World (Cup) In Motion

Ah, the World Cup... that other sporting event that brings the entire world together every four years. There are a ton of traditions that happen with the event. The exchange of jerseys, the chants, the drinking. We Americans have a tradition too. Every four years we pretend to care about soccer.

Oh, I know, everyone was jacked up about Landon Donovan’s goal last week. And you can’t turn on a sports radio station without hearing someone say it could be a turning point for soccer in America, but that’s wishful thinking. Don’t get me wrong, I like soccer. I grew up playing it, and winning the league championship in my "rookie" season remains one of my favorite childhood memories (I still have the trophy). But it’s never going to catch on in the US the way it has in the rest of the world. I mean, we get excited about Olympic hockey every four years too, but that doesn’t mean the NHL is ever going to reach the popularity that MLB or the NFL enjoys. Let’s face it, we’re too hooked on our own brand of football to every really get on board.

So why I am talking about sports on a music blog? Well….

In 1990, New Order recorded "World in Motion" as England’s official anthem for that year’s World Cup. Surprisingly it was New Order's only number one single in the UK. I picked it up back in the days when I would buy anything that any band I liked put out. I'm not nearly the completist I was back in those days, which is probably a good thing, because this song never really grew on me. But with the whole planet caught up in World Cup fever, I figured it was a good excuse to dig it out, dust it off, and post it as a Monday Morning b-side.

New Order - "World In Motion (The B-Side)" (mp3)