The Power of Four
Song written by Neil Myers
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"The Power of Four" is a joint anthem composed for the British & Irish Lions rugby union team. It was written by Neil Myers in 2005.[1] It was commissioned by the Lions head coach, Sir Clive Woodward for the 2005 British & Irish Lions tour to New Zealand as the official song. It was intended to be a universal anthem for the British & Irish Lions to be sung before every game. However it was criticised as being uninspiring as members of the Lions squad did not engage with it and it was also noted that the fans did not like it. It was dropped as the Lions anthem after the 2005 tour and led to changes in the way music would be chosen in future Lions tours.
| "The Power of Four" | |
|---|---|
| Song by Melody Music Lions Choir | |
| Language | English |
| Published | 2005 |
| Songwriter | Neil Myers |
| Composer | Neil Myers |
Background
The Lions were originally a representative team of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, but players from the Irish Free State remained eligible after it left the U.K. in 1922. Donal Lenihan recalled his dissatisfaction that the U.K. anthem "God Save the Queen" was played during the 1989 tour to Australia.[2] Later Lions teams lacked any anthem.[3][4]
2005 Lions Tour
The Power of Four was commissioned by Sir Clive Woodward for the 2005 British & Irish Lions tour to New Zealand and was written by Neil Myers. It was recorded by the Melody Music Lions Choir. The song is a classical composition[5] played in a high key.[6] It was first performed live by Welsh singer Katherine Jenkins before the British & Irish Lions rugby union match against Argentina at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, Wales in 2005.[7] it was performed despite suggestions of either God Save the Queen, the Welsh national anthem Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau or a combination of the anthems of the Home Nations of England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland being played instead of The Power of Four.[3] It is always sung in English.
Before the British & Irish Lions squad was selected, Woodward sent out bracelets with "The Power of Four" printed on them to potential British & Irish Lions players to try and create a sense of unity and to make them think about the upcoming tour to New Zealand. This was criticised as being "crazy".[8] The Power of Four was also used as a motivational slogan in some of the Lions' team building activities.[9]
The lyrics of The Power of Four were circulated to all of the members of the British & Irish Lions tour squad and the song was pre-added to the playlists on their tour iPods. The song was not released as a single however it was permitted to be broadcast by radio stations and it was made available to download on the Internet. The British & Irish Lions players were shown the words of The Power of Four on the Saturday before their first game and it was expected that they would know the words by the time they had arrived in New Zealand; however, it was mentioned by a British & Irish Lions spokesman that the players were under no obligation to sing it.[10]
Musical Analysis of the British and Irish Lions "The Power of Four"
| Aspect | Description and Musical Details |
|---|---|
| General technical | Key: Usually performed in G Major (some choral versions lower to F Major for baritone ease). G Major gives a majestic, heroic brightness.
Tempo: Moderate march – ♩ = 92–96 BPM. Ceremonial, not a fast parade march. Time signature: 4/4 (C) – standard quadruple, easy to follow, ideal for stadiums. Texture: Choral polyphony with orchestral accompaniment. Starts slender (solo voices/sections) evolves into massive homophony at the choir. |
| Main motif (notes) | Central theme (union of four nations): ascending melody in G Major.
Refrain "From the four cornered world..." approx: G – A – B – C | D – C – B – A | G – B – D – G′ Melodic analysis: uses perfect fourths and fifths – intervals associated with stability, nobility, military character. |
| Time & rhythm | Anacrusis (pick-up): most phrases begin with a short upbeat before the downbeat → constant forward impulse.
March rhythm: dotted eighths + sixteenths frequent in brass/percussion → bouncing but firm, typical of British anthems. Cadences: at the end of each national verse (Ireland, Scotland, Wales, England) a strong Authentic cadence (V–I) closes the idea before the next nation. |
| Orchestration & dynamics | Structural crescendo: begins with solo/small group → ends with full orchestra (heavy brass, strings, timpani) and complete choir at fortissimo (ƒƒ).
Symbolism: each nation gets slightly different instrumental colour before merging into the common chorus → individuality unites as one team. |
| Basic harmony (chorus) | For keyboard/guitar – harmonic structure of the refrain:
I – IV – V – I (G – C – D – G) vi – IV – V – I (Em – C – D) I – V – I (G – D – G) |
Source of the table and analysis: British and Irish Lions Anthem