Sports Anthems: 15 Classic Tracks Saluting World Champions
Music and sports have long been intertwined. Here are just a few of the best pump-up jams for any competition.
Sports and music have been intertwined since the dawn of time. A great song can aid in preparation. It can also push you to heights (or lengths) you never thought possible. And what’s a celebration without a great tune, sung all together? With that in mind, let’s pay tribute to an elite group of songs that are perfect for celebrating major sporting events around the world.
Listen to the Game Time playlist, featuring these songs and more, right now.
Fall Out Boy: Centuries
A U.S. Top 10 hit on release in 2015, Fall Out Boy’s “Centuries” could have been written for virtually any major sporting event you care to mention. With its slow-burning verses giving way to a huge, anthemic chorus and a promo video based around gladiators fighting to the death, this song is tailor made to soundtrack sporting contests of magnitude.
Maroon 5: Animals
A million-selling U.S. Top 5 hit from Maroon 5’s fifth album, V, the terse and dramatic “Animals” explores obsessional love and magnetic human attraction. However, it also works extremely well in a sports-related context, with its lyric (“so if I run it’s not enough/you’re still in my head, forever stuck”) reflecting the competitive streak all great sportspeople need to succeed at international level.
Emerson Lake & Palmer: Fanfare For The Common Man
In a feat of Olympic-level endurance, progressive rock legends Emerson Lake & Palmer filmed the promo video for their dynamic rendition of Aaron Copland’s “Fanfare For The Common Man” in freezing, snowbound conditions at Montreal’s Olympic Stadium. Any personal suffering was worth it, though, for “Fanfare For The Common Man” (a surprise U.K. Top 5 hit in 1977) has been synonymous with sport ever since. It later became the long-running theme for U.S. television’s CBS Sports Spectacular and has sound-tracked sports programs in numerous territories including Australia.
The Tragically Hip: Blow At High Dough
The first single culled from The Tragically Hip’s 1989 debut Up To Here, confirmed fan “Blow At High Dough” also made its name as the theme song from CBC TV’s satirical, media-related comedy drama Made In Canada. A smouldering, shape-throwing rocker, it’s also an ideal soundtrack inclusion for any large-scale sporting event and its defiant lyric (“I can get behind anything”) mirrors the stamina the greatest champions can continually muster to beat personal bests.
Bon Jovi: Livin’ On A Prayer
An anthem which has slayed huge arenas for decades, Bon Jovi’s signature hit “Livin’ On A Prayer” is a rock classic of Olympian standards on its own terms. Its inclusion here is thus surely mandatory, as its lyrical exhortations to “give it a shot” and to “take my hand, we’ll make it, I swear,” mirror the belief and determination all victorious competitors require to make it onto the medal winners podium.
LL COOL J: Rock The Bells
LL COOL J’s 1985 debut Radio has the distinction of being the first full-length album released through the legendary Def Jam imprint. That’s a feat in itself, but its dextrous fourth single “Rock The Bells” also helped hip-hop culture to infiltrate the wider sporting world when John Barnes – then a star of English football with Liverpool FC – ingeniously parodied the song’s intro for his team’s unlikely 1988 hit “Anfield Rap.”
Beastie Boys: Sabotage
The Beastie Boys’ brilliantly rowdy “Sabotage” is synonymous with its brilliant, spoof cop show promo video directed by Spike Jonze. The visuals depict the NYC trio in super athletic form, scaling walls and make death-defying leaps across rooftops, so it’s no surprise to learn the song has been adopted by sports teams all over the world. The Seattle Kraken ice hockey team frequently take to the ice to it, while it also psyches up Australian National Baseball League side Sydney Kings.
Katy Perry: Rise
Katy Perry’s dramatic “Rise” features lyrics relating to unity and strength (“I won’t just survive/you will see me thrive”) and it was promoted with a striking, Olympics-related video. Accordingly, it’s logical that the song should become aligned with the Olympic Games, with NBC Sports prominently featuring “Rise” during its U.S. coverage of the 2016 Summer Olympics from Rio de Janeiro.
Avicii: The Nights
Aviici (aka Tim Bergling) originally conceived his 2015 hit “The Nights” as a tribute to his father. However, while the song does refer to familial bonds, this potent, happy-sad EDM anthem’s primary message is about taking part in life and giving all you’ve got, regardless of who you are or where you come from – and that’s surely a central tenet of the Olympic Games or any other notable sporting event anywhere in the world.
The Killers: All These Things That I’ve Done
One of numerous highlights from The Killers’ multi-platinum debut Hot Fuss, “All These Things That I’ve Done” is based on the activities of television host Matt Pinfield and his work with the U.S. Army’s program to help soldiers returning home from conflict with life-changing issues such as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Charged and emotional, without ever sounding saccharine, the song still convinces today and its message (effectively the idea of winning against insurmountable odds) also strikes a chord with anyone competing at Olympic level.
Vangelis: Chariots Of Fire
Vangelis composed “Chariots Of Fire” as the main theme for Hugh Hudson’s film of the same name, though this graceful, sweeping instrumental became the Greek composer’s signature piece after heading up the film’s soundtrack album which topped the Billboard 200 for four weeks in 1981. Arguably the track most synonymous with the Olympics, Chariots Of Fire told the emotional story of two British athletes, Harold Abrahams and Eric Liddell who won gold in 1924.
Tom Petty: I Won’t Back Down
Co-written with the Electric Light Orchestra’s Jeff Lynne and featuring The Beatles’ George Harrison on guitar, Tom Petty’s “I Won’t Back Down” became the first single from his first official solo album, 1989’s Full Moon Fever. A solid and eminently radio-friendly choice, the song went to No. 12 and kick-started its parent album’s multi-platinum success. However, its straight-ahead lyrical message (“I’ll stand my ground/I won’t be turned around”) also contains all the defiance a great sportsperson needs to see off all comers in their given discipline.
Black Eyed Peas: Let’s Get It Started
Black Eyed Peas’ Grammy-winning “Let’s Get It Started” was used prominently during the NBA (National Basketball Association) playoffs in 2004 and it’s not hard to hear why. Opening and closing with the line “and the bass keeps runnin’, runnin’ and runnin’…,” this infectious funk-imbued hip-hop anthem makes for an irresistible call to action which brims with energy. It’s surely the ideal playlist choice to help any would-be world champion find their groove.
Queen: We Will Rock You
Accentuated by the sound of the band collectively stamping their feet on the studio’s drum riser while recording, Queen’s “We Will Rock You” has connected with vast human gatherings ever since it first appeared on 1977’s News Of The World. Designed for audience participation “We Will Rock You” (usually followed in concert by the equally ubiquitous “We Are The Champions”) is guaranteed to vibe up substantial crowds either in concert or in sports arenas, so it will likely make its presence felt at the Paris Olympics at some stage.
Enigma: Return To Innocence
Taken from 1993’s The Cross Of Changes, Enigma’s “Return To Innocence” remains the Romanian-German band’s biggest U.S. hit with a peak position of No. 4. Typically dreamy and ambient in design (through given a kick by its John Bonham drum sample), it wasn’t written to soundtrack human competition, but it’s synonymous with sport having featured prominently in TV adverts for the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta.
Listen to the Game Time playlist, featuring these songs and more, right now.
