Released 8 June 1998 Genre Dance
Worldbeat Producer(s) Peter Oxendale | Format CD single Length 3:58 | |
Writer(s) Paul Spencer
Scott Rosser
Stephen Spencer | ||
"Carnaval de Paris" is a song by English electronic music trio Dario G. The song was recorded for the 1998 FIFA World Cup in France. It peaked at number five in the UK Singles Chart in 1998.
Contents
Origins
The origins of the melody come from the world of football. During a 1996 pre-season tour of The Netherlands, Sheffield Wednesday F.C. picked up on a chant sung by the fans of Utrecht, with a tune inspired by the folk ballad "Oh My Darling, Clementine". This was then adapted and brought back to England for the following 1996–97 FA Premier League. The chant was sung extensively at the home game with Nottingham Forest on 18 November 1996 helped by the club's resident band. This was slowly picked up by other clubs in the Premier League, helped by the use of it at England matches (where the Sheffield Wednesday band were now invited to play). Sheffield Wednesday had already lost their "barmy army" chant to the England cricket team and also other football clubs. In an effort to either stem this spread of the song (or just to keep it unique), the fans of Sheffield Wednesday added their own lyrics to the theme (which continues to this day). This happened around the time of the Dario G single release.
Usage
The song, however, has now spread around the world, starting when fans of the U.S. men's national team used the tune in their first match after the September 11 attacks in a World Cup qualifier in Foxborough, Massachusetts against Jamaica. Amongst the supporters' clubs which have used the tune have been those in Portsmouth, Leicester City F.C., Chicago Fire, VfL Bochum, Wellington Phoenix, Sydney FC and D.C. United. In fact, Section 8 Chicago, a supporters' club for Chicago Fire, supplied lyrics for the previously instrumental tune. Rugby League rivals St. Helen's RLFC and Wigan Warriors both play it after a successful try conversion.
This song also appears like the soundtrack in the menu of Pro Evolution Soccer 2014.
Music video, instrumentation and composition
The music video features children painted in the colours of the representative countries participating in the tournament. For example, it depicts a group of Scottish children kicking off a match against Brazilian children while playing Scottish Bagpipes, mirroring the opening game at France 1998. A subsequent scene involving Jamaican children is set to music with steel drums.