The opening ceremony of the Olympic Games invites athletes and viewers from across the globe to discover the culture of the host country through music, song and dance. Across the years a number of high-profile music artists have played at the games including English rock band Arctic Monkeys and Icelandic singer Bjork. Advertisement Here we take a look at some of the musical acts who have played at the opening ceremonies of the summer games through the years: Bjork performed at the Olympics opening ceremony in 2004 (Anthony Devlin/PA) – 2004 Advertisement In 2004 the Olympics took place in Athens, Greece, the city where the first international summer games took place in 1896.
Icelandic singer Bjork performed her song Oceania wearing a blue dress with draping fabric that billowed around her. The ceremony also saw DJ and producer Tiesto, who has collaborated with the likes of Charli XCX and Karol G, bring electronic music to the global stage. Advertisement – 2008 Advertisement The Beijing Olympics famously included 2008 drummers playing bronze fou drums.
They all drummed to the same beat while quoting from The Analects Of Confucius: “Isn’t it delightful to have friends coming from afar?”. English soprano singer Sarah Brightman was also involved and sang the Beijing Olympics’ theme song, You And Me. Advertisement Dizzee Rascal performing (Ian West/PA) – 2012 A number of high-profile British artists played at the opening ceremony of the London Olympics and there was .