Revisit the World Cup song U2 recorded for Ireland
Ah, the notion of the official football tournament song. Just as our respective nations head off in search of glory once every two years when either the World Cup or the European Championship begin, there often comes an official song to accompany the hopes and wishes of a nation.
From an English perspective, we’re thinking of the iconic ‘Three Lions’ by Frank Skinner, David Baddiel and the Lightning Seeds, or ‘World in Motion’ by the England National Team and New Order, an effort that famously features the exemplary rapping skills of John Barnes. From an Irish point of view, look no further than U2’s ‘Put ‘Em Under Pressure’.
In fact, it was Ireland national team-mad Larry Mullen Jr. (U2’s drummer) who wrote and produced the song, the official tune for the 1990 World Cup. Supposedly, the fact that New Order had produced England’s official World Cup anthem led to the Irish FA seeking out an even bigger name. And how could you possibly get more prominent than Bono and the lads?
The track opens with a beautiful rendition of the iconic football chant “ole ole ole”, delivered in an almost haunting style by Moya Brennan, a beloved Irish folk singer and harpist. Then a guitar riff that could only come out of 1990 gets the blood pumping. In fact, the riff has been borrowed from the Celtic rock band Horslips’ song ‘Dearg Doom’, strengthening the overwhelming sense of Irishness across the track.
Throughout the track, there are several references to Jack Charlton, who had taken over the management of the Irish national team in 1986, transformed them and got them qualified for the 1990 World Cup. There are several TV interview snippets of Charlton mixed throughout the song. In fact, the song’s title is a Charlton quote, delivered in his unique northeast English accent.
Mullen had initially offered the national team the chance to record the song’s chorus vocals, but they reportedly needed help getting the lyrics right. The final chorus vocals actually belong to a set of U2 fans who had gathered outside the studio. They are acknowledged on the liner notes to the single as the “Windmill Carpark Choir”.
Eventually, the song was released on Son Records, which itself was a subsidiary of U2’s label, Mother Records. ‘Put ‘Em Under Pressure’ reached number one in the Irish singles chart and stayed there for 13 weeks. Ireland had a respectable World Cup campaign in 1990. They were eventually knocked out by Italy in the quarter-finals, losing 1-0. However, the team returned heroes in their nation’s eyes, undoubtedly buoyed by the U2 single.
