Stevie G: Music and football – a perfect match

As World Cup football fever continues to take hold, it got me thinking about the special relationship between two of my favourite passions, football and music. Football and music have always been closely linked, and many of my earliest memories attending football games in Cork and beyond evoke some of the songs coming from the terraces. Whether it’s Cork City FC or Ireland, or Man Utd or Liverpool, fans will have their own favourites, and pop songs continue to be regularly adapted by fans in grounds all over the world.

At Cork City these days you might hear a take on KC & the Sunshine Band’s That’s The Way I Like It coming from a Shed which has previously established local versions of anthems such as Can’t Help Falling In Love With You, L’Amour Toujours and even Pump it Up. Local acts such as the Sultans of Ping FC and the Frank & Walters have always been closely associated with the club who recently did a tie-in jersey with the Franks, who once played in Turner’s Cross too during a game.

The era of the Sultans and the Franks reminds me of those heady early ’90s days where City first won the league, and fanzine culture by the likes of City fan and Sultans member Morty McCarthy helped cement the relationship between football and the local music scene.

These days football jerseys are more fashionable than ever and clubs from here and all over the world do partnerships with music artists. Songs by Depeche Mode, White Stripes, Gala, Queen and others continue to be sung on the terraces, but what are the best World Cup anthems? I’ve thrown a few personal favourites into today’s playlist. Our men unfortunately didn’t make it but our girls will hopefully qualify for next year’s Women’s World Cup in Brazil.

You’ll be hearing a lot of these and more these next few weeks as we head towards the World Cup final. Cork is now a cosmopolitan city and there are many different communities here shouting for many different teams. Here are a few of my favourites.

Shakira –Waka Waka (This time for Africa)

This song endures to this day and it’s hard to deny. Controversially using a Columbian artist with an African group and sampling a Cameroonian makossa original, many felt it really should have been an African artist spearheading the song for the first World Cup in Africa in 2010. Nevertheless, it’s a classic, and Shakira and Burna Boy also recorded one of this year’s best World Cup songs.

Republic of Ireland football squad – Put em’ Under Pressure

It’s a classic. Featuring the late great Moya Brennan of Clannad and production from U2’s Larry Mullen Jr, it’s built around a classic sample of Dearg Doom by The Horslips, and a hook from a Scottish reinterpretation of the God Dave Ireland rebel song, interspersed with soundbites and samples from Irish manager Jack Charlton. Still a banger to this day.

New Order – World in Motion

Gotta hand it to our neighbours, this one was a killer, and contained some of the legendary John Barnes’s best contributions to the English shirt.

K’nann – Raise the Flag

Official World Cup anthems are usually tacky affairs, and this might be a bit schmaltzy for some, but the Somali-canadian artist K’nann is nothing if not sincere and this tune also endures and remains popular.

Opus – Live is Life

Not a World Cup song as such, this song became very popular in the ’80s and was recorded by Austrian band Opus in 1984. One of the main reasons why its legacy is now cemented occurred later in the decade when Diego Maradona performed an impromptu keepie-uppie exhibition to the track in the warm up for a big European game for Napoli. It remains an iconic snapshot of the player who captured our imaginations most during the ’80s and beyond.

Sergio Mendes – Mas Que Nada

We have to include some Brazilian flair! Originally recorded by Jorge Ben, the Sergio Mendes version remains my favourite. It provided the backdrop to an iconic 1998 World Cup Nike ad ahead of the tournament in France, shot in an airport and featuring the skills of Ronaldo, Romario, Roberto Carlos and Cafu. It was later re-recorded with the Black Eyed Peas.

Vegedream –Ramenez la coupe a la maison

A classic track heralding the French 2018 World Cup team, this remains one of my favourites.