(Picture Credit: IBNLive)
Many people doubted London’s ability to host a remarkable opening ceremony after Beijing’s Olympic opening spectacle in 2008. However, the British have always proved themselves to be reliable when it comes to music (check out the musical scores for films like Notting Hill, Snatch, or Bridget Jones’ Diary).
The music was incredible with sets dating from the 1960s all the way through the current era. Pink Floyd, Beatles, Pet Shop Boys, The Prodigy, Sex Pistols, David Bowie, Queen, Eurythmics, The Chemical Brothers… the list is endless. The musical history of Britain was as much a theme of the event as the Industrial Revolution or World War I, and it made the opening that much more alive.
Forgotten greats such as Underworld’s classic “Born Slippy” (listen below) came bursting from latent nostalgia. It’s easy to forget the impact of British music and its history on both the music we listened to as children and the music we hear today.
Highlights: Arctic Monkeys (especially their cover of Beatles’ “Come Together”), Paul McCartney closing the ceremony with “Hey Jude” – everyone erupting into “Nah nah nah nah nah nah, nah nah nah, hey Jude” was magical. The entire sequence of music through the British 1960s -90s segment was also well chosen.
If you’re looking for a copy of the 2012 Olympic soundtrack, you can purchase the digital version on iTunes.
On a non-musical note, Rowan Atkinson was a definite favourite – every orchestra should feature Mr. Bean! Daniel Craig (as James Bond) and the Queen’s vignette made a great entrance for Britain’s matriarch. The Queen herself was also ironically entertaining throughout the event – ironic because she appeared so bored, even when the British team came out to say hello. The lighting of the official Olympic flame was the climax of the ceremony, as dozens of smaller flames joined together to form a cauldron of Olympic glory and tradition.
Enjoy the Olympics 2012!
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