Soccer and Shakira have lots in common. Well, one thing, at least: Once far more popular outside the U.S. than in, the singer and the sport have both gone on to raise their respective profiles in our fair nation. (Just go with it.) So it makes perfect sense, sort of, that Shakira was selected to sing the official anthem of the 2010 World Cup.
According to Billboard, Shakira’s “Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)” is a collaboration with South African group Freshlyground. The hooks here are nowhere near as indelible or inventive as those on last year’s awesome She Wolf, but they’ll do.
Check out a helpfully subtitled video for “Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)” after the jump and let us know what you think. Clip is via Vulture, which makes an inevitable joke about “O Let’s Do It” rapper Waka Flocka Flame. I’ll be honest, when I saw the title of this song I, too, hoped Waka Flocka might drop a verse on “Waka Waka.” Maybe on the remix?
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Rule #1: never let Fozzie Bear pick your song titles.
Heh. Great minds, etc.
And in a related story, Fozzie Bear will be re-recording “Hips Don’t Lie”.
I’m sure it makes sense in context, but the first thing this makes me think of is Fozzie Bear’s shtick on the Muppets. “Wakka wakka wakka!”
Yes sure, she has commercial appeal around the world. But it would have been nice to have a South African/African artist sing the song in collaboration with South African group Freshlyground. Yes this song is for the World Cup, but this song is called “This Time for Africa.”
I love this new song by Shakira. I just wish she would promote some other of her songs on her latest CD like “Men in This Town.” It’s a really good song.
Since the World Cup is being held in Africa for the first time ever, an African artist would make a lot more sense than Shakira.
Listen to your god;
This is our motto.
What a stupid motto.
well, but since Sony Music is allied with FIFA, it chooses the artist I guess they see more protitable to perform the anthem….
Shakira is well known worldwide, and she has a very multi ethnic musical style…
so it’s perfect this choice for me.
this can be the new Ricky Martin CUP OF life..
so it’s great, we latins are very proud of this choice…
Normally I would agree with the claim that a South African artist should be singing this, however, my irrational love of Shakira overrules it.
GHEY
this guy who write the article is mean when he says like there a huelpful subtitled video for the song! j ej ejeje
I dont know whay everybody in AMerica thinks shakira’s english is so bad is hard to understand what she is singing. I know it’s not the best, I know, but c’mon!
The chorus of the song “saminamina eh eh waka waka eh eh…” is from a song sang by a Cameroonian Group called “Zangalewa” in the 1990s. I still the remember the song because I am from Cameroon and was a teenager when the song came out. All of Africa loved it and the group toured in many African countries for concerts. Since Cameroon is playing in the world cup this summer and I am proud that a Cameroonian song was used, maybe even unknowingly, by the Great Shakira. GO THE INDOMITABLE LIONS OF CAMEROON!!!
the song is actually a remake of a west african song. I remember the song from when I was little. It has nothing to do with wack flack flame.
waving flag is more inspirational AND STRONG
By Simon Vozick-Levinson. Soccer and Shakira have lots in common. Well, one thing, at least: Once far more popular outside the U.S. than in, the singer and the sport have both gone on to raise their respective profiles in our fair nation. (Just go with it.) So it makes perfect sense, sort of, that Shakira was selected to sing the official anthem of the 2010 World Cup. This coment by this editor is an example of the absence of understanding of what the world cup is about, played in 208 countries, #1 sport in all of them, the U.S. soccer league is still a joke and its people have not yet, learn the pasion of this great sport, now is you have a better candidate for the song, should have said so in the article.
Unfortunately, I am not a fan of Shakira singing the SOUTH AFRICA World Cup’s 2010 Official Song–if not a South African artist, at least an African artist could have been featured. Not only that, the song copies Zangawela by a Cameroonian group…I understand the Cameroonian men in this group are not as sexy as Shakira, but why were they not the ones to sing the official song? And what happened to K’naan’s song? [More of my thoughts found here: http://tiny.cc/kou87%5D