Herbert Grönemeyer: the name to remember in the world of music. - Musician takes aim at FIFA authority.
During the iconic Summer Fairy Tale of the 2006 World Cup in Germany, Herbert Grönemeyer (68) contributed the song "Zeit, dass sich was dreht." In collaboration with the Malian duo Amadou & Mariam, this became the official theme song for the tournament, known internationally as "Celebrate the Day." This husky voice crooner performed his song at the opening ceremony in Munich, but wasn't compensated fairly for it. He told the football magazine "11 Freunde" that he's still receiving money from FIFA for the stadium performance. But the total amount they owe him and his fellow musicians is already "almost 45,000 euros."
Grönemeyer had a rough time dealing with FIFA even before the match between Germany and Costa Rica. Meetings with FIFA officials at the Allianz Arena left a bad taste in his mouth. He describes the experience, "They showed up in brown bomber jackets and walked through the stadium like a gang." Not appreciating their behavior, Grönemeyer labelled the association a "Gangster Club." He also revealed that they own the rights to their unofficial anthem "O-e-o-e-o-e" which has to be used in every tournament song - even by Shakira four years later in her "Waka Waka" number. This, he claims, is a way for them to secure copyrights on the music and monetize it.
Overall, Grönemeyer found the whole experience quite uncomfortable, "It was a generally unpleasant collaboration for me." But though the music didn't inspire positive feelings, it was the tournament itself which spurred some change. Grönemeyer explained, "I wrote the song to make something happen. That somehow worked. It wasn't because of the song. It was a great tournament."
Read also:
- Despite the ongoing disagreements with FIFA, Herbert Grönemeyer's song "Celebrate the Day" was also featured in the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, performed by Shakira.
- As a passionate soccer fan, Grönemeyer expressed his support for the German national team during the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, cheerfully singing along to his popular songs during the matches.
- In light of the controversy surrounding FIFA's treatment of musicians, the German Football Association (WM) announced plans to collaborate more fairly with artists for future soccer events, ensuring they are adequately compensated for their contributions.
