On the night of July 9, 2006, it was impossible to go anywhere in Italy without hearing delirious football fans chanting ‘Campioni del mondo’ to the tune of ‘Seven Nation Army’ by The White Stripes. The song had become the Azzurri’s unofficial anthem and there was no escaping it after the country’s World Cup final win over France in Berlin. Jack White was enthused, bemused and amused all at once. “I am honoured that the Italians have adopted this song as their own,” said The White Stripes frontman. “I love that most people who are chanting it have no idea where it came from!” Indeed, most Italian fans knew nothing of the song’s origins - let alone its lyrics, as evidenced by the fact that it was most commonly known as the Po po po po po po po song. So how exactly did Seven Nation Army become the theme for the Azzurri’s 2006 World Cup campaign? It all started in Milan three years previously. On October 22, 2003, Club Brugge fans gathered in a city bar ahead of their side’s Champions League clash with AC Milan at San Siro. The Belgian brigade were in high spirits and when ‘Seven Nation Army’ - a popular rock song released that March - came on, they sang and bounced along to the track’s distinctive riff. As with any good tune, it stuck in the heads of those that had heard it and they continued to belt it out with gusto during the game at the Giuseppe Meazza. Club Brugge pulled off a shock 1-0 win over their Italian opponents and the club’s supporters had themselves a new anthem. However, it was taken from them on February 15, 2006 when they hosted Roma in the Uefa Cup. When the Belgians equalised just after the hour mark, the Jan Breydel Stadium erupted to the sound of ‘Seven Nation Army’. Club captain Francesco Totti was immediately blown away. “I had never heard the song before we stepped on the field in Bruges, the attacker said. Since then, I cant get the Po po po po po po po out of my head. It sounded fantastic and the crowd was immediately totally into it. I quickly went out and bought one of the bands albums. Army on the march|Italys fans took Seven Nation Army and made it their own Roma’s fans were just as enamoured with the tune and instantly embraced it, launching into an improvised version of their own when Simone Perrotta struck a late winner for the visitors. The Giallorossi then brought the chant back to Italy with them and it quickly spread throughout Serie A. By the time the World Cup rolled around in June, supporters all across the country were familiar with the tune (if not the original song)
Posted on: Thu, 12 Jun 2014 11:27:06 +0000
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