'Waka Waka', 'The Cup of Life'... What is the formula for World Cup hits?

What is the World Cup hit formula?
The World Cup doesn't just shake up the world of football, but also the world of music: every edition, artists from various countries release songs (official or not) to try to become the World Cup's hit song. But on a global level, very few achieve a song that sticks.
After all, music has to combine with sport and connect with people of different ages and places in the world. For these and other reasons, there is only one "Waka Waka".
So, what do successful songs have in common? Based on some unquestionable hits (such as "Waka Waka", by Shakira; "Wavin Flag", by K'Naan; and "Cup of Life", by Ricky Martin), g1 analyzes what is so special about the World Cup hits. See:
Shakira in the video for 'Waka waka', the soundtrack to the 2010 World Cup, in South Africa
Reproduction/Youtube/Shakira
The story of 'Waka Waka', the biggest hit of the World Cups
The construction of the play
It is possible to draw some parallels between these hits from the World Cups. In general, they make good use of some irresistible resources... and, of course, they count on a dose of luck, publicity and charisma from the performers to make it work.
They tend to be optimistic songs, made to excite the public (after all, who wants low-spirited music during the World Cup?). The lyrics are not that important, since not everyone speaks the language, but the sound itself usually sets this tone: these are songs that grow and, in the end, give the feeling of triumph.
They can convince through emotion or animation. "Wavin' Flag" has a more motivational tone - like an anthem really -, while tracks like "Cup of Life" and "Waka Waka" are pure party.
'Wavin' Flag', by K'Naan, was inspired by a difficult childhood in Somalia and became a signature anthem at the World Cup
Reproduction/YouTube
But what can be said is that they all sound great. After all, we are talking about a global tournament, packed stadiums... this is not a case of minimalism.
Furthermore, they tend to be songs with sophisticated percussion; A marked rhythm gives a sensation of movement, which has everything to do with the sport. And let's face it, there are players who, when playing, seem to be dancing with the ball.
The shot on goal
The cat's leap, that is, the shot on goal is to have a striking section that is easy to sing. You may notice: in most of these songs, you will find a section that was designed to be sung by the crowd.
Usually, they are simple vowels or phonemes that anyone can sing along to. Most of these songs already suggest what this part is: just notice which part has the voices doubled, as if they were already sung by a crowd. This makes the listener want to join the chorus.
"Cup of Life" has "olê olê olê", "Waka Waka" has "waka waka ê ê", while "Wavin' Flag" has a very Coldplay "ôoo", perfect for singing in stadiums.
Ricky Martin in the video for 'The Cup of Life'
Reproduction/YouTube
Attackers are not usually American
Despite the strength of the North American cultural industry, the interesting thing is that none of these hits have a US performer. The songs have verses in English, of course, which is seen as the easiest way to talk to a global audience - but the artists are Latin, European, African and so on.
Some songs with American artists were modestly successful, such as "We Are One (Ole Ola)", with Pitbull, Jennifer Lopez and Claudia Leitte (from the World Cup in Brazil, in 2014). But even in this case, we are talking about Americans of Latin descent, who bring this as the banner of their work.
It could be because the US doesn't have such a strong football culture. But it's still curious: even in the year of the World Cup in the American territory, FIFA opted for the afrobeats "Dai Dai" (with Colombian Shakira and Nigerian Burna Boy) as the official song of the World Cup.
Is 'Dai Dai' the star of the moment?
This year, FIFA also announced several songs to complete the World Cup's (musical!) album. One of them has the Brazilian Anitta... but it shouldn't be the hit of the moment, and that doesn't even seem to be the intention.


After all, it's a good song, but it wasn't made with catchy choruses in mind, nor is it easy to sing in stadiums. It's more like the afterthought of who won the game.
Following these parameters, "Dai Dai" does have a chance of winning the World Cup - but it should hardly come close to what "Waka Waka" was. The song completely recycles the 2010 song, including the same performer, but it doesn't have the same energy.

Source: G1

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