Every week leading up to Russia 2018, 90 Minutes takes a look at the history of soccer’s most important competition.
This week, we remember the history and evolution of one of the key ingredients that creates World Cup fever around the world every four years: the anthems.
Since 1962, official and unofficial anthems and songs have inspired feelings of joy and glory around the tournament, from their humble versions interpreted by local artists, to the globalized mainstream hits of recent times.
“El Rock del Mundial” by Los Ramblers (Chile 1962)
The first-ever “official” World Cup anthem featured a flavor of Spanish rock and roll, widely popular genre in the Latin America of the 1960s.
Authored by Jorge Rojas, founder and director of Los Ramblers, “El Rock del Mundial” is purely an anthem of support towards the hosting Chilean national team, more than an ode to the actual tournament.
Launched only three weeks before the start of the tournament, the song became an instant hit in South America, with more than two million copies sold.
“World Cup Willie” by Lonnie Donegan (England 1966)
“The King of Skiffle” Lonnie Donegan -a Scotland native- authored “World Cup Willie,” the song most identified with the 1966 World Cup in England, amid multiple unofficial version written for the occasion.
This catchy jingle is a tribute to Willie, the lion who served as the mascot of the 1966 cup, but quickly became much more than that.
“World Cup Willie” is an iconic symbol of that England side led by Sir Alf Ramsey, the only one the win the World Cup in the country’s history. It was also the genesis of a new World Cup tradition by being the first “anthem” of the English World Cup squads.
In 2010, Donegan’s son, Lonnie, Jr., recorded a cover of his father’s single with an African twist for the occasion.
“Futbol Mexico 70” by Los Hermanos Zavala (Mexico 1970)
Los Hermanos Zavala, a group of 12 siblings, provided the soundtrack to the 1970 World Cup in Mexico, most remembered for being the platform where Pele and Brazil dazzled the world en route to their third world title.
The single, written by Roberto do Nascimento, is an attempted amalgamation of diverse sounds, from bossa nova to funk and the local sounds of rancheras.
It continued the trend of hyperlocal anthems, catering to the hosting country’s traditions, chants, and rythms.
“Fussball Ist Unser Leben” by the West Germany national team (Germany 1974)
Yes, the players of the 1974 West Germany national team, including the great Franz Beckenbauer, Sepp Maier and Gerd Muller, lent their voices to the single (“Football is our Life” in English) that became synonymous with the 1974 World Cup, won by the West Germans.
This precursor 1985 Chicago Bears’ “Super Bowl Shuffle” was written by Werner Drexler, and remains the only one of its kind in World Cup history.
“El Mundial” by Ennio Morricone (Argentina 1978)
The first official anthem came in 1978, shifting from the traditional format for World Cup singles at the time.
Italian composer and conductor Ennio Morricone, the man behind classic film scores like “Cinema Paradiso, “The Untouchables” and “The Hateful Eight,” provided the tunes for Argentina’s World Cup.
This song is also unique among World Cup anthems, being the only of two anthems in history not to have lyrics to accompany the movie-like arrangements created by Morricone.
“El Mundial” by Placido Domingo (Spain 1982)
The customary local flavor of the first anthems returned in 1982 with “The World Cup.”
This version features the legendary tenor voice of Spanish great Placido Domingo, who also lent his voice for the official anthem of Spanish club Real Madrid.
“El Mundial” is a purely traditional Spanish paso doble, marking the return of the locally-made, locally-sounding song to accompany the environment surrounding the event in home soil.
“El Mundo Unido Por Un Balón” by Juan Carlos Abara (Mexico 1986)
16 years later, the World Cup made its return to Mexico for the 1986 edition with “The World for One Ball,” the official song of the tournament.
This time, the theme of the single expands beyond the local angle, embracing the global nature of the World Cup and the sport in general, with less of an emphasis on local rhythms and sounds.
Chilean-Mexican singer Juan Carlos Abara provided the voice for the song synonymous with the tournament that crowned Diego Maradona as one of the all-time greatest.
“Un’estate italiana/To Be Number One” by Edoardo Bennato and Gianna Nannini (Italy 1990)
Hailed as one of the best official songs in World Cup history, “To Be Number One” was the first single to reach hit status beyond the host country, and to feature renditions in different languages.
The main version was written and recorded by Italian singers Edoardo Bennato and Gianna Nannini, with alternative versions also made in English, Cantonese and Spanish.
The song reached the top ten in several charts across Europe, including the top spot in Italy and Switzerland, while also registering in charts in Austria, France, Germany, Norway and Sweden.
“Gloryland” by Daryl Hall and Sounds of Blackness (United States 1994)
The only World Cup held in U.S. soiled was accompanied by the sounds of “Gloryland,” recorded with lyrics as well as a purely instrumental rendition.
The lyrics were written and performed by singer Daryl Hall, of the renowned Hall and Oates duo. He is accompanied by Grammy Award-winning ensemble Sounds of Blackness from Minnesota.
The song was performed at the opening ceremony in Soldier Field in Chicago, along with a performance from Diana Ross.
“The Cup of Life” by Ricky Martin (France 1998)
The first single of the “mainstream era” came 20 years ago with “The Cup of Life,” the official song of the 1998 World Cup in France.
Puerto Rican artist Ricky Martin -non-French and non-European at all- recorded the song as part of the 1998 album “Vuelve,” with lyrics written by Luis Gomez Escobar, Desmond Child and Rubi Draco Rosa.
“The Cup of Life” marked a paradigm shift in World Cup songs, focusing on more globalized themes, rhythms and performers with the aim of encapsulating the worldwide aspect of the event, a formula followed to this day.
Such was the success of the 1998 song, it reached the top spot in charts of eight different countries and all of Europe, and was awarded four platinum and four gold certifications.
“Anthem” by Vangelis and “Boom” by Anastacia (Korea/Japan 2002)
The 2002 FIFA World Cup is remembered for the explosion of anthems and songs in terms of quantity for a single tournament.
Up to seven different singles were released exclusively for the tournament, but only two were awarded the “official’ label.
The official anthem, appropriately called “Anthem,” is a single written by Evángelos Odysséas Papathanassíou, also known as Vangelis. It is, along with the 1978 anthem, the only two purely instrumental anthems, featuring a more electronic beat.
On the other hand, the official song is “Boom,” by Chicago native Anastacia. It follows the same rhythmic features of “Anthem,” but accompanied by the voice of U.S.-born singer.
Neither single was able to reach the mainstream success of its 1998 predecesor.
“Zeit dass sich was dreht” by Herbert Gronemeyer feat. Amadou & Mariam and “The Time of Our Lives” by ll Divo feat. Toni Braxton (Germany 2006)
The return of the tournament to Germany as marked the reappearance of the locally-made theme song.
This time around, it comes courtesy of German singer and actor Herbert Gronemeyer, accompanied by Malian duo Amadou & Mariam, as part of the album of the same name as the song.
Along with it came “The Time of Our Lives,” the official anthem of the event, as well as the most remembered by fans. This version features the performance multi-national quarter Il Divo and Grammy Award-winner Toni Braxton.
The single was released the day of the opening ceremony in Munich, reaching the top 20 in six European countries.
“Sign of Victory” by R. Kelly feat. Soweto Spiritual Singer and Waka Waka (This Time for Africa) by Shakira feat. Freshlyground (South Africa 2010)
South Africa 2010 opened up a whole new array of rhythms and sounds native to the African continent, which were in full display in this edition’s anthems.
2010 brought to the world the most commercially successful of all the World Cup theme songs: “Waka Waka,” by Shakira and South African Afro-fusion band Freshlyground.
“Waka Waka” received gold, platinum or diamond certifications in15 countries across Europe and the Americas, reached the top five in 22 weekly charts and has over 1.7 billion views on YouTube, by far the most among all World Cup songs. This, the official song of the 2010 World Cup, set the standard for theme songs in the digital era.
R. Kelly and the Soweto Spiritual Singers provided the official anthem, “Signs of Victory,” which they performed at the kick-off concert in Soweto prior the start of the tournament.
“Dar um Jeito” by Carlos Santana feat. Wyclef Jean, Avici and Alexandre Pires and “We Are One” by Pitbull feat. Jennifer Lopez and Claudia Leitte (Brazil 2014)
After the success of “Waka Waka,” Cuban-American singer Pitbull, Puerto Rican-American artist Jennifer Lopez and Brazilian singer Claudia Leitte were called upon to provide the voices for “We Are One,” the official song of the 2014 edition.
The song could not match the commercial success of its predecessor, reaching the top five in weekly charts across 16 countries and 623 million views on YouTube. It was the main act of the opening ceremony prior to the inaugural match between Brazil and Croatia in Sao Paulo.
Mexican musician Carlos Santana, Haitian rapper Wyclef Jean, Swedish DJ Avicii and Brazilian singer Alexandre Pires performed the official anthem of Brazil 2014, “Dar um Jeito (We Will Find a Way).”
2014 was also the first time fans participated in the anthem process, as Sony launched a contest to include a fan-submitted theme to be included in the tournament’s official album, “One Love, One Rhythm.” Elijah King, a U.S. born singer of Puerto Rican descent, was the winner with the song “Vida,” performed by Ricky Martin, who returned to the World Cup for the first time since his 1998 contribution.
“Colors” by Jason Derulo and Maluma (Russia 2018)
On March 9, the song “Colors,” by Florida native Jason Derulo was revealed as the official song for the upcoming 2018 World Cup in Russia.
For the first time since Korea-Japan 2002, the official theme song will be performed in different languages by different artists. This year, Colombian reggaeton singer Maluma provides the Spanish version of “Colors.”
Both Derulo and Maluma will perform the song during the opening ceremony of the tournament on June 14 at Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow.
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