Football anthems really build anticipation in a stadium before a match. Here are a few anthems and their origins explained.
- Live is life (Opus-Napoli) – The song “Live is life” was created by an Austrian band called Opus. The song was a number 1 hit in Germany and top 10 in Italy. The song was released in 1985. The video to the song sees Diego Maradona in baggy tracks, juggling a ball. He dances while warming up for a Napoli game in 1989.
- O Ville Lumiere (Paris Saint-Germain)- This song was sung as a tribute before a German league match against Troyes in honour of the victims of attacks in the city. The song is sung often and the PSG is considering replacing their current entrance anthem of Phil Collins “who said I would”.
- Hells Bells – AC/DC (FC St Paul) – Punk culture started in the 1980s at the Millerntor Stadion in response to the unruly behavior that was present at European Football matches. The club is now in the forefront for promoting anti violence of any kind at matches. “The atmosphere is different here than anywhere else,” said Armin Veh, coach of Reutlingen (2001). “That must motivate the St Pauli players and their opponent has to cope with it.”
- Three Little Birds – Bob Marley and the Wailers (AJAX)- The Three little birds song has become a popular at the AJAX after it was played against Cardiff City in 2008. The DJ at the time Ali Yassine, explained his song choice tonl by saying “I used to play guitar in a reggae band and I’ve always found Ajax to be a beautiful club. One of the reasons for that is the love that Amsterdam has for reggae but also because of the total football. Once I found out we would play a friendly against Ajax, I decided to play reggae as much as possible.”
