Photo Courtesy of News Locker
The World Cup is set to kick off today and almost everyone will be glued to constant updates and video feed of their favorite Soccer teams. With all this attention and massive amount of people at a sporting event you can be sure that music will be front and center (for a moment at least). We reported before on the preparations for the world cup by music director Lupe Fiasco and the “We Are the One (Ole Ola)” music video by Pitbull and Jennifer Lopez. Surprisingly, it seems their efforts have been a disappointment with many chastising the song’s lack of authenticity. Looking for a way to get their sports theme fix, soccer fans have instead begun to support two other unofficial World Cup songs by Shakira and, surprisingly, comedian Rik Mayall.
Shakira’s unofficial song, entitled “La La La (Brazil 2014)“, has already earned better reviews and more YouTube views than the official Pitbull/J-Lo collaboration in just a fraction of the time. Reviews of the song celebrate the more down to earth excitement of the song without the processed feel the official song contained. While Shakira’s song is not the main song of the world cup, it does feature on the official World Cup album One Love, One Rhythm. In this case, the music of the world cup could be said to have scored a goal.
A song that is most definitely not on the official World Cup Album is “Noble England” comical ballad by recently deceased comedian and musician Rik Mayall. Thanks to a passionately led campaign, Mayall’s “Noble England” has shot up the UK charts with expectations to enter the top 10 by the end of the finals. The video for the song features Mayall dressed in Shakespearean Henry V garb while manically shouting (and spitting) at European Footballers in a locker room. The campaign was initiated soon after Mayall’s death this Tuesday as a form of tribute to the entertainer. Rik Mayall was best known for his roles in television sitcoms such as The Young Ones and Blackadder. Mayall may best be known in the United States for the title role in Drop Dead Fred.
The video for “We Are the One (Ole Ola)”, “La La La (Brazil 2014)”, and “Noble England” can be seen on Youtube. Watching each will help get you psyched up for the weeks of Soccer ahead, if you aren’t already.