Here is the next round of my survey of the best songs from each country participating the 2014 World Cup.
First, a review of the ground rules:
1. The song has to be released in or after the year of my birth (1981). Otherwise, Pedro Infante’s rendition of “Cielito Lindo” would win, hands down.
2. Regardless of relative quality, if I know of and like songs from a country, I have to chose one of them. This will hurt some countries. For countries where I know multiple songs/artists, I have allotted myself 10 minutes to make a decision on the best song.
3. If I don’t know songs from a country (marked with an asterisk*), I have allotted myself 10 minutes of internet research to find a song. This will also hurt some countries.
4. My rules for a band representing a country is roughly as intuitive as FIFA’s rules for players representing nations. (In other words, any remote affiliation may count.)
5. These choices are definitive of my personal taste in music, nothing more. Please share your favorites in the comments.
On with the show.
Group G: Germany, Portugal, Ghana, USA
Germany:
KMFDM – “A Drug Against War”
Sure, KMFDM is not for everyone, but the line “KMFDM is a drug against war” just randomly pops into my head from time to time. It is probably weird to say, but I find this song catchy.
Honorable Mention: Did you know that Lou Bega was from Germany? I sure didn’t. Lou Bega – “Mambo No. 5”
Portugal*:
Os Golpes – “A Marcha dos Golpes”
I thought about going with Nelly Furtado, what with her being of Portuguese decent, but I opted to search for a home grown band and found this nice little tune.
Ghana:
FOKN Bois – “BRKN LNGWJZ”
If it were my choice, I would have given you the visa, Wanlov.
USA:
Black Star – “Definition”
“Consider me the entity within the industry without a history of spittin’ the epitome of stupidity.” Nuff said.
Honorable Mention: Michael Jackson – “Bad”. This was the first song I really liked off of the first cassette tape I ever owned. Also, I share a birthday with MJ.
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That wraps up Group G. One more group to go.
Thoughts? Suggestions? Share them below.
The Rest of the Groups:
Group A
Group B
Group C
Group D
Group E
Group F
Group H
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