What on earth do Placido Domingo and the Pet Shop Boys have to do with the the International Champion's Cup football, er... I mean "soccer" match in Columbus this week? More than you might think.
Two of the greatest European football clubs are coming to Columbus this week for what should be an unforgettable match. Paris Saint Germaine and Real Madrid represent some of the best talent in European sports. The two clubs are the world's highest-spending sports teams... Let that sink in for a minute.
In fact, their October 2015 match was dubbed the "The £287 million match." That amounts to players from both teams earning roughly $375,970,000.... for one match.
When you have that kind of cash for players, obviously the game will need to bring its fair share of spectacle. So, here's the scoop on the music of these two great football clubs.
Paris Saint Germain's Anthem
France has always and will always love the 1980s British synth-pop band The Pet Shop Boys. It's just a fact. Parisians love those two Brits so much they wrote lyrics to go to the tune of "Go West" for their city's football club's primary anthem. Sans blague.
Just check out this video of the players singing their anthem, or hymne, in the recording studio. Allez les bleus!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJiMpi7tlMo
In light of recent events, it's also become all the more frequent and even more poignant for French football clubs to and international audiences alike to join together in singing the French national anthem.
Like many national anthems, La Marseillaise was penned in the outbreak of war; Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle wrote the piece after the declaration of war by France against Austria in 1792. The work was originally titled: Chant de guerre pour l'Armée du Rhin. (War Song for the Army of the Rhine) It was, much like the American national anthem, a revolutionary chant written to encourage a people facing tyranny.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bzzop2jICMc
Real Madrid's Anthem
Spanish opera star Placido Domingo has given over 3,600 performances and played over 145 operatic roles during his lengthy career. One performance has certainly caught the attention and adoration of his countrymen in recent years, though.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bsmaRktxsFM
And, truly, who else could sing this dramatic piece better than the Spanish king of drama?
Of course, the team's history is practically operatic, as well. In fact, the club was started in 1902 as the Madrid Football Club, but King Alfonso XIII bestowed the titled "Real" meaning "Royal" in 1920 along with the royal crown on their insignia. Plus, this club is the most valuable sports team in the world. They can be as operatic as they want with that kind of royal cred.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eE0Lx951VEA