Skip Marley’s ‘Lions’ remix chosen as official CWC song

Thoughts of who Jamaica would play in the final round of the Concacaf Women’s Championship were front of mind when the region’s governing body held the draw a little over a week ago.

But Jamaicans missed a trick during the hubbub where it was announced the Reggae Girlz would face the challenges of Mexico, the United States and Haiti in the final round.

The Concacaf Women’s Championship, like a World Cup, or the Olympics, has a theme, and with a theme comes an official song, something for fans to associate that particular edition with.

The official songs of games in recent times have taken on some significance, so in 2010, for instance, when the World Cup in South Africa announced Shakira’s ‘Waka Waka’ as its official song, the views were divided about whether an American pop icon could represent the culture of the host country.

Still, the platinum-selling song may never be surpassed in terms of popularity.

For the Concacaf Women’s Championships, the culture of the 2022 edition has leaned towards Jamaica with Skip Marley’s ‘Lions’ remix taking centre stage.

With an infectious quasi-Afrobeats rhythm, the song that will serve as inspiration to the eight teams in the final round speaks about staying true to yourself and the lion-like status of the current generation.

“We are the lions, we are the chosen

We gonna shine out the dark

We are the movement, this generation

You better know who we are, who we are”

The chorus, supported by the crystal clear sounds of the young Marley, provide a basis for which to feel motivated to be your best self.

LITTLE FIRE

“Deep down in everyone, there’s a little fire” rings Marley’s lyrics, and Jamaica’s talismanic captain, Khadija Shaw, agrees when she speaks about the spirit in the Jamaican team seeking a second berth to the World Cup.

“It’s down to us. We have been there and we have been through difficult moments. Any team that comes, we just have to deal with it and stick together. We just have to work hard and be prepared for when that time comes.”

Jamaica will begin their bid for a World Cup berth when they take on Mexico at the Estadio Universitario on Monday, July 4, before moving to the Estadio BBVA for a massive clash against the United States on July 7.

On Monday, July 11, Jamaica will play against Haiti back at the Estadio Universitario for a place in the semi-finals.

Those semi-finals, also down to be played at the Estadio Universitario, take place on July 14, with the final and third-place play-off taking place on the 18th at the Estadio BBVA.

The winners of the group and the second-placed finishers make it to the semi-final, along with those who finished in the same position from a second group.

That second group includes Canada, Costa Rica, Trinidad and Tobago, and Panama.