The Daily Star has put Brazil national football team players and fans in the same musical frame with a feature built around five songs for a World Cup playlist. The list reaches back to 1963 and forward to the 2014 FIFA World Cup, tying football to the songs that have carried Brazil's image around the world.
At the center is We Are One (Ole Ola), the official anthem of the 2014 FIFA World Cup, with Claudia Leitte, Pitbull and Jennifer Lopez on it. Leitte is known for energetic carnival performances in Salvador, which fits the song's bright, stadium-sized tone.
We Are One (Ole Ola)
The anthem did not arrive with a simple reception. When it was released, While We Are One (Ole Ola) received mixed reviews, yet it later became closely associated with the 2014 FIFA World Cup. That shift is the clearest example in the feature of how a song can move from debate to accepted tournament shorthand.
Brazil's musical identity is the thread running through the list. The feature says Brazil's love affair with football has always gone hand in hand with its rich musical culture, so the playlist works less like a match report and more like a soundtrack for watching the World Cup.
Mas Que Nada and To Brazil
Mas Que Nada gives the list its historical weight. Jorge Ben Jor originally released it in 1963, and Sérgio Mendes made it famous internationally. Mendes spent decades introducing Brazilian music to audiences around the world, which is why the song still travels so easily in football settings.
To Brazil adds the tournament link from another era. Vengaboys released it ahead of the 1998 FIFA World Cup, giving the playlist a track that connects Brazil to a different World Cup cycle and a different kind of pop energy.
Baianá and Magalenha
Baianá brings the more experimental side of the list. Bakermat introduced it to a global audience by remixing vocals from Barbatuques, whose music relies almost entirely on body percussion and layered harmonies. Magalenha completes the picture as one of the best songs to sum up the funfair spirit.
The last song in the full five-song list is not available in the excerpt, but the structure of the feature is clear: each pick is meant to help Brazil fans build a World Cup watch-party soundtrack from songs that already carry football memory, carnival rhythm or both.
