All it takes is a little motivation to become an athlete yourself.
“Bad blood” aside (get it?), the Olympics never forgot to seek pop stars’ help for a lil’ bit of star power, which, of course, amplified the ‘unity’ element of the games — despite various controversies that plagued its management.
From soaring ballads to guitar-driven confections, here are 5 jams you can file under your “pump-me-up anthems:”
Phillip Phillips – “Home”
Okay, so this song wasn’t officially recorded for the Olympics [in fact, it was Phillips’ winning song on Idol (R.I.P.)], but the track enjoyed success on US charts after its use during the women gymnastics portion of the 2012 US Olympic Trials, then again at the succeeding London Olympics.
“It’s an honor for them to use that song, and I’m so proud of it and how well it has done,” the musician tells the Orlando Sentinel.
While he’s still a one-hit wonder (it’s not too late), at least the 25-year-old got a memorable one in his hands.
Muse – “Survival”
Also used during the London games, this proud track became the official song, and the first anthem (I think) that actually came from an honest-to-goodness indie rock band.
Frontman Matthew Bellamy revealed in an interview with BBC that he was actually approached by the Olympic commission to write a song for them.
“Then when we were asked to play the ending ceremony, the song had developed so we got the Olympic people in to hear it and they said they’d love to use it as the official tune,” he muses (get it, again?).
Taylor Swift – “Change”
Intrigues aside, it’s kinda nostalgic to look back at a younger Taylor who only dreamed of inspiring others through her squeaky-clean music, with only her smart lyricism and trusty guitar as weapons.
Once upon a time, though most might have forgotten, she wrote this hidden jewel about the rise of her record label, which came out as something much more: as one of the official songs of the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics.
Bet Swift doesn’t even remember how much of an “underdog” hero she was, Hiddleston and all.
Whitney Houston – “One Moment in Time”
It would be a mortal sin not to include this karaoke staple in the list, just because Whitney was the original bada$ $ ballad queen and everyone envied her incredible pipes. Both Seoul-held Summer Olympics and Paralympics (way back on 1988) had this one blasting on their arena speakers, while enlisting radio stations worldwide to get their listeners into the Olympic spirit.
Come to think of it, this is still the anthem to beat!
Katy Perry – “Rise”
If the mortal enemy is here, then Katy should be able to eat her cake too. This Sia-esque track, announced as the anthem of the upcoming 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio, vigorously accomplishes the task assigned: defiant lyrics of victory and ‘rising’ above opponents over a powerful synth-laden instrumentation [when is that next album coming out anyway?!].
Perry says that it’s “a song that’s brewing inside me for years, that has finally come to the surface,” which sounds like a stab on someone else on this list — and is perfectly understandable and expected from her. Another brilliant work of mass-produced art, though, this one.
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