The World

The pop songs of the Olympics

Before the 1980s, the only music you heard during the Olympics was the ceremonial sounds of a marching band. Nowadays, there are at least a dozen pop songs associated with each year’s games. The Takeaway looks at the origin of Olympic ‘anthems’ from Strauss to Freddie Mercury to Jackie Chan.

Arts, Culture & Media

Before the 1980s, the only music you heard during the Olympics was the ceremonial sounds of a marching band. Nowadays, there are at least a dozen pop songs associated with each year’s games. The Takeaway looks at the origin of Olympic “anthems” from Strauss to Freddie Mercury to Jackie Chan.

The pop songs of the Olympics - The World from PRX