What are good examples of songs played during a sporting montage?

June 5, 2015 5:17 PM

I'm a sucker for the sort of song that is played over montages of action at the end of sport events (important matches, tournaments, championships etc). Definitely not looking for the sort of song that is played to gee up the crowd (Song 2, Wide Open Spaces etc), but stuff like Nothing Stays The Same by Luke Sital-Singh, Run Boy Run by Woodkid, One Day Like This by Elbow or maybe Ane Brun's version of True Colours.

I guess often semi-acoustic, generally bittersweet/poignant with an ultimately uplifting air. I'd like to make a playlist of these sort of songs on Spotify for either listening to after I reflect on my victory in a 100m race, or when I'm feeling maudlin. Either's good.

posted by Hartster to Society & Culture (12 answers total)

I got chills when they used the of I've Got Soul But I'm Not A Soldier portion of this Killers song in an olympics promo a while back, but the whole song doesn't necessarily hit your goals.
posted by rubster at 5:24 PM on June 5, 2015

Chariots of Fire would be the canonical example.
posted by phunniemee at 5:25 PM on June 5, 2015 [4 favorites]

BBC recently used Heroes by Mats Zelmerlow - the chorus specifically - in Match of the Day.

Mr Bookish suggests Hoppipolla by Sigur Ros.
posted by kariebookish at 5:43 PM on June 5, 2015

Fanfare For the Common Man
posted by Rob Rockets at 5:48 PM on June 5, 2015 [1 favorite]

One Shining Moment
posted by Huffy Puffy at 6:22 PM on June 5, 2015 [2 favorites]

Explosions in the Sky - Your Hand In Mine (w/ strings). There are several other songs on the Friday Night Lights OST that might do it for you too.

Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros - Minstrel Boy

Emmylou Harris - Waltz Across Texas Tonight
posted by hackwolf at 6:57 PM on June 5, 2015

This seems like We Are The Champions, right? I mean it's a little more bombastic than some, but the first quieter part is a little bittersweet, and it's certainly been played after enough sporting events.
posted by drjimmy11 at 7:31 PM on June 5, 2015

2nding Mr Bookish, I sought out Hoppipolla by Sigur Ros after hearing it used for the FA Cup
posted by fullerine at 9:29 PM on June 5, 2015

It's a bit more retro and U.S.-Centric, but the closing theme for the long-running show "This Week in Baseball" was titled Gathering Crowds. (Bit of further trivia: the composer was Mike Vickers, an original member of Manfred Mann.)

Another outside possibility would be to dig through music composed for NFL Films. Some of it might be a bit aggressive, bombastic, or spaghetti-western sounding, but some clips might be what you're looking for. Example; YouTube is rich with more samples.
posted by gimonca at 11:26 PM on June 5, 2015

I've heard U2 Beautiful Day at the end of football matches. It fits both the maudlin and uplifting depending on whether you listen to the verse or chorus.
posted by billiebee at 4:49 AM on June 6, 2015

Tune in right now for the Champions League final, and hear THE CHAAAAAMPIOOOOONS!

It's an adaptation of "Zadok the Priest", which is the British coronation anthem, but you have to wait awhile between British coronations.

(Hat tip to eriko in the FIFA thread on the blue.)
posted by Huffy Puffy at 11:43 AM on June 6, 2015

Again with the bombast, but I thought of Muse's Survival which was the official Olympics song for London 2012. Watching it on the big screen at the events themselves was surprisingly emotive.
posted by tardigrade at 12:13 PM on June 6, 2015