Like An Athlete—2021 Theme Song (Guest Post)

Here’s a song of happiness to start your 2021.

May it inspire you as you start your day of whatever activity brings you joy. Como un atleta (“like an athlete”) was the theme song for the 2020 Vuelta a España, the professional cycling race around Spain last November. The song played as the pro cyclists gathered for the start, during the global television broadcast, and on every official video highlight.

Did I think I would get sick of this song I heard at least 100 times while obsessively watching the Vuelta?

Yes.

Did I?

No.

I loved it!

It’s bouncy and inspired me to tap my feet, dance around my living room, and go ride my bike.

Written and performed by Venezuelan artist Carlos Baute, the video shows silhouettes of various athletes with Spanish lyrics written on the screen.

Here’s the start of the song, a great motivation to start your day: (my loose translation of Spanish lyrics into English):

“Today, I get up in the morning,

with the dream of changing the world.

I drink a small coffee (cafecito)

I feel the sun that tells me everything can change.

My eyes that sing, my voice that dances”

Baute’s lyrics also convey the pain of the COVID-19 pandemic:

“These months have seemed without time and unending

Sometimes you have to rise to it like an athlete

For those that leave you

You are forever hurt

It is not so easy to put on my shoes

But in this life you have to

continue fighting and pedaling”

For me, the song perfectly encapsulates this moment: we are hurting, we are sad, some of us are exhausted, some of us are devastated. But we must rise to the challenge of this moment like an athlete rises to her challenges.

Start by simply getting up in the morning (me levantando). Keep moving, keep on keeping on.

I love when international athletic events have theme songs. Here’s a good one from 2008 EuroCup (soccer/football) “Feel the Rush,” by Shaggy from Jamaica: