Hala Madrid y nada más

2014 single by Real Madrid feat. RedOne

"Hala Madrid y nada más"

Single by Real Madrid feat. RedOne
Released	25 May 2014 (2014-05-25)
Studio	PKO Studios
Genre	Anthem
Length	2:57
Label	RedOne Records
Songwriter(s)	RedOne Manuel Jabois
Producer(s)	RedOne

Music video
"Hala Madrid...y nada más" on YouTube

"¡Hala Madrid!...y nada más" (Spanish for 'Come on Madrid!...and nothing more') is the popular anthem of Spanish football club Real Madrid. It was written by RedOne and Manuel Jabois and released in celebration of Real Madrid's 10th win (La Décima) of the UEFA Champions League in 2014. It was recorded by Real Madrid squad for the 2014 UCL final. It reached number one in the Spanish chart after the win. The anthem is now regularly played at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium with fans chanting the chorus, and a short clip of the tune is played in celebration whenever Real Madrid score a goal at the stadium.

Background

The song was commissioned by the president of Real Madrid Florentino Pérez.^[1] According to composer Nadir Khayat (RedOne), he is a Real Madrid fan and had always wanted to write something for the club. He had the idea for the tune of the song while travelling on a plane between Madrid and Morocco four years before it was recorded. He wanted the song to be "more classic and symphonic", with a memorable tune that fans can chant to. He programmed and recorded the symphonic part in Sweden before working on the production.^[2] The lyrics were written by journalist Manuel Jabois [es]. Jabois originally wrote a longer version but truncated it to fit the tune.^[3]

The song is titled "¡Hala Madrid!...y nada más"; the "Hala Madrid" in the title is a battle cry traditionally associated with the club and often chanted by fans and players of the club alike.^[4] "Hala" has been suggested to be a word of Arabic origin meaning "Go" or "Come on" and used to encourage the team.^[5] "¡Hala Madrid!" is also the title of Real Madrid's official anthem (commonly known as "Las mocitas madrileñas" after a line in the lyrics) commissioned by former president Santiago Bernabéu to commemorate the golden jubilee of the club in 1952.^[6] The song was written by Luis Cisneros Galiane and recorded by José de Aguilar.^[7] "Hala Madrid" is also used in the centenary anthem ("Himno del centenario") recorded in 2002 by Plácido Domingo.^[8] For the "y nada más" ("and nothing more") part of the title, Jabois explained that "it sums up a bit what Madrid is, either you love it or...".^[3]

"Hala Madrid y nada más" was recorded at the PKO Studios in Madrid in April 2014 by the squad of Real Madrid including Cristiano Ronaldo, Sergio Ramos, Karim Benzema, Gareth Bale, Luka Modrić and Marcelo, as well as their manager Carlo Ancelotti.^[9]^[10] After it was recorded, the song was played to the team before the games against Barcelona in the 2014 Copa del Rey Final and against Bayern Munich and Atlético Madrid in the Champions League games to motivate the players.^[11] The song was released for sale to the public the day after the 10th win of the Champions League, and it was played during the celebration at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium.^[12] The song is now regularly played and sung by fans at the stadium before matches. The playback of the song's chorus is usually silenced to allow the voice of fans singing to dominate. A clip of the song is also used whenever a Real Madrid player scores a goal at the Bernabéu.

A cover was recorded by Plácido Domingo and the team in 2016 and released to commemorate Real Madrid's 11th win of the Champions League.^[13]

Commercial performance

The song reached number one on the iTunes chart in Spain and 17 countries around the world, including Costa Rica, the Czech Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Hungary, Israel, Mexico, Panama, Peru, Slovakia, and Sweden after Real Madrid won the Champions League in 2014.^[14]^[2]

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (2014)	Peak position
France (SNEP)^[15]	143
Hungary (Single Top 40)^[16]	13
Spain (PROMUSICAE)^[17]	1

Year-end charts

Chart (2014)	Position
Spain (PROMUSICAE)^[18]	25

References

^ Mandis, Steven G. (2016). The Real Madrid Way: How Values Created the Most Successful Sports Team on the Planet. BenBella Books. p. 116–117. ISBN 9781942952558.
^ ^a ^b Stutz, Colin (27 June 2020). "RedOne: From Lady Gaga to Soccer's Go-To Hit-Maker – with Love to Real Madrid (Q&A)". Billboard.
^ ^a ^b "Así creó el periodista Manuel Jabois el clásico de los clásicos de las celebraciones europeas del Real Madrid". Líbero.
^ "What does Hala Madrid mean? Real Madrid fans' battle cry explained". Goal.com. 14 February 2020.
^ ""Hala Madrid", conoce la historia del grito que alienta al Real Madrid". ESPN (in Spanish). 20 May 2016.
^ Antequera, José Manuel (2 March 2019). "El curioso origen del himno de las mocitas madrileñas, en historias Eurosport". Eurosport (in Spanish).
^ Mandis, Steven G. (2016). The Real Madrid Way: How Values Created the Most Successful Sports Team on the Planet. BenBella Books. p. 55. ISBN 978-1944648152.
^ Hughes, Rob (6 March 2002). "Centenary for Real and Copa del Rey: Madrid celebrates in a regal manner". The New York Times.
^ "Real Madrid presents the Décima song". Real Madrid. 25 May 2014.
^ "BEHIND THE SCENES: Making of 'Hala Madrid y Nada Más'". Real Madrid – via YouTube.
^ "RedOne, autor del nuevo himno del Real Madrid: "El primer fan fue Florentino"". elEconomista.es. 29 May 2014.
^ Díaz, José Félix (27 May 2014). "El periodista Manuel Jabois ocupa el puesto de Plácido Domingo y José María Cano". El Confidencial.
^ Navarrete, Lucas (20 May 2016). "WATCH: Real Madrid unveil new song after 11th Champions League title". SBNation.
^ Gundersen, Edna (2 June 2014). "RedOne nets another hit with Real Madrid soccer anthem". USA Today.
^ "Real Madrid feat. Redone – ¡Hala Madrid! ...y nada más" (in French). Les classement single.
^ "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Single (track) Top 40 lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége.
^ "Real Madrid feat. Redone – ¡Hala Madrid! ...y nada más" Canciones Top 50.
^ "Top 50 Canciones Anual 2014" (in Spanish).