Olympics

It's that time again, when we all get to participate in a worldwide salute to the human spirit — the Olympic Games. Composer John Williams has honoured that spirit with orchestral themes as ambitious as the world-class Olympic athletes themselves; his timeless "Olympic Fanfare and Theme" (you can almost imagine hearing it echoing through ancient Greece) instantly evokes images of that iconic torch being lit to fire up the action. And Whitney Houston's "One Moment in Time", the official song of the 1988 Summer Olympics, is a "My Way"-style inspirational ode to the do-or-die passion of the international athletes who try to show the globe their best form.

Go for the gold with Olympic themes past and present, in Next Steps.

From cross-country skiers to synchronized swimmers, Olympic athletes represent the best in all of us. Poperatic songbird Linda Eder salutes their uncompromising quest for excellence in her ballad of the hard-fought battle for the "Gold", as featured in the 2002 Winter Games. The Godfather theme composer Nino Rota saw another of his melodies — from Federico Fellini's Amarcord — pressed into Olympic service for the 2006 Winter Games. And just so you can loosen your pipes in anticipation of our highest-flying homegrown heroes taking their place on the middle podium, we've included the BBC Concert Orchestra's stirring rendition of "God Save the Queen" (with the Royal Choral Society).

Step up to some champion sounds in Deep Cuts.

What does it take to make it to the Olympics? More than anything else, a never-say-die attitude. You'll hear about it this year, when performances at the Beijing Games are sure to justify the disco-fied, just-do-it enticement "Better, Faster, Stronger" by French electro-poppers Daft Punk, and the sunny, up-and-at-'em victory march "Beautiful Day" by larger-than-life Irish rockers U2. The magnificent voices of Freddie Mercury and Montserrat Caballé were united for the 1992 Barcelona Games with a track that stands as a fitting monument to the Olympic spirit as well as the late Queen frontman, while Kelly Clarkson celebrates that feeling of soaring human achievement with "A Moment Like This".

Even though the Olympics thrive on the spirit of competition, they're about a lot more than just coming out on top. They serve as a reminder that even in the most war-torn times, nations across the globe can still come together and put their best foot forward as friends on the field of sport. To celebrate this ongoing vision of international harmony, here's where you'll find everything from orchestral works commissioned especially for the Olympics to familiar tunes from the pop, rock, R&B, and country worlds as featured in the Games both past and present. So whether you dial up the heart-on-sleeve melodramatics of Coldplay or the club-friendly techno-pop of Moby, you'll be all set to share that special Olympics feeling with the world.