canadian artist K'naan from his album Troubadour.
The song was originally written to inspire people for
Somalia’s freedom and was a major hit in Canada. The
song was later rewritten by K’naan in English when
it was chosen as Coca-Cola's promotional anthem for
the 2010 FIFA World Cup, hosted by South Africa. The
official 2010 FIFA World Cup song Waka Waka (This
Time for Africa) by Shakira featuring the South African
band Freshlyground is nothing short of electrifying.
The song sold over a million units in the United States
and was certified platinum by the Recording Industry
Association of America (RIAA).
Every football fan’s favourite anthem has to be We are
the Champions which was also the official song of the
1994 FIFA World Cup. It was named as the catchiest
song in the history of music in 2011! It is one of the most
unforgettable songs of Queen along with We Will Rock
You (1977) which is well-loved across generations. We
might go so far as to call it the ultimate sports anthem.
Although these are two separate tracks, Queen released
them together as a single and these two songs have been
inseparable ever since. Closer home, Bollywood is not far behind on its sports
theme movies or the songs which went on to become
iconic in sports arenas. Baar Baar Haan from Lagaan
surpassed its popularity from the film to even IPL
stadiums today. The title track of Lakshya is often said
to be the Indian version of Eye of the Tiger and the Chak
de India song is a fan favourite. There is no dearth of
Hindi sports films or songs and all the songs of Bhaag
Milkha Bhaag are cult favourites. Aashayein from
Iqbal, Yahan Ke Hum Sikandar from Jo Jeeta Wohi
Sikandar and Jai Ho from Slumdog Millionaire are also
popular sports anthems in the country.
The Cup of Life by Ricky Martin became the official
song of the 1998 FIFA World Cup in France and topped
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