Whether you're being taken out to the ball game or pumping up the jam... or maybe even being wowed by the Skate Circle DJs in Central Park... you can't deny that sports and music go hand in hand. And this week, we're revisiting the World Cup music of today and yesteryear and doing a deep dive into the sweet sounds of roller rink tunes to get our blood pumping and give our ears a workout!

SONGS:

Shakira: Waka Waka (This Time for Africa - Official FIFA World Cup Song) (2010)

De La Soul: A Roller Skating Jam Named “Saturdays” (1991)

RESOURCES AND REFERENCES:

The unifying power of music in sports (DLMDD)

NBA Space Jam Get ready for this (YouTube)

Wait, Why Was Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl Halftime Show Controversial? (Rolling Stone)

New Order - World In Motion (Official Music Video)

Kraftwerk - Tour De France (2009 Remaster) (YouTube)

Special Report Kraftwerk At The Tour De France (Electronic Sound)

List of FIFA World Cup songs and anthems (Wikipedia)

Golden Sounds - Zangalewa (YouTube)

Gloryland 1994 World Cup Song (YouTube)

Anastacia - Boom, FIFA World Cup 2002 (YouTube)

World Cup Song by Shakira Stirs Controversy (PBS)

K'NAAN - Wavin’ Flag (YouTube)

Herbert Grönemeyer feat. Amadou & Mariam: Celebrate the Day (2006 FIFA Official World Cup Song)

Saturdays’ Samples!

Who Sampled for “A Roller Skating Jam Named 'Saturdays”

DJ Sam Redmore’s Instagram Every Sample from “A Roller Skating Jam Named ‘Saturdays’”

Instant Funk: I Got My Mind Made Up (1978)

Mighty Ryeders: Evil Vibrations (1978)

De La Soul Sampling Stereothematica Favorite “Ma Quale Idea” in their Promo

Roller Skating!

Horrible Histories John Joseph Merlin’s Roller Skates

Father of Modern Roller Skates

United Skates Trailer (HBO, 2018)

Central Park Dance Skaters Association

PBS Short Documentary on Central Park Dance Skaters

How Black Culture Made Roller Skating Popular (LA Times Video, 2020)

An Oral History of LA’s Black Indoor Roller Skating Scene (LA Times, 2025)

The History Behind the Roller Skating Trend (JSTOR Daily, 2023)

Skate Culture and Black Women Rollin’

Rapper Nipsey Hussle Helps Beloved Mid City Roller Rink World on Wheels Get Rolling Again (LA Times)

Gene Kelly performs “I Like Myself” in It’s Always Fair Weather” (1955)

More Del La Soul

De La Soul - Live Performing Me, Myself & I at Tramps NYC 1996 (We Hate This Song)

De La Soul on Arsenio (1989)

De La Soul is Streaming (NPR, 2023)

De La Soul: Transmitting Live From Mars (1989)

The Turtles: You Showed Me (1968)

Trugoy Obituary and Tribute (NPR, 2023)

De La Soul: Tiny Desk (NPR, 2026)

De La Soul’s Maseo and Posdnuos Pen Tributes to Trugoy the Dove (Pitchfork, 2023)

Required Listening

Questlove’s Interview with Posdnuos (2026)

One Song: De La Soul’s “Buddy” (2024)

Connect with us on Instagram (to share your song picks or troll us), Spotify (for our ever-growing playlist), and Stereothematica.com (for extra fun)!

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And email us at stereothematica@gmail.com! We will write back!