My favourite sporting anthems
Roar Pro By Benjamin Conkey, 19 Mar 2009 Benjamin Conkey is a Roar Pro
I never used to like our national anthem. There was always something so bland about it, even when the best singers tried to put a unique rendition together.
But when the Australian national anthem was belted out via Sydney’s Olympic stadium PA in November, 2005, 80,000 fans changed my opinion of Advance Australia Fair.
I’d never heard it sung so passionately at such a booming level.
For the first time, the anthem made the hairs on the back of my neck stand to attention. And that was just from watching the Australia-Uruguay World Cup qualifier on television.
It once again showcased the power of sport to change my opinion about a usually monotonous song and to implant a sense of nationalistic pride.
In saying that, I realise it’s not the best anthem. It doesn’t seem to make grown men cry, like the Italian anthem, and it doesn’t have the historical significance or cultural power of South Africa and New Zealand’s respective gems.
Outside national anthems, there are the specific sporting anthems and theme songs.
I love Rugby’s ‘World in Union’ piece made for the 1991 World Cup, and which has been used ever since. It’s an inspiring song and really gets you in the mood to watch the game they play in heaven.
Then there’s the Champions League theme in football, a classical piece that they play before every fixture.
The crescendo is spectacular.
And we can’t forget that April is fast approaching, which means only one thing to me – golf, specifically The Masters at the Augusta course in Georgia.
The Masters is the only golfing major played at the same course every year, which means there is history everywhere you turn.
As a tribute to the most famous golf course in the world, Dave Loggins wrote the song ‘Augusta’.
The lyrics are full of trivia, like “Sarazan’s double-eagle, at the 15th in 35″, and the American TV networks love to use it because of the delicate piano arrangement that goes perfectly in the background when the scoreboard is on screen.
But it’s not all about inspirational songs.
In the seventies you had the fun of “C’mon Aussie C’mon” for cricket, which captured the era perfectly.
It was an advertising jingle for World Series cricket using the names of all the key players at the time. It was a call to arms for fans to get out and support the heroes of Aussie cricket.
Unfortunately Shannon Noll tried his hand at a modern cover. It was terrible, but at least the money raised went to charity.
Moving on to specific club songs, and for mine you can’t go past Liverpool’s ‘You’ll never walk alone.’
Okay, it’s not strictly Liverpool’s song. It comes from the 1945 musical ‘Carousal’ by Rogers and Hammerstein, and has been covered by many artists since, including Elvis, Johnny Cash, Frank Sinatra and Gerry and the Pacemakers.
However, it’s Liverpool’s raw Kop version at every home game that I like best. It’s one of the many reasons why I want to go to Anfield.
Manchester United tried to claim they started singing it first. If this is true, why didn’t they keep singing it? What idiots for giving it up.
Of course, there are also those general sporting songs.
There are so many, but I’ll throw a few out there to get us started: We are the champions – Queen; We Will Rock You – Queen; Holy Grail – Hunters and Collectors; Ole Ole (mainly a soccer song but also used in other sports), and Eye of The Tiger – Survivor.
What songs get the rest of you Roarers in the sporting mood?
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March 19th 2009 @ 8:30am
Jamie said | March 19th 2009 @ 8:30am | Report comment
The Tigers song isnt bad. A bigger shame is you only get to sing it twice a year and never in September. I also despise the Crows theme song (being a North Melb supporter who they ran over the top off in that GF).
March 19th 2009 @ 8:39am
Pippinu said | March 19th 2009 @ 8:39am | Report comment
heh, heh – very true re the Tiges song (kids love it)
Most of the older AFL club songs are so daggy that you just gotta love them!
March 19th 2009 @ 8:50am
el_capitan said | March 19th 2009 @ 8:50am | Report comment
Can’t go past “Irelands Call”, esp when the Irish are at home to play the English in Rugby. Very stirring, and so full of pride and passion.
Although not an anthem, the 2003 World Cup match between the All Blacks and Tonga, was stirring. Seeing both teams approach each other doing the war dances, brilliant stuff.
March 19th 2009 @ 9:10am
Michael C said | March 19th 2009 @ 9:10am | Report comment
It was sad when the North Melbourne board who tried to market the club as the generic “Kangaroos” rather than “North MElbourne”, decided in their wisdom to replace “North Melbourne” from the theme song with “The Kangas”
“Good old Kangas, they’re champions you’ll agree, the Kangas are the team….”, sounds so hollow compared to “Good old NOrth Melbourne, they’re champions you’ll agree, North Melbourne is the team that plays to win for you and me”
For the Swans and Brisbane, re birthing the old South Melb and Fitzroy songs I reckon have been good moves,
March 19th 2009 @ 9:21am
Shocks said | March 19th 2009 @ 9:21am | Report comment
Have to agree with el_capitan that “Ireland’s Call” is right up there but for my money nothing can top watching any French national team before a game shedding a tear passionately singing “La Marseillaise”. Especially if it’s during a world cup and there about to play a certain team from the south.
March 19th 2009 @ 10:01am
Jets said | March 19th 2009 @ 10:01am | Report comment
New Order “World in motion” always gives me a good laugh
March 19th 2009 @ 10:21am
Spiro Zavos said | March 19th 2009 @ 10:21am | Report comment
For a sports moment to put a shiver down your spine you can’t beat ‘Land of my Fathers,’ the Welsh national anthem sung before a Test match at Cardiff.
There is the sight of the resplendent band with the leader pumping his mace and the massed voices in the crowd, mostly men, singing their hearts out in perfect harmony and timing. It’s a cliche but a good one, that Wales always wins the singing and sometimes the game.
This wonderful, moving tradition started in 1905 as a counter to another other great rugby tradition, the All Blacks haka.
Before the Wales-New Zealand Test on that tour the All Blacks did their haka.
It was a rivetting and magical moment. In the seconds of silence at the end of the haka, a Welsh player started singing the national anthem, something that had never been done before. A few notes in and he was joined by some of his fellow players. Then as their voices faintly echoed around the famous old ground Cardiff Arms Park, more and more members of the crowd joined in.
But the time the singing had got to the heartfelt call of ‘Wales! Wales!’ the entire crowd had joined in and the deep, resonant, soaring voices of 40,000 spectators resounded around the ground and into the folklore of rugby.
March 19th 2009 @ 10:26am
Jamie said | March 19th 2009 @ 10:26am | Report comment
Great stuff Spiro…but who won that game?
March 19th 2009 @ 10:32am
Redb said | March 19th 2009 @ 10:32am | Report comment
Would have to back Hoy up here, ‘Flower of Scotland’ is a stirring battle theme especially if they were playing the English.
Redb
March 19th 2009 @ 10:51am
The Link said | March 19th 2009 @ 10:51am | Report comment
Green Machine – Canberra Raiders
No need for harmony or tune, so much so that I can picture Big Mal singing the words himself