Cymru feel the noize
Click to viewLast weekend I thought I'd listen Guy Garvey's radio show on BBC 6, but there was a banner for Radcliffe & Maconie featuring Manics. I had no idea they had written a song for Wales NT for the Euro games, but of course they had. And put everything and the kitchen sink in. The video's chock-full too, there's the band, archive material, the team, name signs, happy people. It's uplifting, dramatic, ridiculous and I love it. (It's def better than World in Motion. But I like World in Motion too! En-ger-land!) Considering rooting for Wales instead of Zlatan Sweden.
I just like silly fitba songs! Other faves: Shakira - Dare (La La La) Actually I prefer the lyrics of the album version (kissing and dancing are recommended goal celebration activities), but the video is so entertaining, a bigger version of the Wales clip. A hodgepodge of the artist herself, a choice of players (did Neymar not get the 'shirtless' memo?) and epic face paint and children and animals and flags and traditional garb, all in glorious sepia shades. Sponsored by the poop yoghurt company. For charity. As you do.
Anastacia: Boom. This one is actually an official World Cup song. Oh my god those sunglasses and a lens flare abducting random people. Also breakdancing. It's so very 2002, but I liked 2002, I was young and everything was possible!
Ricky Martin: La Copa De La Vida. The official song for the 1998 World Cup. Sounds exactly like all the other Ricky Martin songs in the late 1990s. It's not a bad thing. Happy for Ricky now that he's a gay dad and not a closeted latin lover stereotype. Go go go!
Seven Nation Army is a curious one, definitely not intended as a soccer song but it's cute how even the local ultras have adopted the distinctive beat for their own chants. A proper look at its history.
Bubblin' under is Scooter: How Much Is The Fish? (not the first time I write about it...) It came out in 1998 and its video features footie heavily. (Weirdly the band is dressed in American football gear? Why? Maybe all those pads and black greasepaint under eyes is a tougher look than the traditional fitba kit of knee socks and shorts..) The first time I attended a match in the local excuse of an arena, I was thrilled to hear it. Yeah! ...Only to discover later that they play it quite often, twice during another game I was watching. I wonder how well a suggestion of a more diverse playlist would go down? (I'd list at least all the aforementioned, and some Pet Shop Boys, maybe Scissor Sisters and other fabulous artists. This is why I can't have nice things.)
There are plenty of other footie songs out there, (such as the theme for my local boys) better articles about them and whole collections of beloved stand anthems. Also so many football and music connections (and I'm not talking about horrid novelty records), Nicky Manic coulda been a player, James Allan of Glasvegas briefly was, NME just ran a short Kasabian interview on Leicester.. But I better put a cap on this entry now before I fall into a youtube hole, never to return.