L'Amour toujours

Usage in football

The track is frequently used by European football clubs as a goal celebration song. The Eredivisie club Heracles Almelo has used "L'amour toujours" as its official goaltune for several years. It is also a recurring fixture in the stadium playlists of clubs such as RSC Anderlecht, S.S. Lazio, Celtic F.C., and various teams in the Austrian and German lower leagues.

During UEFA Euro 2024, the song became a subject of significant controversy. Although originally part of the tournament's official playlist, it was pulled by UEFA and several host city organizers, including those for the Brandenburg Gate fan zone, following a viral incident on the island of Sylt. In that instance, individuals were filmed chanting xenophobic lyrics to the song's melody. To prevent the track from being used as a "background for extremist slogans," it was banned from being played over stadium speakers during matches involving the Austria national football team and the Germany national football team. Despite the ban, the melody was occasionally chanted by supporters in the stands throughout the tournament.

Political appropriation and reactions

As reported by several German media, since at least November 2023, the melody to "L'Amour toujours" has been co-opted by far-right groups in Germany, as various videos of people joining in public chants singing over the song's instrumental hook with a reprise of the anti-immigration slogan, "Ausländer raus, Ausländer raus, Deutschland den Deutschen, Ausländer raus" (Foreigners out, foreigners out, Germany for Germans, foreigners out) surfaced online.^[3][4][5] Members of the youth wing of far-right party Alternative for Germany were reportedly seen engaging in similar chants on several occasions,^[6][7] while the party's TikTok account started posting clips featuring the song's melody as a background theme.^[8][9] In response to the reports, in March 2024 German record label ZYX, who holds the copyright for "L'Amour toujours", filed a criminal complaint against unknown figures, with the charges involving hate speech and copyright infringement.^[9][10]

In May 2024, a retweeted video showing a group of people singing the aforementioned slogan over "L'Amour toujours" during a party at a club on Sylt, in which one man appeared to perform a Nazi salute, sparked widespread outrage;^[7][8][9] the regional police of Schleswig-Holstein opened an investigation about the case,^[7] while the clip's content was widely condemned by various political figures. D'Agostino condemned the use of his song by the far-right, and reiterated that his song is apolitical, stating that it is solely about "a wonderful, big and intense feeling that connects people," which he describes as "the power of love that inspires me to celebrate life."^[11][12] After the incident, the song re-entered the German singles chart at number 8.^[13]

In June 2024, Sweden Democrats politician David Lång was audiotaped by an Expressen journalist while singing "Ausländer raus, Ausländer raus" over "L'Amour toujours" during a post-electoral party for the 2024 European Parliament election in Sweden.^[14][15]

As a result of its use by right-wing extremist groups, the song was banned from being played at the Oktoberfest in Munich.^[14] The Austrian Football Association also decided to ban the song from being used as a stadium anthem, in order to avoid further incidents.^[14] In an interview with Kronen Zeitung, D'Agostino criticized bans of the song by radio stations and festivals, saying, "You can't stop racism by banning music." ^[16][17]

On January 23, 2026, an organ remix of the song was used in videos posted by the United States Department of Homeland Security featuring ICE agents and the "Nihilist penguin" from Werner Herzog's Encounters at the End of the World.^[18]

In other media

The song is featured in the end credits of the 2019 film Uncut Gems, which received widespread critical acclaim.^[19] Co-director Josh Safdie explained that, over the 10-year process of making the film, "that's the song that's remained at the end since the very beginning."^[20]