10 best World Cup songs of all time, from Ricky Martin and Shakira to 'Three Lions'

It's been 56 years since FIFA World Cup chose "El Rock del Mundial," a rockabilly throwback by Chilean rockers Los Ramblers, as its first official song. And there have been some great songs through the years, from Ricky Martin to that British one about how football's coming home.

Here's a look at the best of the best, whether your soccer team wins or lose. 

10. Pitbull, Jennifer Lopez, and Claudia Leitte, 'We Are One (Ole Ola)' (2014)

The official song of the World Cup in Brazil, it was taken to task at the time by some Brazilians for not incorporating enough of the host country’s musical heritage into the mix beyond the presence of Brazilian singer Claudia Leitte.

But the prevailing vibe is definitely Latin while the lyrics advance a “one world, one love” message that looks beyond more nation-based distinctions.

As Pitbull puts it on the bridge, “It’s your world, my world, our world today / And we invite the whole world, whole world to play.”

In announcing the collaboration at Rio de Janeiro's Maracanã stadium, Pitbull said he was honored to join the other artists “to bring the world together," adding "I truly believe that this great game and the power of music will help unify us, because we are best when we are one."

9. Nicky Jam, Will Smith and Era Istrefi, 'Live It Up!' (2018)

Diplo produced this upbeat reggae-flavored club jam, which features an uplifting singalong chorus of “One life, live it up, ‘cause you got one life” and ends with an equally catchy refrain of “That’s freedom when you reach that goal.” 

Smith gets two turns in the spotlight, setting the tone for his first rap with “One life, one dream / One moment, one team.”

And Jam, who released a statement calling this “a lifetime achievement,” sings, “Run like a champion and win like a king / That's my only goal, my everything.”

8. Shakira, 'La La La' (2014)

This was Shakira’s third World Cup theme.

The second, “Waka Waka (This Time for Africa),” remains the most successful World Cup song in history, despite it sounding more like it was written for a “Madagascar” soundtrack but got rejected for being too sappy.

The throbbing EDM track first appeared as "Dare (La La La)" on the star’s self-titled album but was reworked with a guest appearance by Brazil’s Carlinhos Brown and lyrics better suited to the World Cup.

“German, Colombians, Spanish and French / Off the bench you gotta own it / Down here we play like we dance / It’s Brazil and now you know it.”

7. Gianna Nannini & Edoardo Bennato, 'Un'estate Italiana' (1990)

There’s a “We are the World”-gone-opera vibe to this dramatic ballad from Italian disco legend Giorgio Moroder, but it’s filtered through a guitar sound and vocals that are more clearly a product of having just lived through the hair-metal ‘80s.

There’s also what sounds like a choir of children, which is not without its charms.

The title translates as “to be No. 1.” And it was No. 1 in Italy and Switzerland.

The version chosen as the official World Cup song for Italy in 1990 features lyrics in Italian written and sung by Edoardo Bennato and Gianna Nannini.

6. New Order, 'World in Motion' (1990)

It kind of tells you everything you need to know about the popularity of soccer in the United Kingdom that “World in Motion” is New Order’s only U.K. No. 1.

The single was recorded on behalf of England’s football team and features a guest rap by British soccer star John Barnes, as well as additional vocals by several other members of the 1990 British team and comedian Keith Allen, who co-wrote the lyrics.

There is a point in Barnes’ rap where he insists “This ain’t a football song,” but nearly every other word he raps disproves that claim, with references to soccer hooligans and “three lions on my chest.”

And when the rap is over, they bring the song to a close with a rousing refrain of “We’re playing for England / We’re playing the song.” So yeah, this is a football song.

5. Los Ramblers, 'El Rock del Mundial' (1962)

The first official World Cup song starts with a Chuck Berry lick before settling into a groove than feels like Elvis Presley “All Shook Up” as the Beatles would have played it at the Cavern Club.

Los Ramblers are Chilean and the only words they sing in English here are “rock and roll.” But every note they play also translates as those same three words, complete with a solo that starts off channeling Bill Haley and the Comets’ “Rock Around the Clock.”

4. Bellini, 'Samba e Gol' (1998)

Originally titled “Samba de Janeiro,” “Samba e Gol” is a near-euphoric club jam fueled by a pulsating house groove, a horn chart that sounds like the soundtrack to a soccer version of the “Rocky” franchise, a whistle that perfectly captures the middle ground between a soccer referee and classic disco, and occasional shouts of “samba e gol!”

3. Ricky Martin, 'La Copa de la Vida' (1998)

“Do you really want it?” are the first words out of Martin’s mouth. And people really did.

This single was a proper international phenomenon that spent six weeks at No. 1 in Australia, France and Sweden, four weeks at the top in Germany and two in Spain.

It didn’t fare that well here in the States, but Martin did perform it at the Grammys, which Billboard credits with having kick-started the Latin pop explosion.  

And how could it not? The groove, the energy, the horns, the sound of people cheering, the Latin percussion? It’s all designed to get the party started. By the first time Martin sings “Tonight’s the night/ We’re gonna celebrate,” the celebration is already underway.

2. Baddiel Skinner and the Lightning Seeds, 'Three Lions' (1996)

Leave it to England to inject a dash of bittersweet nostalgia mixed with self-effacing humor into a field not known for either quality. But there’s hope as well, despite the fact that England hadn’t won the World Cup in 30 years.

As Frank Skinner, who co-hosts a program called “Fantasy Football” on BBC2 with David Baddiel, explained the goal – no pun intended – in a conversation with the Independent, "We wanted to acknowledge that we had had some hard times, but now it's a time for optimism. It's not poncey to be optimistic." 

In that same interview, Baddiel points out, ''The key line is: 'Thirty years of hurt never stopped me dreaming.' We're setting ourselves up against people who knock England. It's OK to hope we'll do OK."

The sound is classic Britpop, from the wistful pining of the vocals to a bassline that echoes the mid-‘60s Kinks.

1. Arrow, 'Hot Hot Hot' (1986)

I had never heard this Arrow tune, the biggest-selling soca hit in history, before David Johansen of the New York Dolls recorded it as Buster Poindexter and had a MTV-fueled fluke hit with a 1987 cover.

A Soca superstar from Montserrat, Arrow released this dancehall favorite five years earlier.

Adopted as the theme song of the World Cup in Mexico, it stretches out for seven minutes but never overstays its welcome.

Why? Because the energy is that contagious, from the bass-driven groove to the punch-drunk horn charts and the oft-repeated chorus hook.

As Arrow sums it up at one point, “All the party people feeling hot.”

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