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Gold to Ghastly: Musical Hits and Misses from the Olympics

26/07/2021455 views0

The world’s greatest celebration of sport is underway with more than 11,000 athletes competing in the Tokyo Olympics. Postponed for a year due to Covid-19 and fraught with controversy, it was touch and go whether the Tokyo Olympics would even go ahead. Now athletes at the top of their game are battling for world supremacy.

For the first time, skateboarding features in the Olympics, which is pretty cool. Team Japan’s Yuto Horigome had just won the first ever Olympic Gold medal for skateboarding at the time of writing. And breakdancing is a confirmed sport in the 2024 Paris Games. Signs of the times!

From official anthems to the opening and closing ceremonies, music plays a key part in every Games. The opening ceremony for the Tokyo Olympics included orchestral renditions of melodies from famous Japanese video games.

While some tracks associated with the Games over the years are golden, others are ghastly. Here’s a rundown of hits and misses…

Thiaquinho & Projota Alma e Coração (Rio, 2016)

Samba star Thiaquinho and rapper Projota teamed up for this all-Brazilian affair. Translating as Soul and Heart, the official theme song for the Rio Games isn’t exactly bursting with carnival flavours. But it’s fun and of its time.

Muse Survival (London, 2012)

Muse are masters of overblown theatrical stadium rock. So, the perfect choice to write a song for the London Games, right? Not really. Muse served up something too tense and angsty, casting gloom rather than optimism over the opening ceremony.

Liu Haun & Sarah Brightman You and Me (Beijing, 2008)

Famous British soprano Brightman joined Chinese singer Huan for this rather torturous affair. Not even Brightman singing some of the lyrics in Mandarin rescued this from its solemnity.

Björk Oceania (Athens, 2004)

Ever the contrarian, Björk comes at Oceania from the point of view of the ocean. Singing about the evolution of humans from her waters, Björk confused everyone in the process. That’s why we love her!

Tina Arena The Flame (Sydney, 2000)

From performing as Tiny Tina Arena on the Young Talent Time TV show, Arena became one of Australia’s biggest selling artists. After her song Chains hit the top spot in Australia, it dented the UK’s Top 10 and the American Top 40. With The Flame, Arena took a fairly mediocre song and transformed it into Olympic glory with her powerhouse vocals.

Gloria Estefan Reach (Atlanta, 1996)

Not the Cuban-American singer’s finest moment. The flat drawl of Reach plays out too slow and there is not enough Latin pizazz to challenge Estefan’s other hits like Rhythm Is Gonna Get You, 1-2-3 or Get On Your Feet, which are stone cold classics.

Céline Dion The Power of the Dream (Atlanta, 1996)

The velvet voiced Canadian crooner surprised no-one with this lung-busting power ballad for Atlanta. Smooth as silk, it’s full of just the sort of heart swelling drama needed to open Olympic Games in style.

Freddie Mercury & Monserrat Caballé Barcelona (Barcelona, 1992)

Surely the greatest Olympic song of all time, this combines massive opera stylings with lush orchestration and Mercury’s trademark pop-come-rock vocals. Truly stirring with a grandiose sense of occasion. No other Olympic anthem comes close, really.