World Cup: Canada, let's pick a song

When it comes to soccer culture in this country, everyone loves to say, "We have a long way to go."

"We have hockey crowds at soccer games."

Honestly, what's wrong with that? Fans the world over, no matter the sport, react most when there's a key play or a tough moment on the field. That's natural. Let's just keep going with that.

I don't think we're that far off from being where we should be. It's been great to see the energy people have brought to the streets here in Metro Vancouver for Les Rouges. Whatever colour the national team is wearing — red, white or black (?!?) — Canadians love the feeling of cheering for our team. We see this in hockey; we've seen it at times for our women's rugby and men's basketball teams, too.

There's an energy there to be channelled. And the easiest way for us to channel that energy would be to just settle on a song.

And so I plead with the Voyageurs, who have plucked away for so long to bring some energy to our soccer crowds, to add one easy thing to their list: Take a page from just about every other country and start singing a song we all know.

Look at those videos of the English singing Oasis. Look at the Australians singing Men at Work. The Scots have been known to sing the Proclaimers. Heck, we sing about how far we'd walk all the time.

Those have become iconic moments, not just on social media, but in our memories. Those are songs that everyone in the crowd knew because they are songs that everyone loves. They are true pop songs.

And this is what Canada needs: We need to pull from our long list of super-popular pop songs. The Irish have taken on Fields of Athenry because it speaks to national tragedy. We don't even have to do that.

We are not a nation that struggles for sing-a-longs. There are plenty of songs we all know well:

Home for a Rest. Life is a Highway. Summer of '69. If I Had a Million Dollars. Bobcaygeon.

Those are Canadian classics. You're telling me we can't pick a single Tragically Hip song?

There are also one we love singing at weddings, like Mony Mony or Running Down a Dream. Those are floor fillers!

There are plenty of slightly more modern Canadian classics, like Ironic, Complicated, Call Me Maybe, Blinding Lights or Hotline Bling. Or even, gulp, How You Remind Me.

Heck, we could go really crazy and go with My Heart Will Go On. Imagine a whole stadium belting out Céline.

It's totally great that the Voyageurs have put so much work into putting global soccer chants into Canadian terms, but for most Canadians, those sounds aren't familiar ones.

We need ones that are true earworms, ones you start humming to yourself because you've heard it in on the radio, in the doctor's office, at the grocery store. You've heard it a zillion times and you may not even know the name of the song, but you know the tune.

You know at least the melody, it's a song you can sing over and over and over …

That's what we need. Canada needs a song, we just need some fans to lead the way. Pick one and let's go.

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