Best World Cup song of 2006
It's time to identify the best World Cup song of 2006. As far as we're concerned, one tune leads the pack: "Wij houden van Oranje 2006" by Ali B ft. André Hazes.
A good World Cup song needs the following: [1] a reduction of patriotism to something effortless and participatory; [2] simple lyrics that assure a maudlin celebratory response; [3] a performer who appeals to a wide demographic; and [4] a simple melody, ideally somewhat folky, that invites a karaoke impulse.
"Wij houden van Oranje" contains all of these ingredients. The title translates as "We love Orange." It refers to the color associated with the Dutch royal family and, by proxy, the nation. The original version of the song was a hit for André Hazes, a Dutch singer (now deceased) in 1988. You want maudlin? The melody of "Wij houden van Oranje" is taken from "Auld Lang Syne." Close your eyes and feel the drunken tears welling up.
Ali B, a Dutch artist of Moroccan extraction, rhymes a spirited, namechecking rap of nationalist ferocity (replete with a shouted "motherf*cker" toward the song's end) over Hazes' sentimental tune.
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