Markus Larsson: The intro music makes the goosebumps put on a funny hat
There is a lot of whining about the World Cup.
Quite rightly – football is only for the rich.
But one thing is a masterstroke.
It doesn’t matter which teams face each other in the regular season.
The intro music gives goosebumps to put on a funny hat, read a column from Erik Niva and paint a flag over the face.
Because Fifa lets the teams go on the pitch to “Sirius” with The Alan Parsons Project get the matches off to a perfect start. In many cases, the intro is the highlight. Few teams manage to live up to the charge and expectations that the instrumental song creates.
Fifa, this Taj Mahal of greed, has in any case done something right.
Why the organization chose “Sirius” is unclear, but it is probably about the song’s position in American sports. There is almost no clearer way to show that the United States is the primary host country of the playoffs. Or the seemingly inevitable Americanization of soccer. In the US, “Sirius” is an institution. Everyone has heard it but few know who wrote the music.
For a long time, the sports world lacked great intro songs and player presentations. But that changed when Tommy Edwardsa radio profile and game host for the basketball team Chicago Bullswent to the cinema in the early 80s. “Sirius” played in the background before the movie started. Edwards immediately heard the potential of the music to build tension and drama.
With timing learned on the radio, Tommy Edwards began introducing the Chicago Bulls with “Sirius”. He wanted to make the home crowd feel invincible and terrify the opposition. Edward’s successor, Ray Clayperfected the ritual during the Bulls’ 90s dynasty. The team’s biggest star was always announced last, just as the guitar solo slams the song into the basket:
“From North Carolina… at guard… 6’6″… MICHAEL JORDAN!”
No team, sooner or later, and regardless of sport, has been more powerful. You want to run through the wall without a helmet and shin guards when you see the classic clips with the Chicago Bulls’ signature tune.
The Alan Parsons Project had no intention of making the best intro in the sports world when they entered the studio. The British duo consisted of Alan Parsons and Eric Woolfson. Parsons has a background as a sound engineer during the recordings of “Abbey Road” with The Beatles and Pink Floyd’s “The dark side of the moon”. They wanted to write a short introduction to the song “Eye in the sky” on the album of the same name.
“Sirius” was released in 1982 and has since made a strange journey. From having been a popular bracket before “Eye in the sky” to composing the music for the world’s biggest sports show in 2026. Alan Parsons himself seems to take sports with a shrug. When once asked how he felt about the Chicago Bulls using his music, he replied:
“Who is Michael Jordan?”
On Saturday at 19.00 Swedish time, “Sirius” will be played when Sweden goes out to face the Netherlands. The tremors will be able to be registered on the Richter scale, thanks in large part to Alan Parsons.
But it’s probably not worth asking the 77-year-old about Yasin Ayari and Matthias Svanberg.
Larsson’s top three
1. “Widow’s bay” (TV series, Apple tv)
Horror is the strongest trend of recent years. And this could be the crown jewel of the era. The humor only makes the series even more horrible.
2. “Walk carefully, here rests a dream” (forthcoming ep, Tomma Intet)
The art of transforming Kent’s vintage melodies into a dark and dreamy and irresistible now in Gothenburg.
3. “The last dance” (documentary, Netflix)
Speaking of “Sirius” and the Chicago Bulls – a documentary that can be watched over and over again.
