As another wonderful summer Olympiad draws to a close, it seems only fitting that we mark it with a playlist - and I think that this might be one of the best yet!
The last two weeks have celebrated a world of sports, inclusivity, camaraderie and huge quantities of spirit. Similarly, this playlist features ten very diverse musical styles, with something for everyone.
1. Stormzy: Bronze
A bit of grime to get on your starter blocks, with this Bronze medal song coming from Stormzy's critically acclaimed second album, 2019s Heavy Is The Head, which earned him a Mercury Music Prize nomination. Kitty Empire, writing in The Observer said of it, "The spaciousness, punch and depth of these productions is telling, but it is a mark of [Heavy Is the Head's] artistic integrity that Stormzy manages to transcend genre (again) without sacrificing his core griminess, or losing too much in the way of accent, word choice, content or theme."
Stormzy: Bronze (Official music video)
2. The Beatles: Maxwell's Silver Hammer
Our silver medal offering comes courtesy of the Paul McCartney (credited as Lennon-McCartney) song from The Beatles penultimate 1969 record, Abbey Road (which strangely was recorded after Let It Be). He had started to write Maxwell's Silver Hammer in 1968, influenced by avant-garde theatre and the writings of French symbolist Alfred Jarry. McCartney said it was about those things that go wrong out of the blue. It seems that the rest of the band hated the song. Studio engineer, Geoff Emerick, remembers John Lennon dismissing it as "more of Paul's granny music" - Ringo recalling later that it was "the worst song we ever had to record."
The Beatles: Maxwell's Silver Hammer (Audio only)
3. Freda Payne: Band Of Gold
Well some kudos has been earned here, because we have avoided using the obvious (but dreadful) Spandau Ballet song. Instead the coveted gold goes to this Holland-Dozier-Holland classic from 1970. Freda Payne recorded Band Of Gold for the Invictus record label (also owned by Holland-Dozier-Holland) and gave her a smash, reaching #3 in the US and topping the UK chart. There has been some varying interpretations of the lyrics, of a woman appearing to be let down on her wedding night and just being left with a 'band of gold' - because some lyrics were cut from the final 7" version, the gay community claimed it as there own, assuming that the husband didn't consummate their wedding night because he was gay.
Freda Payne: Band Of Gold (Miming on Soul Train tv show)
4. Funkadelic: One Nation Under A Groove
The Olympics is all about many nations coming together to celebrate their sports - who is to say that they don't do that under a groove! Funkadelic were one of the two main groups that made up George Clinton's P-Funk collective. They plied their funk rock sound from the mid-60s right through to the early 80s. One Nation Under A Groove was both the title track and a single from their tenth album - it was their first million seller and probably their best known song.
Funkadelic: One Nation Under A Groove (A very funky live (and long version from the Capitol Theatre, NJ, in 1978 - the first 5 or 6 minutes should give you the idea!)
5. Jonathan Richman & The Modern Lovers: Give Paris One More Chance
How many chances do they need? 2024 is the third time the modern Olympics have been to gay Paris! Jonathan Richman, inspired with his songwriting by the Velvet Underground, formed the Modern Lovers as a bit of a proto-punk garage band, before they settled down into his quirky rock n roll style, defined by his often childlike lyrics. Give Paris One More Chance comes from their fourth album, Jonathan Sings! In this one he extolls the cities virtues through the refrain, "If you don't think Paris was made for love, give Paris one more chance."
Jonathan Richman: Give Paris One More Chance (Charming acoustic version from the Shoreline Amphitheatre, CA, in 1998)
6. Pink: Try
What do all of the competitors have in common, whether they make the podium or get knocked out in qualifying? They all try their absolute best. Try was written by Busbee and Ben West and first recorded by them in 2010 under their moniker GoNorthToGoSouth, before Pink took it on for her 2012 album The Truth About Love. It would give her a thirteenth US top ten hit. The song is about strength, resilience, aspirations and holding onto your dreams, even though in this case it is more about love than getting a medal. The lyrics could sound quite Olympian though - "Where there is desire, there is gonna be a flame... You've got to get up and try."
Pink: Try (Live in LA - just listen to her fantastic voice on this)
7. The Bangles: Eternal Flame
One of the key elements of the Olympic opening ceremony is the lighting of the flame. This Eternal Flame was written by lead singer Susanna Hoffs, along with Billy Steinburg and Tom Kelly, with the central metaphor inspired by the eternal flame at Elvis's gravesite at Graceland. The demo version was guitar based, but by the time time of final recording it was switched to piano to give it that big power ballad sound. Producer Davitt Sigerson pranked Hoffs, saying that Olivia Newton-John always recorded 'unclad', and so Hoffs sang her take in the nude!
The Bangles: Eternal Flame (Live at the House of Blues)
8. Marillion: Torch Song
Every eternal Olympic flame needs to be lit by a torch - and this allows us to dip into the world of prog rock, with this track from Clutching At Straws, Marillion's last album with original lead singer, Fish. Torch is the central character of this concept album - a man whose life is a mess with no job and a failed marriage, and who has fallen into the bottle. This song reflects that situation in its lyrics - "Something about roman candles fizzing out, shine a little light on me now. Found a strange fascination with a liquid fixation, alcohol can thrill me now". The lyrical content is a little dark and not especially Olympic-y - but Steve Rothery's guitar playing is subtly great on this.
Marillion: Torch Song (Audio only)
9. Queen: We Are The Champions
Well, this had to be in here, didn't it? While the Olympics are all about the taking part and the competitive spirit, it is, let's be honest, it is the champions which are the ones we remember for years afterwards. To say that this is one of the most recognisable rock songs of all time might be an understatement. Brian May calls the song, "unifying and positive". Incredibly, when released as a single, it was back with another monster anthem in We Will Rock You - with the two songs often closing out their live sets.
Queen: We Are The Champions (Well it had to be the Live Aid from 1985)
10. Arctic Monkeys: Come Together
Citius - Altius - Fortius, or Faster - Higher - Stronger, is the Olympic motto devised by the founding father of the modern games, Pierre de Coubertin (influenced by Dominican priest Henri Dodan) and first used in 1924 (in Paris). Then, in 2023, the IOC agreed the addition of the word Together to the end of the motto, ready for this Paris games. So we Come Together for our final tune. We couldn't go with the Beatles again, but what could be more fitting than to use than the version by the Arctic Monkeys that they performed at the 2012 London Olympic opening ceremony.
Arctic Monkeys: Come Together (Live at the 2012 Olympic opening ceremony - relive the barmy majesty of 100s of winged creatures riding bicycles in circles!)
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