people at the bleachers of the stadium Cheering crowd at rugby world cup 2019 (Photo by Stefan Lehner on Unsplash)
Football, to some, is pure noise. Stand outside any stadium – whether it’s just a pitch surrounded by 100 people or a stadium filled with 100,000 – and it’ll be hard to pick out exact sounds but you’ll be able to get a rough sense of the narrative of a game simply by how the noise rises and falls.
Yes, it is noise. But there’s more to it than that. There’s music and there’s ritual to it. The atmosphere in a stadium is carefully orchestrated, as well as random and chaotic. It’s choral and individual. Music from outside the ground has played a vital role in creating that atmosphere. That’s what we’re looking at today: how and what has been bound around a stadium to set the tone for the spectacle of football.
The Power of Anthems in Football
Think about it: when the UEFA European Championships or World Cups come to mind, certain songs immediately pop into your head. These anthems are tied very very intimately to games: when and where fans were as they watched or listened to the game, and how it made them feel. You can’t separate music from the game. It’s like a secret language that only true football fans understand.
“Three Lions” and the English Dream
Take “Three Lions (Football’s Coming Home)” by Baddiel, Skinner, and The Lightning Seeds, for example. It’s a song that’s aged – it is so 90s – but it also hasn’t. The song is an ageless artefact of English football.
The ‘96 Euros were held in England, which precipitated this fervour before the tournament even started. What happened during the tournament helped cement the song’s deep association with what glories await English football – but they just haven’t arrived yet. Its catchy chorus and nostalgic lyrics resonated with fans, and it quickly became an unofficial anthem for English football.
Even today, more than two decades later, “Three Lions” is still belted out with passion by England supporters at every major tournament. (You can almost hear the echoes of “It’s coming home” ringing in your ears, can’t you?) No doubt that when the English arrive in Germany ahead of their European Championship games this summer, the song will be heard plenty.
The Unlikely Anthem: “Seven Nation Army”
But it’s not just the English who have their iconic anthems. “Seven Nation Army” by The White Stripes has been adopted by fans across the continent, despite not being originally written for football. Its distinctive bass riff and anthemic quality make it perfect for chanting in the stands.
You’d have expected it to be the Yanks trying to make ‘soccer’ right for them. But you’d be wrong! During the 2008 European Championships, it became the unofficial anthem of the Italian national team, and since then, it has been embraced by fans of various clubs and countries. Who would’ve thought that a rock song could become such a football staple?
World Cup Anthems: Uniting Fans Globally
Yes, each tournament is special, but some World Cups stand out more than others: England ‘66, Mexico ‘86, Italia ‘90, Japan and South Korea ‘02, and Qatar ‘22 (because of Messi). But South Africa’s turn to host in 2010 is a landmark moment in the memory of many football fans.
The anthem created for the tournament set an early tone. “Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)” by Shakira, featuring Freshlyground, was the official song of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. With its upbeat rhythm and inclusive lyrics, it celebrated the first World Cup held on African soil. The song’s energy and spirit captured the essence of the tournament, uniting fans from around the globe in their love for the game. It’s a testament to the power of music in bringing people together.
Fan-Created Anthems: The Heart of Football Culture
Fans are expressive and creative. They are the driving force behind the club. They only want what’s best for the club and to best represent it. Conflicts can arise but, ultimately, the fans are the club. One tool they use is music. Pop songs are taken, reworked, and turned into an ode to a favourite player or the club’s history. Nothing is off-limits. The grooves and melodies are known deep in the body but with new lyrics, they become something more. Every season something new can be added as one is taken away. However, some are more long-lasting.
There are some staples that last decades and decades. They are part of the fabric of the stadiums. These chants often celebrate the history and identity of their clubs or nations, adding to the rich tapestry of football culture. From the Liverpool fans’ rendition of “You’ll Never Walk Alone” to the Argentine supporters’ passionate “Vamos Argentina,” these fan-created anthems are just as important as the official ones in defining the atmosphere of football.
But these fans also know how to take existing pop songs and augment the lyrics to apply to their beloved stars and their club’s achievements. What begins as something recognisable stays that way but becomes more personal. It’s this that defines football: never letting anything about the sport get too far from the people who make it what it is.
