Muse set to release first of five official Olympic anthems

Anyone lucky enough to have heard the Cup of Life by Ricky Martin knows that official anthems to accompany sporting events couldn’t possibly be a bad idea. So thank goodness London 2012 has not one but five.

The first, Survival by Muse - perhaps explaining the group’s lead singer Matt Bellamy’s surprise running with the torch on the second day of the relay - is out now.

Stirring shots of tearful rowers, euphoric sprinters and portly Kazakhs triumphantly raising above their heads more than the combined weight of the Devon three piece, accompany lyrics such as “It’s a race / I’m gonna win / Yeah I’m gonna win.”

The band say the song is about "total conviction and pure determination to win", so no doubt they will be pleased at the considerable head start they will get on the four other Olympic anthems yet to come.

The next offering comes from “Elton John vs Pnau”, Pnau being an Australian dance music two piece, which is released on July 16th, then at weekly intervals thereafter, others from Delphic, the Chemical Brothers and finally Dizzee Rascal on August 6th.

The Muse track will be played as athletes enter the stadium, and for medal ceremonies.

A Locog spokesperson said the profits from the anthems will be split between Universal, the official music publisher and licensee, and Locog themselves, who need privately to raise £2bn to cover the cost of staging the games.

Organisers have also revealed that, hidden across the 650 sessions of sport will be 13 “surprise” rock performances from different bands, including the Scissor Sisters, the hip hop duo Rizzle Kicks and the dance music producer Sub Focus. The other ten remain a secret.

They have also produced 32 short “mood VTs”, featuring atmospheric music spliced together with shots of previous Olympic glory and tragedy, to play in the venues prior to races.

Across 12 sports, including athletics and gymnastics, in-ear commentary will be available to spectators, for £10, which will explain what’s going on, and how far an athlete might need to jump or throw to make it to win or qualify. This has never been done before.

BBC presenters including Matt Smith, Gethin Jones and Dan Walker will also address the crowd live from the field of play, explaining what’s going on - another Olympic first.

A library of 2,012 songs have been selected for use at the venue, and it has emerged that a number of bands are disgruntled at how little they have been offered. The music industry website Quietus reported that one band, that have remained nameless, had been approached by Locog and offered a £250 fee for the track's publishing and distribution online for the rest of the year, citing the level of exposure the games will give them as suitable compensation.

An official Olympic anthem is not a first. The Beijing games released “Beijing Welcomes You”, featuring dozens of Chinese artists, including Jackie Chan, which has not lived long in the world’s collective memory.