The Summer Olympic Games are underway once again, bringing the excitement of sport to the forefront of the world’s attention. For as long as there have been Olympics, there have been songs that defined them. Be they fitting of the sacrifice and prestige required of the event or not, these five songs are the most memorable Olympic tracks in recent memory.
5. “Survival” By Muse
From: London 2012
Muse’s undeniable intensity, earnestness and larger-than-life scale make them a perfect pairing for the world’s biggest games. So it’s pretty clear why the UK-based rock band was chosen for the 2012 London Games’ title track. What nobody could’ve expected is that Muse would deliver an operatic collage of noise that borderlines on self-parody.
Lead singer Matt Bellamy delivers hackneyed lines about “the human race” before launching into a wildly self-indulgent mix of horns, strings and choir backing. It’s a hyper-aggressive anthem of human excellence, almost stolen from some bleak dystopic future where athletes are trained under abusive conditions and pumped full of drugs just for seconds of glory on the global stage.
4. “Rise” by Katy Perry
From: Rio 2016
This year’s big Olympic anthem comes right from the queen of inspirational pop herself. If “Roar” was enough to push you into making a personal best mile time at the gym, “Rise” should work you into literal human perfection.
Perry’s iconic vocals mix with a sublimely simple digital drumbeat, crooning on the most basic drive to prove one’s doubters wrong and climb to the top. For a track with so little to it, every second has been polished like a first-place medal. You don’t typically think of sports anthems as slow burns, but “Rise” has the perfect cadence to bring oneself back from the brink.
3. “Bang the Drum” by Nelly Furtado and Bryan Adams
From Vancouver 2010
The Winter Olympics have always played the Luigi to the Summer Games’ Mario. They’re a bit harder to take seriously, easier to ignore and seem less stooped in self-obsession. That willingness to crack a smile is what gives us easy jams like “Bang the Drum.”
While the underlying tribal drum beat might at first signal a typical sports anthem, Adams & Furtado are more interested in getting a party started. The lyrics are more inclusive, less focused on individualism. Nobody hires Bryan Adams if they’re looking for a serious time, and his brand of happy rock-infused pop is a welcome palate cleanser for such a stuffy affair.
2. “The Power of the Dream” by Celine Dion
From Atlanta 1996
Another track more interested in unity than competition, Dion’s The Power of the Dream is the Canadian import in her finest form. The track digs deep into the psychology of athletics, breaking down what exactly compels people to dedicate years of their life on obscure sports just for a shiny gold disc. What exactly motivates the U.S. team of professional handball players to train for four years, all in the hopes of a victory broadcast on deep cable at four in the morning? As Dion explains, it’s the power of the dream: the human spirit at its most unrestrained. The evocative anthem was at its most moving during the closing ceremony, where Dion was joined by a local youth choir of more than 600.
1. “One Moment in Time” by Whitney Houston
From Seoul 1988
Nobody has ever quite sold a hook like Whitney Houston, and she gave her once-in-a-generation talents to voice this Summer Games anthem. Unlike every other song on this list, she could put her soul behind lyrics about the human drive for gold and genuinely make you believe it. By the end of the track, you’ll feel capable of lifting a weight heavy enough to snap your brittle untrained arms in two.
Follow Chris Berg on Twitter @ChrisBerg25