Lots of buzz has been surrounding the World Cup lately – and I’m not talking about the Vuvuzela horns – what has been filling up the message boards and twitter feeds is all about the music. Artists from all over the country have come out with new tracks that talk about unity and peace between countries for this tournament, but have they hit or missed the mark? Here are just a few of the songs that have come out in support of the sport:

Shakira “Waka Waka”

I miss the days when my high school Spanish teacher would play Shakira’s Spanish-only CD’s in class and have us translate the lyrics about how she dreamed of a man on a white horse whisking her away. She probably should have stuck to what she was good at. This song not only sounds like all of her other recent “hits”, but does anyone get an urge to watch old episodes of Fraggle Rock after hearing the “Waka Waka” chorus? Not to mention the fact that South Africans are more than slightly miffed that a non-African is performing this nod-to-Africa song. I understand that they needed a recognizable singer to get the song off the ground, but isn’t there anyone else? Personally, I could do without Shakira’s wavering vocals and persistently shaking hips. You can bet that when the next World Cup is in Shakira’s beloved South America, we’re going to get treated to yet another song – it will have a latin beat, but will oddly sound just like a song we heard four years before…

K’naan “Waving Flag”

Now THIS is how you write an anthem. Strong beats and a very catchy hook have made this song undeniably the most favorite Official FIFA World Cup song out there. It is even more legitimate knowing that K’naan is originally from Africa where his aunt, Magool, was one of Somalia’s most favorite singers.  Nothing like supporting the continent where the games are actually hosted. You know that when the Cup comes back to the US, just about every so-called singer/songwriter will be trying to call their songs anthems. I don’t think anyone would argue with me that once you hear the refrain played over and over on that great Coca-Cola commercial, you have it stuck in your head for what feels like forever. Enjoy having it on repeat in your head for the next few days – don’t say I didn’t warn you:

Weezer “Represent”

When Weezer comes to you with an idea to make a song solely about United States’ soccer program, you jump at the chance, which is just what US Soccer did when approached by lead singer, Rivers Cuomo. Weezer gained most of their legendary status from their mega-hit 1994 Blue Album, which everyone recognizes from instant classics like “Buddy Holly”, “Undone (The Sweater Song)”, and “My Name is Jonas”.  Now, with Cuomo’s infamous reclusive nature, it is always a surprise to hear him come out of the woodwork to perform a new song. While this song is undoubtedly Weezer, it unfortunately won’t become a classic. It’s a good effort with the lyrics and strong beat, but the song comes off a bit forgettable. I’m still a Weezer fan, and this song will probably make it into my running playlist, but I guarantee that unlike K’naan’s catchy tune, you won’t even remember hearing this in a few hours.

R. Kelly  “Sign of a Victory”

Is this man seriously still making music? You would figure with all of the allegations and charges of, let’s just say, “inappropriate bathroom behavior” that he would be either in a jail cell or under a rock hiding from all of the bad press and scrutiny. R. Kelly is intent on a comeback after his heyday in the 90s though, and insists on adding his touch to every big event that has television presence in the US. “Sign of a Victory”, which he is touting as a World Cup anthem, is anything but. Without a solid beat or a catchy hook, this song sounds like he heard K’naan’s song and decided he could do it too… and wrote it in all of 5 minutes. Sorry, Mr. Kelly, this just doesn’t inspire me to go watch sports action. The video below is cute with the animals playing soccer – so kudos goes to his team of video editors.

Dempsey “Don’t Tread”

Ok, so this song wasn’t written for the 2010 World Cup, but it’s by our favorite USA goal-scorer, Clint Dempsey. Jokingly made fun of by legendary Martin Tyler in recent coverage for talking like a “rapper”, Dempsey, aka Deuce, created a music video in 2006 for a Nike World Cup ad campaign.  While white rappers with lame nicknames are not always given the highest respect in the industry, it’s actually not all that bad. Granted, I doubt it’s going to take off on the US charts based on his popularity from his soccer status, but as the one and only rap song at least that I’ve ever heard of having soccer lyrics, it does the job well.  But let’s all hope Dempsey doesn’t quit his day job anytime soon.

This post was written by Sarah Parkington of Stone Ward.  Sarah is a contributor to MarketingSoccer.com and our resident music and wine expert.