A goal song doesn’t make or break the in-game experience. When the home team scores, fans will get up and cheer no matter how good or bad the goal song is. That being said, a good one can set the home team’s in-game experience apart from the pack.
The Vegas Golden Knights got it right when they chose Panic! At The Disco’s Vegas Lights as their goal song. Now, PWHL Las Vegas must follow suit and choose an equally fitting goal song.
PWHL goal songs usually fit into one of three categories.
Some goal songs are a nod to their team’s city, like Jay-Z and Beyoncé’s Empire State of Mind for the New York Sirens. The Montreal Victoire also fall into this category, because they use several goal songs, all of which are in French.
Some teams use a high-energy song sung by an iconic frontwoman. The Boston Fleet use Joan Jett’s Bad Reputation, which perfectly describes that team and their fans. The Seattle Torrent use Misery Business by Paramore, which also fits into the city’s grunge vibe.
Finally, some teams go with a song that’s a real crowd pleaser. These songs are loud and designed to do nothing more than get fans out of their seats. For example, the Ottawa Charge use Gonna Celebrate by The Phantoms, which does that job very well.
Technically, there’s also a secret fourth option. Some teams use a fun pop song, like Chappell Roan’s Hot to Go for the Toronto Sceptres. This one was a real hit with the fans. However, the Sceptres later changed their goal song to an EDM remix of Oh, Pretty Woman by Roy Orbison, which sparked fan outrage and inspired several online petitions calling for the team to change it back.
So let’s have some fun with this. Here are my three suggestions— one for each category— for the PWHL Las Vegas goal song.
City Name Drop: Waking Up in Vegas by Katy Perry
Hear me out. This one ticks all the boxes: it’s an upbeat pop song, it name-drops Las Vegas, and while Katy Perry isn’t a classic rock icon, she’s a legend in her own right. And admit it, hearing that chorus– “Shut up and put your money where your mouth is / That’s what you get for waking up in Vegas!”– after watching Tessa Janecke score a goal would be fun.
Iconic Frontwoman: Call Me by Blondie
This song would work for several reasons. First of all, with a great bassline and an underrated guitar riff, Call Me would give fans the emotional release that only comes from celebrating a goal. And second, you can change the meaning of the song and choose to interpret the chorus as an homage to the goalscorer ‘answering the call.’
Crowd Pleaser: You’re Gonna Go Far, Kid by The Offspring
It’s actually a little wild that no professional team has ever used You’re Gonna Go Far, Kid as a goal song, because it’s great. It’s loud, energetic, and the type of goal song that would encourage the crowd to sing along. Furthermore, it’s punchy, snarky, and has an edge that fits a Las Vegas-based team.
