The official anthem of the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, according to Sony, comes to us from Pitbull and Jennifer Lopez, as the Cuban rapper and Puerto Rican pop star took to the streets of Miami to record a music video that celebrates a global tournament that will take place 3,354 miles away. The song, “We Are One (Ole Ola)” was released last month to split reviews, but people in Brazil mostly disliked the so-called anthem because nothing about it was even remotely indicative of their musical culture. That’s why Sony and FIFA sent the song back to the studio geniuses so they could have the Brazilian drum group Olodum lay down a new backing track, before adding, “See? We get you.”
As for the music video, well, it’s probably not going to change many minds. Pitbull, in all his impish, Dr. Pepper-loving glory, and J-Lo, still desperately clinging to the 90s, tried their hardest to make it look like they were really partying for the upcoming World Cup, while clips of past World Cups and stock footage of Rio de Janeiro were conveniently edited in, as if to say to everyone, “Hey look, it’s Brazil!” It fooled us all, FIFA, and definitely distracted us from the otherwise terrible stories that have surrounded this World Cup.
