Closing Ceremony Music at the 2012 London Olympics

English: Fireworks during the Celebration Concert segment of the closing ceremony at the 2012 Olympics (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

It’s August 13th and sadly, the 2012 London Olympics is no more…

The 2012 Olympic experience was an astonishing display of passion and discipline. Danny Boyle and his team delivered a breathtaking 2012 London Olympics Closing Ceremony. What a way to capture the spirit of the Olympics! I wish that the games would have lasted just a little longer.

Wondrous. Sensational. Dramatic. Astounding. These words come to mind summarizing the athletes, the games, and the opening and closing ceremonies.

Before I share a list of songs that were included in a set called “A Symphony of British Music” (so aptly named!), I wanted to highlight the Liverpool Philharmonic Youth Choir and the Liverpool Signing Choir who performed John Lennon’s “Imagine”. During this beautiful tribute, the world watched a surreal performance of the choirs singing with a video clip of Lennon singing the song. There were also young dancers who built a sculpture of the legendary singer/songwriter’s face. As I have mentioned in my opening ceremony post, I think Danny Boyle was brilliant for including so many adolescences in both ceremonies. What do these choirs represent? For me, they represent the beauty of many passionate young individuals coming together to build a strong community with a common love. They will grow, transform, and become stronger as they work together. They make this imperfect world a beautiful place.

I wanted to include a video of these choirs, but IOC took the video down due to copyright issues. Maybe I will get it uploaded here later. In the mean time, I will leave you with a list of the songs that were performed during the closing ceremony. The Spotify’s playlist includes the songs, but the actual performance included many tribute covers by up-and-coming artists like Ed Sheeran. So I’m including the performer list and the playlist below. I can’t wait for the next Olympic games! ~Yoon

{N.B. on August 15: Spotify playlist of the closing ceremony music has been updating since my post! You will be able to hear tribute covers by younger artists, except for Imagine.}

Closing Ceremony Music & Performers, shared by Life of a Rock Star blog:

• Julian Lloyd Weber with the London Symphony performing Edward Elgar’s piece “Salut D’Armour”
• Madness performing “Our House”
• The Massed Bands of the Household Division performing “Parklife”
• The Pet Shop Boys performing “West End Girls”
• One Direction performing “What Makes You Beautiful”
• Ray Davies performing The Kinks “Waterloo Sunset”
• Elbow performing “One Day Like This” & “Open Arms” (accompanied by Urban Voices Collective and the LSO
• Freddie Mercury of Queen performing “Bohemian Rhapsody”
• George Michael performing “Freedom ’90’” & “White Light”
• Kaiser Chiefs performing The Who’s “Pinball Wizard”
• David Bowie compilation of music including “Fashion”
• Annie Lenox performing “Little Bird”
• Ed Sheeran performing Pink Floyd’s “Wish You Were Here” with Nick Mason
• Ed Sheeran, Nick Mason & Richard Jones (The Feeling) performing with Mike Rutherford (Genesis)
• Russell Brand performing “Pure Imagination” from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory
• Fatboy Slim performing “Right Here, Right Now” and “The Rockafella Skank”
• Performances by Jessie J, Tinie Tempah and Taio Cruz and together performing the Bee Gees “You Should Be Dancing”
• The Spice Girls reunite performing “Spice Up Your Life” and “Wannabe”
• Beady Eye with Liam Gallagher performing Oasis’s “Wonderwall”
• Eric Idle performing “Always Look On The Bright Side of Life”
• Muse “Survival” written for London 2012
• Jessie J performing “We Will Rock You” with Brian May and Roger Taylor

Spotify playlist: