Symphonic Diplomacy: An Exhaustive Analysis of "We Are The People" and the Cultural Politics of the Euro 2020 Anthem

1. Introduction: The Anthem as Cultural Artifact

The intersection of elite competitive sport and global popular music constitutes one of the most visible and high-stakes arenas of contemporary culture. Within this sphere, the "official tournament song" has evolved from a peripheral marketing asset into a central pillar of the event's identity—a sonic branding device tasked with encapsulating the geopolitical zeitgeist, mobilizing massive demographics, and bridging the divide between the commercial imperatives of governing bodies and the tribal emotionality of fandom. "We Are The People," the official anthem of the UEFA Euro 2020 Championship, released in May 2021 by the Dutch electronic producer Martin Garrix and the Irish rock icons Bono and The Edge, serves as a profound case study in this lineage.

Commissioned by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the European Championship, the track was born into a historical vacuum. The tournament, originally scheduled for the summer of 2020, was postponed due to the global SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, displacing the anthem from its intended temporal context. When finally released, the song functioned not merely as a prelude to athletic competition but as a "soundtrack to reassembly"—a meticulously engineered cultural bridge attempting to span the isolation of lockdowns, the fragmentation of post-Brexit Europe, and the generational chasm between the digital native EDM demographic and the legacy rock audience.1

This report provides an exhaustive analysis of "We Are The People." It dissects the collaboration’s genesis, the specificities of its musical composition, the theological and sociopolitical dimensions of its lyrics, and its reception within a polarized critical landscape. Furthermore, it situates the track within the broader history of the phrase "We Are The People," contrasting it with homonymous works by Empire of the Sun and Iggy Pop to illuminate the varying artistic interpretations of populist unity. Through this lens, the report argues that the Garrix-U2 collaboration represents a distinctive moment in the "gentrification" of Electronic Dance Music (EDM), where the genre assumed the mantle of institutional authority previously held by stadium rock.

2. The Sociology of the Stadium Anthem

To understand the weight placed upon "We Are The People," one must first examine the functional requirements of the genre it inhabits. The modern football anthem is a utilitarian composition. It must satisfy a contradictory set of acoustic and social criteria:

1. Sonic Scalability: The composition must be legible whether played through the tinny speakers of a mobile device or the multi-kilowatt arrays of a 90,000-seat stadium.

2. Linguistic Universality: In a multilingual continent, the melody must take precedence over complex lyricism, allowing for non-native speakers to participate in the "chant."

3. Emotional Ambivalence: The track must be euphoric enough to celebrate victory yet melancholic enough to provide solace in defeat—a duality described by Bono as pulling "hope from defeat in the night".4

Historical precedents range from the pure euphoria of Ricky Martin’s "The Cup of Life" (1998) to the tribalistic rhythm of Shakira’s "Waka Waka" (2010). However, the Euro tournament often favors a more Eurocentric, melodically dense approach, seen in Nelly Furtado’s "Força" (2004). "We Are The People" diverges from the high-tempo party tracks of recent years, opting instead for the "progressive ballad" structure. This choice reflects the solemnity of the era; a pure party track might have felt discordant in the wake of a global tragedy. Instead, Garrix and U2 constructed a secular hymn, designed to sanctify the return of the crowd rather than merely incite it to dance.

3. The Collaborators: Converging Trajectories

The partnership between Martin Garrix, Bono, and The Edge is not an arbitrary alignment of stars but a calculated convergence of two musical dynasties seeking relevance in opposing demographics.

3.1 Martin Garrix: The Architect of the Drop

Born Martijn Garritsen, Martin Garrix represents the zenith of the "bedroom producer" phenomenon. Bursting onto the scene with "Animals" in 2013, he became the face of the Big Room House explosion—a genre characterized by minimalist, percussive drops and high-frequency synth leads designed for festival main stages. By 2019, when he was announced as the Euro 2020 musical artist, Garrix had already begun to pivot away from aggressive club tracks toward more melodic, radio-friendly pop structures.1

• The Mandate: UEFA entrusted Garrix with the entire sonic architecture of the tournament, including walkout music and broadcast bumpers.3 This responsibility signaled the institutional acceptance of EDM as the default "sound of sport," displacing the orchestral or rock scores of previous decades.

3.2 U2: The Keepers of the Flame

Bono (Paul Hewson) and The Edge (David Evans) brought four decades of stadium sociology to the project. U2’s career has been defined by the attempt to make the personal universal—transforming intimate anxieties into anthems capable of filling arenas.

• The Motivation: For U2, the collaboration offered a portal to the streaming generation. While U2 remains a massive touring entity, their dominance on contemporary hit radio has waned. Collaborating with Garrix allowed them to bypass traditional rock radio gatekeepers and access the playlist ecosystem of Spotify’s youth demographic.

• The "Roar": Bono explicitly linked the worlds of music and football through the concept of the "roar of the crowd," noting that both communities had been silenced by the "horrible little virus".2 This shared silence became the foundational emotional connection for the project.

3.3 The Comparative Attributes

The following table outlines the divergent artistic assets brought by each party to the collaboration:

Attribute

Martin Garrix

Bono & The Edge (U2)

Primary Demographic

Gen Z / Millennials (18-34)

Gen X / Boomers (40+)

Sonic Signature

Sawtooth synths, Side-chain compression, The "Drop"

Dotted 8th-note Delay, Soaring Tenor vocals, Organic texturalism

Performance Venue

DJ Booth / Festival Mainstage

Center Stage / 360° Stadium Rigs

Cultural Capital

Digital native fluency, High energy

Political gravitas, Lyrical depth, Legacy

Role in Song

Composition, Production, Arrangement

Lyrics, Melody, Guitar Instrumentation, Vocals

4. Genesis of the Track: From Isolation to Èze

4.1 The "Ghost" in the Demo

The creative process began in 2019, long before the pandemic reshaped the world. Garrix, working in his Amsterdam studio, drafted the initial instrumental skeleton. In a moment of subconscious mimicry, he laid down a guitar riff that utilized a specific rhythmic delay—a technique invented and popularized by The Edge.

Garrix recalled the uncanny resemblance: "I had this demo, and it sounded a little bit like The Edge, the intro guitar, and Bono".5 This accident of composition highlights the ubiquity of U2’s sonic fingerprint; their influence is so pervasive that a young Dutch DJ instinctively reached for their textures when tasked with creating an "anthemic" sound.

4.2 The Diplomatic Intervention

Despite the sonic fit, Garrix initially viewed a collaboration as a "disbelief" scenario, admitting that U2 was "not even on the list" because they seemed "impossible" to reach.6 The hierarchy of the music industry often creates silos between electronic producers and rock legends.

It was the intervention of UEFA’s creative liaisons that bridged this gap. Their advice—"If you don't ask, you'll always have no for an answer"—empowered Garrix to send the demo.6 This detail reveals the active role of corporate intermediaries in modern artistic pairings; UEFA was not merely the client but the matchmaker, leveraging its prestige to facilitate a meeting that might not have occurred organically.

4.3 The Èze Sessions

The response from the U2 camp was immediate. Within hours, Bono was on the phone, singing melodies over the track.6 The production then moved to the physical realm, specifically to Èze in the south of France, near Bono’s residence.6

The choice of location is significant. Rather than exchanging files remotely—a standard practice in modern pop—Garrix traveled to working intimately with Bono. Garrix described the experience of sitting next to Bono as he wrote lyrics as surreal, noting the vocalist's "open-mindedness".6

• The Timeline: The song was "in the making for three years".2 This extended gestation, exacerbated by the one-year tournament delay, allowed for a meticulous refinement of the track. It transitioned from a pre-pandemic excitement builder to a post-pandemic recovery anthem. The lyrics were likely revised during this period to reflect the changed state of the world ("ruins," "waiting," "victory won from a broken place").

5. Compositional Analysis: Deconstructing the Sound

"We Are The People" is a hybrid composition that fuses the structural logic of Progressive House with the timbral palette of Arena Rock.

5.1 Metric and Harmonic Foundation

• Tempo: The track sits at approximately 126 BPM.7 This tempo is the "goldilocks" zone for stadium dance music—fast enough to encourage jumping and synchronized movement, but slow enough to allow for a stride-tempo march. It is significantly faster than a standard rock ballad (usually 70-90 BPM) but matches the heartbeat of a runner.

• Key: The song is composed in C Major.7 C Major is the "people’s key"—containing no sharps or flats, it is harmonically transparent and universally resonant. It lacks the moody complexity of minor keys, projecting an unblemished, brilliant positivity essential for a tournament that aims to be inclusive.

5.2 The Sonic Architecture

The arrangement follows a carefully staged build-up designed to maximize emotional payoff:

1. The Intro (0:00 - 0:30):
   The track begins with an atmospheric swell, immediately pierced by The Edge’s Guitar. The guitar tone is clean, bright, and heavily processed with a rhythmic delay that repeats the notes in a galloping rhythm. This specific sound serves as a Pavlovian trigger for listeners, signaling "epicness" and "scale" before a single word is sung. It grounds the electronic track in organic instrumentation.

2. Verse 1 (0:30 - 1:00):
   Bono’s vocal enters in a lower, conversational register ("We're a million volts..."). The production here is sparse, stripping away the drums to focus on the voice. Garrix uses subtle synthesizer pads to support the vocal without overpowering it.

3. The Pre-Chorus (1:00 - 1:15):
   The energy ramps up. Garrix introduces a snare roll—a classic EDM tension-building device. The guitar intensity increases, shifting from single notes to strummed partial chords.

4. The Chorus (1:15 - 1:45):
   The hook drops: "We Are The People we've been waiting for." Here, the full "Wall of Sound" is unleashed. The kick drum (the "four-on-the-floor" beat) locks in, providing the pulse. The vocal is double-tracked or layered with a choir effect to simulate a crowd singing along.

5. The Drop (1:45 - 2:15):
   In a standard Garrix track, this would be a high-energy, aggressive synth lead. However, in "We Are The People," the drop is melodic and restrained. It features a euphoric synth melody that mirrors the vocal hook, supported by The Edge’s guitar arpeggios. This is a "pop drop" rather than a "rave drop," designed to be radio-friendly and unobtrusive.

6. The Bridge (2:15 - 2:45):
   The track breaks down to "Broken bells and a broken church." This dynamic valley allows the listener to breathe and refocuses attention on the lyrical message of resilience.

7. The Outro:
   The song concludes by fading out on the guitar motif, leaving the listener with the human element rather than the machine.

5.3 Remix Culture: The Festival Edit

Recognizing that the radio version might be too soft for DJ sets, Garrix released a "Martin Garrix Remix".9 This version increases the energy, thickens the bassline, and makes the drop more aggressive. This dual-release strategy is a standard industry practice to serve two markets: the casual broadcast audience (Original Mix) and the hardcore club-goer (Remix).

6. Lyrical Exegesis: A Secular Hymn for a Broken Continent

The lyrics of "We Are The People" move beyond standard sports platitudes to address the specific trauma of the 2020/2021 era.

6.1 The Theology of Brokenness

Bono’s lyrics often operate on two levels: the secular/romantic and the sacred/spiritual.

• "Broken bells and a broken church / A heart that hurts is a heart that works" 4: This couplet is the emotional anchor of the song. It suggests that functionality ("works") stems from vulnerability ("hurts"). In a football context, it speaks to the pain of loss and the resilience required to play again. In a pandemic context, it acknowledges the grief of the previous year (the "broken church" perhaps referencing the inability to congregate for funerals or worship) and reframes that grief as a sign of humanity.

6.2 The Geopolitics of "Dublin to Notre Dame"

• "We are the people of the open hand / Streets of Dublin to Notre Dame" 4:
  This geographical span connects the western edge of Europe (Dublin, Ireland) to its cultural heart (Paris, France).

• The Open Hand: A symbol of peace and disarmament, contrasting with the "fist" of hooliganism or political aggression.

• Notre Dame: The mention of the cathedral is doubly significant. First, as a symbol of European heritage. Second, referencing the devastating 2019 fire. The promise to "build it better than we did before" applies simultaneously to the cathedral, the post-COVID society, and the post-Brexit European Union. It is a plea for reconstruction over deconstruction.

6.3 The Army of Lovers

• "Army of lovers never seen before" 4:
  This line subverts military imagery. Football fans are often described in martial terms ("army," "legion"). Bono rebrands this mass of humanity as a force for affection. This echoes the "Summer of Love" idealism of the 1960s but updates it for a 21st-century context where the "enemy" is not a rival nation but a virus ("ruins of hate and war").

6.4 "We Are The People We've Been Waiting For"

The title refrain is a call to self-actualization. It rejects the idea of a savior figure ("We know we are not the people anyone's waiting for" Bono quipped in the press release 2, but the lyrics say "We are the people we've been waiting for"). It suggests that the solution to the crisis lies within the collective agency of the citizenry/fandom. It is a democratic, populist sentiment stripped of political toxicity.

7. Visual and Virtual: The Semiotics of the Pandemic Era

The visual campaign for "We Are The People" was dictated by the constraints of the pandemic, leading to a reliance on digital simulation and archival nostalgia.

7.1 The Music Video: Archival Nostalgia

The official video, filmed in London, creates a collage of current performance footage and historical memory.

• Slane Castle Footage: The video intercuts the modern footage of Garrix, Bono, and The Edge with clips from U2’s legendary 2001 concerts at Slane Castle.3 This is a powerful semiotic device. Slane Castle represents the pinnacle of the "mass gathering"—80,000 people packed into a field, flags waving, bodies pressing against bodies. By inserting this footage into 2021, the video highlights what was lost during the pandemic. It uses U2’s history to legitimize Garrix’s present, suggesting that the energy of 2001 can be recaptured.

• Urban Loneliness: Contrasting with the Slane footage are shots of solitary figures on rooftops or in empty streets. This captures the "interim" state of May 2021—the world was waking up, but the crowds had not yet fully returned.

7.2 The Opening Ceremony: The Uncanny Valley

On June 11, 2021, the tournament opened at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome. Due to COVID restrictions, the stadium was only at 25% capacity. A live band performance was deemed logistically impossible or unsafe.

• The Virtual Solution: UEFA commissioned a "virtual performance" using motion-capture technology and 3D environments rendered in London and Rome.10

• The Visuals: Garrix was depicted at a futurist DJ console, while Bono and The Edge were rendered as high-fidelity avatars (and at times, giant holograms) performing within a digital reconstruction of the stadium.11

• The Meaning: This performance was a "simulacrum"—a copy without an original. It represented the "Zoom era" of performance. While technically impressive, it underscored the physical distance that the song was trying to overcome. The "million volts" were digital, not biological.

7.3 Distinction from AREA21

It is vital to distinguish the visual aesthetic of "We Are The People" from Garrix’s side project, AREA21 (with the artist Maejor). Research snippets 6 mention "aliens," "cartoon-animate the journey," and "crashing on Planet Earth." This refers to the AREA21 album released around the same time, which features animated alien characters. "We Are The People" contains no alien imagery or animation; it is grounded in realism and legacy.12 Confusing the two would misinterpret the anthem's solemn tone.

8. The "Other" People: Disambiguation and Thematic Echoes

The phrase "We Are The People" is a recurring motif in pop culture, and the Garrix/U2 song shares its title with two other significant works. Understanding these distinct entities is crucial for accurate cultural mapping.

8.1 Empire of the Sun - "We Are The People" (2008)

• The Song: A synth-pop classic by the Australian duo Empire of the Sun. It is famous for its falsetto vocals, acoustic guitar strumming, and a surreal music video filmed in the Mexican surrealist gardens of Las Pozas.13

• The Comparison: Like the Garrix track, it is about unity and festive energy. However, Empire of the Sun’s version is psychedelic and idiosyncratic, focusing on a "festival" vibe of escapism. The Garrix/U2 version is "institutional," focusing on a "stadium" vibe of resilience.

• Confusion: There is often confusion in search trends between the two. However, musical analysis shows no interpolation; the melodies and chords are distinct.

8.2 Iggy Pop - "We Are The People" (2019)

• The Song: A spoken-word piece by Iggy Pop, based on a poem by Lou Reed written in 1970.14

• The Meaning: Iggy Pop’s iteration is dark and political: "We are the people without land. We are the people without tradition." It critiques the disenfranchisement of the working class and the failure of the American Dream.

• The Contrast: Where Iggy Pop’s "We Are The People" is a protest against the status quo, Garrix/U2’s "We Are The People" is an affirmation of the status quo (European unity, UEFA, recovery). The same three words act as a revolutionary complaint in one context and a comforting blanket in the other.

9. Critical Reception: The Battlefield of Taste

The reception of the Euro 2020 anthem was a microcosm of the "Poptimism vs. Rockism" debate.

9.1 The Critique of Banality

Music critics from independent and rock-oriented publications were often scathing. The review from The Singles Jukebox serves as a prime example of this hostility:

• "Corporate Dreck": The song was dismissed as "mindless corporate dreck" and "Samsung ringtones stitched together".15 This criticism argues that the song is a product of commerce, not art—a "practiced corporate roll-out" designed to sell beer and TV subscriptions rather than convey genuine emotion.

• The "Generic" Charge: Critics labeled it a "generic-ass sports song" 15, arguing that the lyrics ("faith and no fear") were trite platitudes. They claimed the production played it too safe, resulting in a "treacly, dated anthem" that lacked the visceral punch of either early U2 or early Garrix.15

9.2 The Defense of Functionality

Conversely, mainstream outlets and EDM publications viewed the track through the lens of its function.

• The "Euphoric" Requirement: Digital Journal and Rolling Stone praised the track for meeting its brief: to be "euphoric" and "uplifting".6 They recognized that a tournament anthem cannot be avant-garde; it must be broad enough to be understood by millions.

• Bono’s Commitment: Even skeptics noted that Bono "actually sounds like he likes what he’s singing".15 His vocal performance was seen as the saving grace that elevated the track above typical DJ-pop collaborations.

• The "Grower" Effect: As with many tournament songs, its popularity grew with familiarity. As the tournament progressed (and Italy marched toward victory), the song became inextricably linked to the images of fans returning to stadiums, acquiring emotional weight through association.

10. Conclusion: The Echo of the Empty Stadium

"We Are The People" stands as a monumental artifact of the COVID-19 era. It documents a specific moment in history where the world’s most popular sport attempted to restart its engine amidst the ruins of a global crisis.

The collaboration between Martin Garrix, Bono, and The Edge was a calculated risk that achieved its primary objective: it provided a dignified, unified soundtrack for a fragmented continent. It bridges the gap between the digital precision of the 21st-century DJ and the analog soul of the 20th-century rock star. While it may not have won over the cynical gatekeepers of "cool," it succeeded in its diplomatic mission.

Ultimately, the song’s legacy is tied to the lyrics "We'll build it better than we did before." It is a sonic monument to the optimism of 2021—the belief that the return of the crowd would mark the beginning of a new, more unified era. Whether that promise was kept is a matter of politics; but for three minutes and thirty-seven seconds, in the key of C Major, Garrix and U2 made it sound possible.

11. Statistical and Data Appendix

11.1 Song Metadata Table

Attribute

Detail

Source

Official Title

We Are The People

3

Featured Artists

Bono, The Edge

3

Primary Artist

Martin Garrix

3

Release Date

May 14, 2021

3

Duration

3:37 (Original Mix)

3

BPM

126

7

Key

C Major

7

Lyricists

Bono, Martin Garrix, Simon Carmody

3

Label

STMPD RCRDS

3

11.2 Comparative Analysis of "We Are The People" Songs

Feature

Garrix/U2 (2021)

Empire of the Sun (2008)

Iggy Pop (2019)

Genre

Progressive House / Rock

Synth-Pop / Indie

Spoken Word / Ambient

Theme

Unity, Recovery, Sports

Escapism, Festival, Youth

Disenfranchisement, Protest

Key Lyric

"Out of the ruins of hate and war"

"I can't do it alone"

"We are the people without land"

Video Visuals

London rooftops, Slane Castle

Mexican surrealist gardens

Minimalist / Abstract

Cultural Context

Euro 2020 / Pandemic

2000s Indie Sleaze

Anti-Establishment / Poetry

11.3 Production Timeline

Phase

Timeframe

Activity

Phase 1

Late 2019

Garrix commissioned; Demo created; "The Edge" sound identified.

Phase 2

Early 2020

U2 contacted; Èze recording sessions with Bono.

Phase 3

Mid 2020

Project paused/refined due to Euro 2020 postponement.

Phase 4

May 2021

Official Release.

Phase 5

June 2021

Virtual Opening Ceremony Performance.

Works cited

1. Bono co-writes new Martin Garrix Song - u2songs, accessed on December 8, 2025, https://www.u2songs.com/news/bono_co_writes_new_martin_garrix_song

2. U2 > News > 'We Are The People', accessed on December 8, 2025, https://www.u2.com/news/title/we-are-the-people/

3. We Are the People (Martin Garrix song) - Wikipedia, accessed on December 8, 2025, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/We_Are_the_People_(Martin_Garrix_song)

4. Martin Garrix feat. Bono & The Edge - We Are The People [UEFA EURO 2020 Song] (Official Video) - YouTube, accessed on December 8, 2025, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kGT73GcwhCU

5. Exclusive interview with Martin Garrix: The story behind the official song of EURO 2020, "We Are The People" - Telegrafi, accessed on December 8, 2025, https://telegrafi.com/en/exclusive-interview-martin-garrix-story-behind-official-song-euro-2020-people/

6. Martin Garrix talks about 'We Are The People' and the inspiration ..., accessed on December 8, 2025, https://www.digitaljournal.com/entertainment/martin-garrix-talks-about-we-are-the-people-and-the-inspiration-behind-the-song/article

7. BPM of We Are The People (Martin Garrix Remix) (feat. Bono & The Edge) - Official UEFA EURO 2020 Song - Trackify, accessed on December 8, 2025, https://trackify.am/track/5J8Ky3NNT98Z8Mp1YQTDCZ/tempo

8. Martin Garrix ft Bono & The Edge - We Are The People UEFA EURO 2020 (Piano Tutorial), accessed on December 8, 2025, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WYRoT_L9YkQ

9. We Are The People (Martin Garrix Remix) [Official Video] - YouTube, accessed on December 8, 2025, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CfLVsHzccAg

10. UEFA EURO 2020 to start off with "We are people" Virtual Performance - MMEDM, accessed on December 8, 2025, https://mmedm.epizy.com/uefa-euro-2020-opening-ceremony-virtual-performance/

11. Martin Garrix, Bono, and The Edge open EURO 2020 tournament with must-see digital performance [Watch] - Dancing Astronaut, accessed on December 8, 2025, https://dancingastronaut.com/2021/06/martin-garrix-bono-and-the-edge-open-euro-2020-tournament-with-must-see-digital-performance-watch/

12. We Are the People (Martin Garrix song) - Grokipedia, accessed on December 8, 2025, https://grokipedia.com/page/We_Are_the_People_(Martin_Garrix_song)

13. We Are the People (Empire of the Sun song) - Wikipedia, accessed on December 8, 2025, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/We_Are_the_People_(Empire_of_the_Sun_song)

14. Iggy Pop Reveals the Meaning of His New Song "We Are the People” - Brut, accessed on December 8, 2025, https://www.brut.media/us/videos/culture-lifestyle/music/iggy-pop-reveals-the-meaning-of-his-new-song-we-are-the-people

15. Martin Garrix ft. Bono & The Edge – We Are The People – The ..., accessed on December 8, 2025, https://thesinglesjukebox.com/martin-garrix-ft-bono-the-edge-we-are-the-people/