The history of music makes its rounds, guided by not always human entities, and often lingers on bizarre stories, tasteless songs and seemingly ordinary events which, due to a strange combination of elements, become eternal. It is definitely the case with Live is Lifea song by Opus which from a musical point of view has never had too much to say, but which every time it resonates gives us a precise image: Diego Armando Maradona which warms up, reminding the world why someone even came to found a religion on him.
In these festive days for Naples, which has reached its third championship after 33 years of anxious waiting (in the last one of 1990 Diego Armando was on the field) Live is Life of Opus resounds in all the streets, as in a secular mass in which the saint wears the number 10.
It was the hand of Diossome would say.
Ma how was Live is Life born? Who were these Opus who, as an anonymous Austrian band, found themselves becoming the authors of a song so closely linked to a sports legend? And how that song became Maradona’s song? We find out in this new episode of Dentro la Canzone. Theme song. Ah no, it’s a written column, there’s no initials. But imagine it in your head: Nananaanaaaaa.
How it was born Live is Life and who were the Opus
After 10 years of career without high points, in 1984 Opus, an Austrian band halfway between rock and pop, released their first live album to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the project. The disc is called, wanting to play on the concept of live album, Live is Life and includes the single of the same name.
To the surprise of Opus themselves, the song becomes a hit in Austria and quickly spreads to all neighboring countries, especially in Germany. Take note of this little detail, we’ll be back.
From a musical point of view, in reality, the song has very little to say. A pop song with a strong reggae influence and a drum sound of disproportionate size. But hey, it was the 80s. To dominate the song, in addition to the bass drum giant wormsis the melody catchy from the choir: “I’m sorry”, interspersed with a voice screaming “Live is Life”. A positive message of hope and universal brotherhood. The verses actually speak about this: put personal interests aside and dance along to the reggae rhythm of the song.
Precisely because of its positive message and its engaging and easily singable chorus, Live is Life began to be played in football stadiums. A bit like it will happen, many years later, a Seven Nation Army of the White Stripes (we have an episode of Dentro la Canzone also dedicated to that song).
Come Live is Life has become Maradona’s song
Il April 19, 1989 Diego Armando Maradona’s Napoli champions of Italy entered the Olympiastadion in Munich to face away the Bavaria Monaco. The match is valid for semi-final second leg of the UEFA Cup, what is now called the Europa League. In the first leg the blues of Ottavio Bianchi they had punished the Germans 2-0 in a San Paolo (today Stadio Diego Armando Maradona) painted with blue shirts. For the Neapolitans it is a golden age: veterans of the first Scudetto the previous year, in contention for the second and with a mortgage on what would be a historic UEFA Cup final.
Spoiler: Diego Armando Maradona will lift that cup the following month.
But let’s go back to that April 19th. Let’s go back to the Munich stadium. The plant is packed with spectators: approx 70,000 people they are already in the stands when the two teams enter the field for the warm-up. The music begins from the speakers of the stadium. Guess what song they play?
When it starts Live is Life Maradona passes a ball and starts dribbling to the rhythm of the song. Right, left, shoulder, head, synchronizing each dribble with that gigantic bass drum of the aforementioned battery. South Americans have two things in their blood: football and rhythm.
The audience is hypnotized. Germans, Neapolitans, journalists and even opponents. There are 22 players on the pitch plus reserves, but all eyes are on that left handed with curly hair, just 165 centimeters tall with his boots untied who, at least so they say, was sent to earth to teach football.
The soccer player Jürgen Klinsmannwho says he is certain that the event took place before the final of the tournament, recalls what happened as follows:
“We were warming up like the Germans warm up: serious and focused. At one point the song Live is Life starts and we see on the other side of the field Maradona who starts juggling with ball. We all stopped. What is this guy doing? Is he dribbling with his shoulder? We couldn’t get back to warming up: we had to watch that guy with the ball”.
Thus, while the audience and opponents watched spellbound by his magic, Maradona, with his class and almost careless imagination, transformed a simple warm-up into a work of art. He transformed an anonymous song into an eternal song.
