With all the vast preparations and money which is spent on hosting the Olympic games, one would think that the composition of a brilliant, powerful Olympic theme song for each Games would be just a matter of course.
Unfortunately, most Olympic songs fail to make the podium.
Probably the most compelling and memorable song associated to the Olympics was not composed for an Olympic opening or closing ceremony at all. Instead, it was composed by Vangelis (Greek composer Evangelos Odysseas Papathanassiou) as the theme for the 1981 film Chariots of Fire, which is about two British runners who competed in the 1924 Olympics.
The song became so associated with the Olympics it was actually made the official theme of the 1984 Sarajevo Winter Olympics and performed during the opening ceremonies of the 2012 London Summer Olympics by the London Symphony Orchestra -and comedian Rowan Atkinson, aka Mr. Bean.
To watch the London Symphony Orchestra's version, with Atkinson hijinks, go online to:
http://youtu.be/h17gIW9paO0.
