Track: Weight of Living, Pt. II by Bastille 

Game: FIFA 13

The band that won for British Breakthrough Act at the 2014 Brit Awards, Bastille have been a big deal ever since their hit single Pompeii took off. That song was on their first studio album, Bad Blood, which also included Weight of Living, Pt. II. What had started as lead vocalist Dan Smith’s solo project in 2010 became a full-fledged band by the time Bad Blood came along. The band gets its name from Bastille Day (July 14), which happens to be Smith’s birthday. Bastille also find themselves in FIFA 16 (Hangin’) and FIFA 17 (Send Them Off!).

Track: Song 2 by Blur 

Game: FIFA: Road to World Cup 98

This one’s not just a FIFA favourite but also a song that was embraced by an entire generation. Blur were a massive success in Britain even before Song 2 was released, having been involved in the Britpop battle versus Oasis, but this track and the album it was on — their eponymous fifth studio album — got them international recognition. Also notable was the attempt to move away from their pop aesthetic towards the lo-fi sound of US indie rock bands. 

Track: Hit It by American Authors 

Game: FIFA 14

Another pick from the more recent editions, Hit It is on the same album — Oh, What a Life — as the band’s biggest hits, Believer and Best Day Of My Life. Incidentally, Best Day Of My Life is on the Pro Evolution Soccer 2015 soundtrack. All four members of American Authors went to Berklee College of Music, Boston, and that’s where the band was formed in 2006.

Track: Supermassive Black Hole by Muse 

Game: FIFA 07

Many first heard it on Twilight, but FIFA players had already put Supermassive Black Hole on their go-to playlists a couple of years before. It is the UK band’s highest charting single ever, while Black Holes and Revelations has been their best-selling album. Muse have gone on to garner several accolades, including Best Rock Album Grammys for The Resistance and Drones. If you liked this one, there’s a good chance you’ll love stuff like Uprising, Time Is Running Out and Knights of Cydonia.

Track: On Top Of The World by Imagine Dragons 

Game: FIFA 13

Another one from the hugely popular FIFA 13 soundtrack. This band from Las Vegas was actually quite kicked to hear that EA Sports wanted their song. On their website, they said, “As long-time FIFA fans, it’s going to be a lot of fun hearing the track play while we are doing bicycle kicks and screaming at the screen.” Their sense of humour extends to the music video of the song as well — it pokes fun at the theory that the 1969 moon landings were fabricated. Also check out Radioactive, the song that won them Best Rock Performance at the 2014 Grammy Awards.

Track: Jerk It Out by Caesars Palace 

Game: FIFA 2004

Later called just Caesars, the Swedish band is best known for this classic. Jerk It Out was the lead single on their third album, Love for the Streets, and came to be featured in a bunch of video games and commercials, including one for the iPod (remember when that device was a thing?). The album was no superstar, but Caesars gained popularity for their ’60s garage rock sound. Their subsequent albums, Paper Tigers and Strawberry Weed, received some success but that was it as far as new material goes.

Track: Wavin’ Flag (Coca-Cola Celebration Mix) by K’naan 

Game: 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa

You might have been living under a rock if you didn’t hear this one eight years ago. The song originally talked about war and hunger in K’naan’s native Somalia, but after it was selected by Coca-Cola to be used in its 2010 FIFA World Cup campaigns, it was transformed into an anthem that stood for freedom and celebration. Wavin’ Flag became an international hit and K’naan was catapulted to instant fame. Unfortunately, the Somali-Canadian was unable to reach anywhere close with his 2012 album Country, God or the Girl.

Track: Beautiful Goal by Paul Oakenfold 

Game: FIFA 2005

How could we leave out a track specially created for the FIFA series by the legendary DJ, Paul Oakenfold? We’re talking about someone whose remix of U2’s Even Better Than the Real Thing charted higher than the original (makes you think about the title). Big name remixes aside, Oakenfold’s best work came in trance, the Goa Mix of 1994 being a prime example. Visits to Goa’s beaches led him to experiment with blending the local music with European tracks, which eventually led to Goa trance as a sub-genre gaining global prominence.

Track: Love Me Again by John Newman 

Game: FIFA 14

Newman first found success as the guest vocalist on London-based band Rudimental’s Feel the Love and Not Giving In. A few months later came Love Me Again, the lead single from his first studio album, and it was a smash hit. Newman’s distinctive voice and his blend of soul and pop have won him fans across the globe. Not bad for someone who’d planned on becoming a mechanic and decided to pursue music only in the second half of his mechanics course.

Track: It’s Only Us by Robbie Williams 

Game: FIFA 2000

Just like Paul Oakenfold’s Beautiful Goal, this one was also made for the FIFA game series. Unlike Oakenfold though, Robbie Williams got English second-tier team Port Vale — the club that he supported — included in the game as part of the deal! Williams needs no introduction, of course. He’s among the top solo artistes that Britain has ever produced, and has won 18 Brit Awards — more than anyone else.

Track: Club Foot by Kasabian 

Game: FIFA 13

One of the best live acts in the UK currently, Kasabian have been together for 20 years and still going strong. Club Foot has been used in a multitude of media productions, from movies to TV shows to video games, while the more recent Comeback Kid is on FIFA 17. Followers of the Premier League would also instantly identify their 2009 hit, Fire. We hope Leicester City’s unlikely triumph in 2016 injected fresh energy into the band (they love their hometown club), and that they might be good for another 20 years and give us track after FIFA track.

Track: 19-2000 (Soulchild Remix) by Gorillaz

Game: FIFA 2002

Get the cool shoeshine! This track’s got to be on the list just so we can talk about Gorillaz, a virtual band with virtual members. Band members 2-D, Noodle, Murdoc Niccals and Russel Hobbs are all characters created by artist Jamie Hewlett, who conceived of the band along with then flatmate Damon Albarn, the lead singer of Blur. In real life, it’s Albarn usually collaborating with other musicians to produce the music. The band’s most successful single is Feel Good Inc., which won a Grammy for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals in 2006.

Sunny Lyngdoh

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... AND HERE ARE OUR FAVE FIFA WORLD CUP THEME SONGS

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