When Bono and The Edge Co-Wrote a Euro Championship Anthem

In 1960, the inaugural UEFA European Football Championship was held, marking the beginning of what would become a revered tradition in the world of football. This championship has occurred every four years since its inception and is currently the second-most watched football tournament globally, trailing only the FIFA World Cup. For American audiences, this European football is what they call soccer.

Since 1992, each UEFA European Championship has been accompanied by a new song, often featuring multilingual lyrics tied to the host country’s language. In 2020, the championship’s song was particularly noteworthy as it involved Bono and the Edge from U2. The track, titled “We Are the People,” was a collaboration with celebrated artists Martin Garrix, Albin Nedler, Kristoffer Fogelmark, Giorgio Tuinfort, and Simon Edmund Carmody.

“Creating the music for one of the biggest sports events in the world together with Bono and the Edge has been an incredible experience,” Garrix noted in a press release at the time. “I’m very proud of what we did together and excited to finally share it with the world!”

Bono and the Edge even performed the song virtually during the championship’s opening ceremony, bringing a unique digital flavor to the event.

Work on “We Are the People” began three years prior to its release. The song was actually completed before the pandemic hit in March 2020, with the whole process kept under wraps.

“At one point, Bono was singing new melodies,” Garrix revealed in an interview with Rolling Stone in 2021. “And mind you, I think this was six hours after we sent the email to them asking whether they were interested. I remember I had to mute myself on the phone during the conversation just to scream and then unmute and play it cool. It was incredible.”

Not long after, Garrix found himself flying to Monaco to record the track alongside the two U2 members.

“I had goosebumps in the studio the entire time,” he recalled. “Because it’s Bono standing next to me singing the song.”

The excitement and sheer impact of having such significant artists collaborating on a song for the UEFA European Championship underscored the song’s importance and resonance.

The 2024 Euro Final between Spain and England is set to take place on July 14 at 3 p.m. EST.

Source: Pitchfork, Rolling Stone