European Championship goal anthem
Why fans demand “Major Tom” by Peter Schilling
Which song will the German national team around Kai Havertz (l.) and Florian Wirtz cheer to in the future?
© IMAGO/Chai vd Laage
What is behind the demand of many fans to declare “Major Tom” the DFB goal anthem? And how realistic is it?
Peter Schilling’s (68) classic “Major Tom” as an anthem for goals scored by the German soccer team? This demand is currently floating around the Internet. A user named Max Kirchi started a petition on the campaign platform Change.org. Over 68,000 people have already signed it, and the goal of 75,000 signatures is close. But how did this hype about a song that is over 40 years old come about?
The fuss about “Major Tom” has its origins in a commercial by Adidas to present the German team’s European Championship jersey. Using the national team, the clip ironically addresses the question of what is typically German. Variations of Schilling’s song can be heard again and again in the background. At the climax, a goal by the Germans of course, the refrain sounds: “Completely detached from the earth…”.
The spot and especially the use of “Major Tom” were well received by many fans. On X, some users used the song to accompany football scenes. Of course, the clips were quickly taken offline due to copyright infringement. But the message remained.
“We need Major Tom as the goal anthem at the home European Championship no matter how sick it would be,” wrote one user. And: We really need to start a petition somehow or something.” Max Kirchi took up this ball on Change.org.
Sing-along anthem instead of “Zombie Nation”?
Most of the comments on X about the anthem proposal were positive. “Major Tom as a goal anthem would actually be perfect, a song that would be embraced by both younger and older fans,” one person wrote. “Everyone, absolutely everyone, who is older than 15 knows the lyrics. That would be a sick mood,” seconded another.
“When the generic goal anthem started, the euphoria disappeared, so why not win it back with a new goal anthem?” noted an X user. He was alluding to “Nuclear Power 400”. Five years ago, fans voted the instrumental piece from the electro project Kernkraft 400 as the German team’s goal jingle. With a good 20 percent of the 93,548 votes cast, “Zombie Nation” narrowly beat out “Choirs” by Mark Forster (17.2 percent) and Culcha Candela’s “Von auch” (16.2).
How realistic is the plan? What do DFB and UEFA say?
In the friendly against the Netherlands (March 26) in Frankfurt, “Zombie Nation” will definitely be used if a goal is scored. This was confirmed by the German Football Association (DFB). compared to t-online.
It is still unclear what the next two test matches against Ukraine (June 3rd in Nuremberg) and Greece (June 7th in Mönchengladbach) will look like.
“Major Tom” will definitely not be heard at the European Football Championship in our own country. Because the European Football Union (Uefa) determines the procedure at the tournament. The same jingle will play for all goals from all teams, UEFA did that clear to “Sportschau”.. This will be part of the official EM song that has not yet been presented. It will be performed by the German singer Leony (26), the US band One Republic and the Italian electro act Meduza.
However, UEFA has allowed the associations to submit their own music for the warm-up and after the game.