Best Of British: The Olympic Playlist (2012 London Olympics Opening Ceremony Feature)
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Monday, 30 July 2012 |
Written by Heather McDaid
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With all eyes focussed on London on the evening of July 27th, they had to pull out a blinder to celebrate all that was British and then some. Love it or loathe it, the ceremony caused laughter and smiles to millions and was soundtracked by some of the country's most iconic songs. But what was deemed worthy enough to represent our musical history as we put on the biggest show on earth for one night only?
Well, for one there was both the Eastenders and Coronation Street theme songs. Not tracks you'd perhaps expect when looking at the nation's musical history, but you can see why they made an appearance. Seemingly - though maybe this was personally missed - the Doctor Who theme also reared its head in the celebrations.
 Taking a look at some of the more modern names on the published list, Zambian-Scottish singer-songwriter Emeli Sandé made an appearance with her track 'Heaven'. No small feat for someone at a mere 25. More impressive age wise, but far less surprising was 24-year-old Adele's mammoth hit 'Rolling In The Deep'. Amy Winehouse's collaboration with Mark Ronson 'Valerie' was included, though there was never much doubt as to her inclusion. Tying in with the recent reformation announcement of their original line-up, Sugababes' hit from back in the day 'Push The Button' also made an appearance in the British music elite.
Alongside some of these acclaimed female vocalists were modern male alternatives. Mammoth rock trio Muse - as well as writing their own song for the Olympics - had their 'Black Holes and Revelations' single 'Map of the Problematique' featured as well as mammoth 'Uprising' from 2009's 'The Resistance'. Sheffield's own Arctic Monkeys performed a stellar show at the event, so it proves no surprise that classic tune 'I Bet You Look Good on the Dance Floor' was included. Glasgow-based Franz Ferdinand made the cut, with 'Take Me Out' being deemed worthy, alongside the Kaiser Chiefs' 'I Predict A Riot' and The Chemical Brothers' 'Galvanize'.
To the more iconic names, whose inclusion or lack thereof could have sparked major arguments, the playlist packed quite an impact. From Eric Clapton's number 'Wonderful Tonight' to both 'She Loves You' and 'Hey Jude' by The Beatles, the classics all put together in one place really affirms that our countries have such a rich musical history. The Kinks 'All Day and All Of The Night' to The Rolling Stones' '(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction' added to the rock 'n' roll flavour of the event. No such list would be complete without the inclusion of Queen, unsurprisingly honoured through 'Bohemian Rhapsody'.
From Radiohead's 'Creep' to Blur's 'Song 2' and Oasis' 'Wonderwall' to The Verve's 'Bitter Sweet Symphony', this playlist encapsulated so much musical history it's hard to do it justice. Listening to some of these tracks, the last four in particular, just provoke such an overwhelming nostalgia. Most of these played part to my childhood through either their respective release or my parents playing them in the house or on drives, but to see them all comprehensively defining the musical history of a nation is quite something.
There's so many more celebrated numbers that reared their heads, from The Jam's 'Going Underground' to the inclusion of the Sex Pistols, who had one of their featured songs banned following its initial release. Though this list contains much that is expected, it occasionally plays to the unpredictability that music possesses with inclusion of The Prodigy's 'Firestarter' - a classic number by all accounts, but on a similar shock-level to the Sex Pistols in its heyday.
Legendary David Bowie, of course, made the list, as did The Who with their smash 'My Generation', which - wonderfully - has transcended many a generation. More modern counterparts were given their moment too, including Coldplay with 'Viva La Vida' and Tinie Tempah with 'Pass Out'. Dizzee Rascal even got to perform at the ceremony with his hit 'Bonkers', an accolade shared by few others artists that evening.
These are just a few of the songs that made the track list, and it's quite something to just scroll through the titles that forged the country's history of music. Performance wise, they obviously tried for as much diversity as they had found in their song list.
Wonderful folk-rocker Frank Turner played the ceremony very early on, with his track 'I Still Believe' being aired to an unfathomable amount of viewers. Dizzee Rascal brought his modern flavour to proceedings, while the Arctic Monkeys brought their indie rock to the hilt. Paul McCartney topped off the bill with a minute performance that included his rendition of 'Hey Jude'. Some would say it was faultless, others could pluck names they'd rather have seen appear.
It's futile to nitpick. The Olympics opening ceremony - love it or hate it - displayed the diversity and the long record of our music and it's at the very least interesting to look at the soundtrack as something that has at one point or another defined a generation. There are names who could have been there, should have been there, might have been there, but across the board the list did what it was compiled to do: embrace the history of music in this country.
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