From Mr Bean To AC/DC & KD Lang: Weird & Wonderful Olympics Musical Moments

30 July 2021 | 4:20 pm | Joe Dolan

With the Tokyo Olympics wrapping up at the end of next week, let's have a look at some of the best musical moments surrounding the games from the past 50 years.

A pivotal moment for Olympics history (and considered pretty raunchy for the time), the legendary 1984 Winter Olympics team of Torvill and Dean brought home the gold for the UK and became the highest scoring pair of all time with this performance of Ravel's Bolero. Bonus fact: the duo technically went over the allotted time but it was allowed as they hadn't touched the ice with their skates for the first portion of their routine. Gotta love a loophole.

One of the single most important Olympics moments for an entire generation, the sight of Nikki Webster descending into the Sydney 2000 Opening Ceremony will be forever etched into the memories of many Australians. Now, with the games set to come back Down Under in 2032, a petition has already started to get Webster back for the Brisbane games (and at the time of writing, it's very close to its goal!).

Sticking with Sydney's '00 games, it wouldn't be a music list without recognising either ABBA or Kylie Minogue. Luckily, the Aussie queen of pop delivers both in this epic cover of Dancing Queen. It's not the most famous moment of our turn-of-the-century efforts, but it captures the era in droves. That outfit, the moves, the US team awkwardly dancing together - what's not to love?!

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If you're not full to the brim with Aussie pride from that performance, then get ready for the single most Australian thing the Olympics could ever dish up. From the 2012 London games, the Aus synchronised swimming team performing in bejewelled swimsuits, electric guitar motifs, swimming to an Acca Dacca medley. Honestly, at that point, they may as well have just filled the pool with VB.

From the 2006 Italian Opening Ceremony in Turin, the performance from Luciano Pavarotti was not only one of his most viewed, but unfortunately, it was also his last public one. The legend of opera would pass away only a year later, leaving behind his incredible legacy with this stellar rendition of his most famous tune, Nessun Dorma.

Another one that is sure to bring on the feels: from Vancouver's 2010 Winter Olympics and from one Canadian legend to another, singer K.D Lang delivers this phenomenal performance of the Leonard Cohen megahit Hallelujah. As one YouTube commenter astutely put it: "She could sing the operating instructions for a fire extinguisher.... I'd still cry."

Wow, that was heavy - let's bring the mood up with not only one of the most spectacular music moments from recent Olympics, but easily one of the funniest. It wouldn't be a celebration of all things British if London 2012 didn't include Mr Bean. The comedic superstar managed to wrangle his way into the London Symphony Orchestra to lend his hand to that classic Vangelis theme to Chariots Of Fire.

Okay, that's pretty British - but what if you were to, say, reunite the biggest UK girl group of all time and have them perform atop their own personalised London Black cabs? Now we're talking. From the 2012 closing ceremony (and featuring Victoria struggling to keep her balance), here are the Spice Girls.

Honorable Mention

Alright, this one isn't Olympics official, but the many Australians who caught the Channel 7 coverage of 1980's Moscow Summer Olympics will be well aware of Dschinghis Khan. A German Eurodance group with a penchant for dancing and incredible costumes, the band achieved unprecedented success Down Under when their track Moskau was used as the unofficial theme when broadcasting around the country. Just look at those moves.