If music is a feeling, then FIFA is our one true globally shared celebration. It has an immediate impact on the world around them. Artists recognize this, coveting spots on the soundtrack that will take their careers to the next level.įans know it too, as every annual soundtrack is as anticipated as the game release itself. More than just the #1 international destination for new music, it is a collective energy that ignites the year to come. It breaks ground every year and drives worldwide culture. Designed to trigger emotion through a fearless blend of genres. There’s no real message in this song beyond “live it up tonight, because tonight is the most important night of your life.” Feels fitting for the most important tournament in sports, and a fitting number 1 for the checkered history of World Cup songs.For 20+ years, the FIFA soundtrack has acted as a cultural mirror, elevating the game for millions of our players. It’s fitting that this was the song for the World Cup that saw Brazil samba its way to the finals, only to fall to the hosts in a game that kicked off the celebrations across France. It’s mystifyingly fun, and really, that’s what this is all about. the one with “Livin La Vida Loca”) but it’s fair to question whether that would have been as huge if not for his France 98 anthem his incredible performance of the song at the 41st Grammy Awards made sure that he was on everyone’s mind right before the self-titled released in the spring of 1999.īacked by vibrant horns and energetic drums, Martin’s vocal performance goes from singer to dance floor preacher and back. Ricky Martin was still a year away from releasing his massive self-titled album (a.k.a. No song has mixed a soccer-heavy message with such a fun song that hits uplifting notes without being corny.
That’s basically what the song boils down to: listening to it now, in 2018, feels patronizing and indicative of the coverage that South Africa got during that edition of the tournament, but you can’t deny that it’s a fun song to blast before games.Īside from the song itself, another good thing came out of “Waka Waka”: Shakira met future husband and Spanish international Gerard Pique during the filming of the video, and they are just adorable.
The aforementioned Freshlyground freshens up the song’s middle, although the track gets points off for immediately undercutting that with a cringe-inducing “we are all Africa” message. But because it is Shakira, and because of the inclusion of South African group Freshlyground, it still ends up being a banger that we still can’t get out of our collective heads 8 years later. Given how Shakira’s lyrics are sometimes absurd in the best ways, it’s disappointing that such a big song was shackled to such formulaic songwriting. Too much was done within the lyrics to boost up Africa as a continent that the songwriters - Shakira herself, alongside John Hill and Cameroonian group Golden Sounds - forgot to make it about the World Cup. That it has racked up a staggering 1.8 billion views on YouTube is the best testament to the power of the World Cup marketing machine, even if the song itself is one of the least soccer-sounding songs in the history of the tournament. It’s strange to remember how massive “Waka Waka (This Time For Africa)” was when it was released.
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