Every global sporting event (on the level of a World Cup, a regional cup (Euro Cup), Olympics, etc) needs a theme song to commemorate the event. They are often accompanied by a music video, and they are played before ceremonies, matches and during the fanfests.    Usually, these tunes are glorified marketing slogans, highlighting the event’s silly, (often forgettable) alien mascots.  They also reinforce the event’s feel-good “tagline” that could make a sap gag. A prerequisite of these songs is that they must be instantly memorizable with simple lyrics that are so repetitive you may be kept up at night.

You may recognize the singer as Shaggy who seems to be importing his reggae roots to the Europeans. This is not exactly the theme that you would associate with an Austria-Switzerland Euro Cup, but it’s a fun jam nonetheless. When I first heard it in Berne, Switzerland, I was struck by the familiarity of the tune- not just for the iconic voice but for the fact that at another recent global event (Cricket World Cup 2007), i heard this catchy tune.  

Seems there is new life in Shaggy’s career. Who knew he could start monopolizing the “market” of global sports theme songs? I can’t help but wonder if he has got a deal going with the Beijing Olympics…importing reggae to yet another continent in his quest for global sports theme domination. It remains to be seen.