Freed From Desire — how did a Buddhist mantra become a viral football anthem?

{"text":[[{"start":null,"text":"

"}],[{"start":null,"text":""}],[{"start":8.8,"text":"The man in that café didn’t know that those lyrics, to that seemingly disposable dance track, are actually something of a Buddhist prayer. Rizzatto said clubs were her “church” and Buddhism was the only philosophy she felt close to. Across Europe, on dance floors, at protest marches and in moments of elation in football grounds, most recently at this year’s World Cup, millions have been chanting this pseudo-mantra unknowingly."}],[{"start":33.5,"text":"Born in Milan, Rizzatto moved to New York at 16 and suffered from a spinal condition that threatened her dreams of becoming a dancer. At NYU she studied gender studies, explored photography and witnessed the stark realities of American inequality. It was this that inspired the song. “It was about the observation of society, falling in love for the first time and reconnecting with dance,” she told The Athletic. The song hides the idea of prioritising “freedom and love” over “money”, “power” and “fame” in a three-and-a-half-minute club hit now often associated with boozed-up football fans. “It’s a Buddhist concept . . . about going against the rat race.”"}],[{"start":77,"text":"The song’s initial success was considerable without being remarkable. It went to number one in France and Belgium, peaked at number two in the UK, then seemed destined to fade. Rizzatto had a handful more hits, but had signed what she has called “the worst deal . . . in the history of music” that robbed her of royalties for years. She began releasing music independently and, by 30, was being told she was “too old” for record labels, all while her most famous song found its own way in the world. "}],[{"start":null,"text":""}],[{"start":107.25,"text":"In 2016, Grigg was selected for the Northern Ireland squad for that year’s European Championship, and his country’s supporters picked it up afresh. The anthem became one of the defining memories of the tournament: although the player didn’t play a single minute at the games, with manager Michael O’Neill describing him as “our fourth-choice striker”, fans stayed behind after games to sing it for Grigg. “He’s totally the underdog,” Rizzatto said of the footballer, “and that reflects the song too. And my life.”"}],[{"start":134.25,"text":"“Freed From Desire” wasn’t the first song adopted by football crowds — author Andrew Lawn traces the tradition back to Liverpool fans rewriting Beatles and Cilla Black hits in the 1960s, songs spreading through pubs, away ends and coach journeys. These days, that tradition continues — the “Tequila” song turned into a tribute for Arsenal’s William Saliba; an Abba classic turned into an ode to Tottenham’s Dejan Kulusevski. The Grigg chant was perhaps the first of a new era where songs spread online rather than through fan-to-fan word of mouth."}],[{"start":169.9,"text":"The song has since become a football staple — most recently as an X-rated West Ham chant embraced by Danny Dyer. It even soundtracked Arsenal’s first league win in 22 years. It spread further afield: to darts, cricket and the Paris Olympics closing ceremony where 80,000 people sang it alongside “Les Champs-Elysées” and “We Are the Champions”."}],[{"start":190.70000000000002,"text":"It has also been adopted by striking teachers (“My pay’s no higher . . . ”), sung on women’s marches, and become an anthem of Serbian student protests following a fatal roof collapse at a local railway station in 2024. Rizzatto performed at Serbia’s Exit Festival the following summer alongside activists. "}],[{"start":null,"text":""}],[{"start":209.15,"text":"Rizzatto has often come back to the exchange overheard in a café. That listener hadn’t been able to explain what the song meant, but perhaps that’s the point. It has come to symbolise different things — jubilation, catharsis, defiance — to different people. Whether Buddhist prayer or terrace chant, it represents something ineffable, yet important, to those who sing along."}],[{"start":232.1,"text":"Let us know your memories of ‘Freed From Desire’ in the comments section below "}],[{"start":236.6,"text":"‘The Life of a Song: The stories behind 100 of the world’s best-loved songs’ is published by Chambers"}],[{"start":243.65,"text":"Music credits: Do It Yourself; DJ Kenno; Ministry of Sound"}],[{"start":258.55,"text":""}]],"url":"https://audio.ftcn.net.cn/album/a_1783237629_2394.mp3"}