Fans celebrate at the Angel of Independence after Mexico defeated Germany in the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia on June 17, 2018 in Mexico City. (Photo by Manuel Velasquez / Getty Images)
Thousands of Mexican soccer fans celebrated so raucously at the Angel of Independence monument in Mexico City following El Tri’s World Cup goal against Germany that they triggered a seismic event. Then they broke into song.
Ay, ay, ay, ay, Canta y no llores (Sing and don’t cry).
That folk song, “Cielito Lindo,” has become an anthem for the country and its soccer team. When Spotify set out to create a World Cup-themed video series featuring artists from Colombia, Brazil, Mexico, and Argentina, picking a version of this song by Mexican singer Carlos Rivera was an obvious choice.
If there is a global language, it would be either music or soccer. Spotify’s video series—called “The World’s Game” and available on the ¡Viva Latino! playlist—is a blend of the two.
Colombian hip-hop group ChocQuibTown covered “Colombia Caribe,” an unofficial anthem of the national soccer team. Argentinian singer Lali performed “Y Dale Alegria,” which was originally composed by Fito Páez as a tribute to famed soccer superstar Diego Maradona. Brazilian DJ Alok spun “Baiana” along with the song’s creator, Barbatuques, and rap duo Foreign with the video featuring symbols of the Canarinho.
Spotify also aggregated anonymous data of people from each country were listening to when their national team won or lost key games. In doing so, the streaming service created what it called an “actually-quite-rigorous ‘superstition score.’”
The best revelation? The lucky song for France is, apparently, “Young, Wild & Free” by Snoop Dogg, featuring Bruno Mars.
Spotify has also compiled several World Cup-themed playlists and reportedly will use listening history to inform U.S. customers what their “backup nation” should be during the tournament.
