Web Watch this month talks about the music - both official and unofficial - for the tournament. I thought I'd supply the YouTube/MySpace links cited in the mag as I'm pretty sure no one ever looks at those links and painstakingly copies them into their browsers. So here goes:

Official:
Wir Haben Fieber by Christina Stürmer
Ole Ole by DJ Bobo
Like A Superstar by Shaggy

Unofficial:
Wir Geben Uns Die Kugel by Alone
Which comes from the excellent compilation issued by Vienna-based Las Vegas Records, some highlights from which are here on My Space:
Rather Be A Loser

And finally, not participating, but hilarious in its own sad little English way:
John Terry (England 2008 Song That Never Was)

Enjoy, if that's the right word.

Excellent.
You're right about the links, mind.

And a reasonable excuse to plug our very own 200 percent's collection of all 16 national anthems.

I should add some nice things about the lads at Las Vegas Records - after listening to the My Space extracts, I ordered the CD, but because I could only transfer a minimum amount of 25 quid from my account, I ended up paying them far more than the price of the record. They were so dismayed by this (and so taken with the idea of appearing in WSC when I explained why I'd found their site in the first place) that they sent me not only the CD, but their entire back catalogue, a free t-shirt, a poster, a sticker, and some copies of the Austrian WSC equivalent Ballesterer. So if anyone ends up ordering the CD (some of the songs are in English) then mention where you read about it (not to get freebies, but to foster Anglo-Austrian indie-fanzine relations).

I can safely say that these were the first freebies I've ever received in connection with writing the web column. I mean, it's not as if people can send you a free website, is it? The nearest I've got is a temporary log-in password to a limited access site.

Really? I'm surprised. I would have assumed that your house was packed to the rafters with free stuff. Mind you, I've never made anything from my blog (hoilday to Japan not withstanding, ingrate that I am).

Edit: Oh, and thank you for the plug, UA. La Marseillaise is currently the ringtone on my mobile phone. I can't wait for that to go off in the pub over the weekend.

You're lucky it isn't the Six Nations. People have been glassed for less.

The temptation to stand and salute when it goes off is almost overwhelming.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fAI9ITEojK8&feature=related

German comedian Oliver Pocher with a remake of the Swiss song for WC 2006.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=83QgVRSlVK8
Same song in the original Swiss German version.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_jqlpJ2e64
I just discovered that the Austrians covered this song, too

Unfortunally Liechtenstein and Luxembourg as remaining German speaking countries are not qualified to add their creativity

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ceSwIwXZus

This is the official German song: Revolverheld with Helden 2008

Sure was nice of Romania to remind us how they reached USA '94 wasn't it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=drdJrYaoNSA

Bastards.

Hahaha! If you ignore the vocals, could the German effort sound any more like The Lightning Seeds?

They really loved 'Three Lions' over there didn't they?

Enrique Iglesia's "Can you hear me" is the official hymn of the Euro, rejoice people...

Two new entries, both better than the previously posted:

Die Fraktion
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ple7J80sDq0&feature=related


Allemann
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NE-csj90UjY&feature=related

QUOTE:
Sure was nice of Romania to remind us how they reached USA '94 wasn't it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=drdJrYaoNSA

Who was that goalie at the 0:37 mark? That was a remarkably horrendous piece of goalkeeping!