From the operatic opening ceremony to athletes’ warmup songs, music is intrinsic to the Paris Olympics now underway.
Athletes from around the world are competing in dozens of disciplines among 32 sports. For those watching at home: Do you know what you’re going listening to during commercial breaks, while making snacks, or to distract you in moments where your favorite isn’t doing that hot? We’ve got you, with a cheeky musical guide to each sport — some picks more literal than others.
Listen to the full playlist on Spotify here.
While this cut from “Lover” was in her Eras Tour set, Swift executed some apt choreography, pulling back an invisible arrow and making this the obvious choice for the bow-wielding sport.
In the pantheon of aspirational songs that mention or center on running, none has had the resurgence of this gothic ‘80s tune.
There is something subtly dignified about badminton. It is a classic-feeling racquet sport, and it requires a similarly first-rate song, like this French pop hit.
The hip-hop all-star collaboration “Forever” was on the soundtrack to LeBron James ‘s 2008 “More Than a Game” documentary, making it the perfect basketball track. James has been selected as Team USA’s male flagbearer this year, making it all the more appropriate.
Arguably the greatest moment of lyrical songwriting on this list, this 1969 classic partially about, yes, a boxer is a narrative masterpiece.
Some music is inextricable from movement. This future-seeking record, all early-electronica and robot-rap, is perfect for the Olympics’ newest sport.
The indie band was a participant in the once popular “chillwave,” a subgenre that sounded like, well, drifting in water.
Heavy breathing that bleeds into minimalistic electronica from the progenitors themselves — if that doesn’t make you want to grab a bicycle, nothing will.
Perhaps the word “dressage” isn’t the first one that comes to mind when this banger by the late Keith and the great Nelson plays, but “horses” certainly does.
Many sports are depicted in the K-pop girl group’s music video, among them fencing. That should be enough cause for celebration.
Written for the other kind of hockey, this country classic has a malleable warmth to it that works just fine for summer.
“Puntería” was the official theme of TelevisaUnivision’s broadcast of the recently concluded 2024 Copa América; there’s no reason it doesn’t work for the Olympics, too. Surely Argentina fans would agree.
You could opt for the Tom Jones cover, or the original Johnny Darrell, but nothing beats Wagoner’s ode to the green.
At the U.S. Classic earlier this year, Simone Biles debuted the routine she may bring to the Olympics, which ends with “Delresto (Echoes).”
This instantly recognizable postwar ballad is all about moving forward unapologetically. In the case of handball at the Olympics, a sport that has been lately dominated by France, this song takes on a different meaning. Don’t look at those past accomplishments; push forward to the next.
It might not be particularly imaginative, but nothing says “combat sport” quite like “Ain’t No Problems” from Waka Flocka Flame, Young Thug and Judo. Get it?
The modern pentathlon semifinals and finals will take place at the Palace of Versailles this year, inspiring this pick from the Swedish power metal band.
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