It is FIFA World Cup time again and football fans are keeping close tabs as to who would win the prize and which of the star players would be most remembered. Brazil, where the games are at present being played, is, of course, the lead contender. It has already won the World Cup five times and has produced some of the sports’ biggest stars. It is also being talked about at present because of the controversial World Cup song, We Are One (Ole Ola) performed by Pitbull and featuring Jennifer Lopez and Brazilian pop star Claudia Leitte.
I do not know who started the practice but the World Cup, which is held every four years has released a theme song to accompany the games since 1962. This has resulted in interesting recording collaborations wherein the host country would usually get its biggest named composers and producers to do the song which will then be performed by an internationally famous pop star.
For me, the best World Cup song ever created was La Copa de la Vida or The Cup of Life which was the theme of the games held in France in 1998. The song was written and produced by Desmond Child and former Menudo, Robi Rosa. It was performed by another ex-Menudo, Ricky Martin. I still recall Martin’s star making performance of the song at the Grammy Awards that year and of how Parisians, seemingly light headed with futbol fever was breaking into dance on the streets and calling out Ole, Ole. France also won the World Cup that year.
I will not rate We Are One as another Copa de Vida. It will take a lot to duplicate the way that song so embodies the spirit of what is known as The Beautiful Game. It is not even a Waka Waka, the World Cup song done by Shakira four years ago. It is a well-produced danceable tune that is not bad at all. But users of social media say otherwise. In a strange campaign that has now spread all over the world, the song has been condemned as not Brazilian enough and not good enough for the World Cup.
Given all the negative reactions to the song, I was not surprised to hear the news that J.Lo has backed out from performing it at the opening ceremonies. But either the artist in her or the contract eventually won out. And I was doubly surprised to see J.Lo looking great in a beaded leotard with cut-outs doing the samba to the tune of We Are One with Pitbull and Leitte at the opening. The audience loved her but not the song.
It certainly looks like futbol fans have become as devoted to the theme as they are to the game. And whoever will be assigned to do the song for the FIFA World Cup in Russia in 2018 had better be careful about his choices if he does not want to have his vodka imbibing countrymen cursing and pelting him from the stands on opening day.
Controversial theme song notwithstanding, the 2014 World Cup has the most number of non-official songs in futbol history. The commemorative album includes various mixes of the theme song; a sprightly Tico Tico; a sexy samba in Cole Porter’s Night And Day; The World Is Ours, Coca Cola’s 2014 World Cup Anthem; Tatu Bom de Bola, the official 2014 FIFA World Cup Mascot Song; and others. This year’s mascot is an armadillo, which was selected because it resembles a soccer ball when curled up.
One of the most memorable secondary World Cup tunes ever was Nessun Dorma or None Shall Sleep from Puccini’s opera Turandot. London’s BBC used Luciano Pavarotti’s version of the song as its theme for the coverage of the World Cup in Italy in 1990. On the eve of the finals on July 7, Pavarotti together with Placido Domingo and Jose Carreras performed the song with conductor Zubin Metha in what became the first Three Tenors concert at the Baths of Caracalla in Rome.
West Germany won the World Cup that year but music proved to be a bigger winner with a wide-ranging effect. Thanks to the enthusiastic response to Nessun Dorma and to the Three Tenors by futbol fans, the event resulted in several concerts and recordings by the remarkable trio. It also marked the birth of pop opera which opened the doors for Josh Groban, Il Divo, Jackie Evanchio and other pop opera artists.
Placido is set to perform on the eve of the finals in Brazil. I have a strong feeling one of his songs will be Nessun Dorma.
For those interested, here is a list of the FIFA World Cup host countries and the official songs from 1962:
•Chile, 1962 — El Rock del Mundial by Los Ramblers
•England, 1966 — World Cup Willie (Where In This World Are We Going) by Lonnie Donegan.
•Mexico, 1970 — Futbol Mexico 70 by Los Hermanos Zavala
•Germany, 1974 — Futbol by Maryla Rodowicz
•Argentina, 1978 — Anthem by the Buenos Aires Municipal Symphony composed by Ennio Morricone
•Spain, 1982 — Mundial ‘82’ by Placido Domingo
•Mexico, 1986 — Hot Hot Hot by Arrow
•Italy, 1990 — Un’estate italiana (To Be Number One) by Edoardo Bennato and Gianna Nannini
•United States, 1994 — Gloryland by Daryl Hall and Sounds of Blackness
•France, 1998 — La Copa de la Vida (The Cup of Life) by Ricky Martin
•South Korea and Japan, 2002 — Anthem by Vangelis
•Germany, 2006 — Zeit, dass sich was dreht (Celebrate the Day) by Herbert Gronemayer featuring Amadou Bagayoko
•South Africa, 2010 — Waka Waka by Shakira feat. Freshly Ground
•Brazil, 2014 — We Are One (Ole Ola) by Pitbull feat. Jennifer Lopez and Claudia Leitte.