It's hard to create an anthem upon request. In hockey, too

When the celebrations of the first days of May and the joys of the holidays subside, it will be time to focus on the next big event - the Ice Hockey World Championship, which is scheduled to take place in Riga from May 21 to June 6.

In this World Championship, the music will be more important than usual, because there will probably be no spectators in Arena Riga. Therefore, between periods, the relative silence and the sounds of the ice-sweeping machine will not be suppressed even by the crunch of an open chip bag or the slosh of beer, so the moments outside of hockey will require sounds that suppress the relative silence. There is even a choice in this - two songs have been released a couple of weeks apart, which might get the status of the 2021 World Championship anthem.

The first song is crowned as the official anthem - "For Glory and Joy" performed by the band Astro’n’out - it hit radio stations and streaming services on April 21, exactly a month before the official opening of the World Championship. The second, which could become the unofficial anthem of the World Championship, was released on April 27 - the rock song “Viens par visiem, visi par vienu” (One for all, all for one), personified by "singing firefighter" Jānis Buķelis or Buks together with like-minded people - the band Cylinders, the song's composer Edgars Silacērps, and lyricist Guntars Račs. It is also "dedicated to Latvian hockey players, fans and the society as a whole." Comparing these pieces, it must be admitted that the song by Astro’n’out sounds international, it is perfectly performed and of high quality, it will be a song to be proud of when it will be performed in other countries at official events organized by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF), but it is not anthemic. On the other hand, with Silacērps' song the situation is almost the opposite: when listening to Buks' chanting "one for all, all for one", you get goosebumps - it undeniably calls you into battle, gets you on your feet and leads you to victories, but has no claims to sounding international.

"For Glory and Joy" is basically a commissioned work - the Secretary General of the Latvian Hockey Federation Viesturs Koziols said that they were looking for a championship anthem song that they could be proud of being created in Latvia, "just as we are proud of the medals made in Latvia.” It is no wonder that he trusted Astro’n’out - it was the youth organization Avantis, founded by Koziols, that basically found Māra Upmane-Holšteine with her song "Daļa Rīgas" (Part of Riga). "The new hockey song is beautiful, it expresses an emotional and positive message, it inspires," says Edgars Buncis, the head of the organizing committee, expressing hopes that this song will become a hit for fans and maybe not only among them. It may become a hit, but it's hard to imagine that after many, many years, fans would chant it in the arena as tirelessly as the song about love “Kad mēness jūrā krīt” (When the moon falls in the sea) by Ainārs Mielavs and the band Jauns Mēness - this, by the way, is an absolute phenomenon.

But Buks is really from the category of "men who have hockey in their soul" - he watches hockey on TV, from national team games to NHL, KHL and Dinamo matches, and also likes to play when he has time.

"In my opinion, Buks is the best hockey player in Latvian rock music!" believes Silacērps, who was inspired to create this song precisely by the fact that Latvia this year is entrusted to organize the world championship. The author of the lyrics Guntars Račs told an interesting tidbit: “The lyrics sung by Buks were actually written already in 2013, but at that time they did not materialize in a song. They continued to wait for the right moment and they found one - they reached people who had the motivation and desire to realize them in a real rock song. I think that the musicians have implemented this idea expressed in lyrics ["One for all, all for one"] in a really powerful and convincing way." And also - Račs is convinced that if the lyrics motivate hockey players to realize the main words of the outstanding French writer Alexandre Dumas' The Three Musketeers, then the Latvian team will definitely win: “I am also glad that the new rock song was created selflessly, from the desire of musicians to support their team at a time when they themselves also need support, because for musicians the chance to play has not yet come…”

And therein lies the difference: if the song is created by "men who have hockey in their soul," then the result inadvertently turns out to be better than if this work is commissioned from people who in the 7th grade went to greet the players after great victories, but now can only be proud of an enthusiastic hockey fan in the form of husband at home…

True, sometimes commissioned work also turns out great, and the most striking example of this in hockey is the song "Dinamo" created by the band Dzelzs vilks in 2008, which worked great for leading the Dinamo players into the fray, back when they were still fighting, not just bumbling around the bottom of the KHL standings. There is also the opposite example: Gunārs Meijers' mini-album of hockey songs "Sarauj, Latvija!", which came out exactly around the time of the World Championship (the album has even gained platinum status, which sounds doubtful), but whose leading song “Cerība jūsu - uzvara mūsu” (Hope for you - victory for us) with its sad melody made us think that with such an "anthem" we could lose even to Romanians and the Dutch, if only they could reach group A.

The song created by Astro’n’out will definitely be played in the championship, Buks' song "Viens par visiem, visi par vienu" has also been sent to the Latvian Hockey Federation, so maybe it will be played as well. "I know very well how important a united team is and what the words 'one for all, all for one' truly mean. With this song, I want to inspire the Latvian hockey team for new victories and wish all hockey players strength and endurance, which will be vital already in May and, hopefully, also in June,” says Buks. It really will be vital. In turn, time will tell which song will remain in the listeners' minds.

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