Martin Garrix, David Guetta, Enrique Iglesias: all the EURO finals' songs
Friday, May 10, 2024
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MEDUZA, OneRepublic and Leony follow in the footsteps of Enrique Iglesias and David Guetta, among others, as the official UEFA EURO 2024 song is released.
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Every UEFA European Championship since 1992 has had an official song, with MEDUZA, OneRepublic and Leony working together to bring 2024's offering: FIRE.
UEFA.com compiles the official EURO tunes and finds a remarkably decent hit rate.
2024: MEDUZA, OneRepublic and Leony – FIRE
"Now more than ever, the power of music to unite us is undeniable," said Italian electronic trio MEDUZA after teaming up with American rockers OneRepublic and German singer-songwriter Leony for the inspirational FIRE. The song merges anthemic house production, compelling soundscapes and pop expertise into one joyful three-minute track.
Key line: 'We're on fire tonight, like a million diamonds in the sky'
2020: Martin Garrix ft Bono and The Edge – We Are The People
"Creating the music for one of the biggest sports events in the world together with Bono and The Edge has been an incredible experience," said Dutch DJ and producer Martin Garrix after his euphoric track was released in May. The U2 stars provided lyric and a guitar riff, and joined him on a rooftop for the video.
Key line: 'You've faith and no fear for the fight, you pull hope from defeat in the night'
2016: David Guetta ft Zara Larsson – This One’s For You
A million fans were enlisted to provide the roar on the EURO 2016 banger; “the support from all over the world has been amazing,” said the French DJ as he put the finishing touches to the record, which featured the vocal talent of Zara Larsson. The Swedish singer performed at the opening and closing ceremonies.
Key line: ‘We’re in this together, we’re in this forever’
2012: Oceana – Endless Summer
A No1 hit in Poland (and oddly the Czech Republic) and a creditable No3 in Ukraine, Oceana’s Caribbean-flavoured UEFA EURO 2012 anthem had a great video, showing the German-born singer (full name Oceana Mahlmann) watching EURO games at a very un-Polish/Ukrainian-looking beach bar with her friends, and then grooving in the streets of Warsaw and Kyiv.
Key line: ‘Woo-o-oh-ooh-ooh, Yeah-eh-eh-eh-ehhh’
2008: Enrique Iglesias – Can You Hear Me
“I'm really pleased to be able to contribute to the football festival,” said the son of Spanish crooner (and ex-Real Madrid reserve keeper) Julio Iglesias, with his laidback anthem gracing the tournament, even though the lack of a ‘?’ in its title annoyed UEFA.com sub-editors. Tournament mascots Trix and Flix also had official songs, Jamaican star Shaggy performing Like a Superstar and Feel the Rush.
Key line: ‘Hey hey, all the way DJ, let it play, let it play’
2004: Nelly Furtado – Força
Toronto-based singer Nelly Furtado sang the UEFA EURO 2004 anthem in a mixture of English and Portuguese, and explained that the title “translates as ‘keep going’, or ‘kick ass’”. She did both in the following years; after performing ahead of the final in Lisbon, she went on to have even more massive global hits than Força with Promiscuous, Maneater and Say It Right.
Key line: ‘Como uma força, como uma força’
2000: E-Type – Campione 2000
The dancefloor-filling UEFA EURO 2000 anthem was a bigger hit in producer E-Type’s native Sweden (No4) than it was in co-host nations the Netherlands (No4) or Belgium (No40) but every fan at the finals knew the key words. The earliest reported use of that refrain came during Real Sociedad’s Spanish title celebrations in 1982, though fans sang ‘hobé’ (we are the best in Basque) instead of ‘oé’.
Key line: ‘Campeones, campeones, oé, oé, oé’
1996: Simply Red – We’re In This Together
Most supporters in England thought that Baddiel and Skinner’s Three Lions was the official song of EURO ’96, the “it’s coming home” refrain unavoidable that summer, but in fact it was the more sedate We’re In This Together that was performed at the opening and closing ceremonies. To add to the confusion, the official song did not appear on the official LP of the tournament, The Beautiful Game.
Key line: ‘We’re in this together, forever, together’
1992: Towe & Peter Jöback – More Than A Game
Cheery Europop with a healthy dollop of ABBA-esque gloom, the official song of the 1992 finals in Sweden was a duet which peaked at No30 in the national charts. Towe (full name Towe Jaarnek) maintained something of a sporting theme with her other big 1992, Barcelona, Barcelona, which focused on the city that hosted that summer’s Olympic Games.
Key line: ‘Yes it’s more than a game, more than fortune and fame’