"World in Union" is a theme song for the Rugby World Cup. Its melody is "

Thaxted Thaxted is a town and civil parish in the Uttlesford district of north-west Essex, England. The town is in the valley of the River Chelmer, not far from its source in the nearby village of Debden, and is 97 metres (318 feet) above sea level (whe ...

", from the middle section of "Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity", a

movement Movement may refer to: Common uses * Movement (clockwork), the internal mechanism of a timepiece * Motion, commonly referred to as movement Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * "Movement" (short story), a short story by Nancy Fu ...

from Gustav Holst's ''

The Planets ''The Planets'', Op. 32, is a seven- movement orchestral suite by the English composer Gustav Holst, written between 1914 and 1917. In the last movement the orchestra is joined by a wordless female chorus. Each movement of the suite is name ...

'', and was originally adapted by Holst for its use in the British/

Anglican Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...

patriotic hymn, "

I Vow to Thee, My Country "I Vow to Thee, My Country" is a British patriotic hymn, created in 1921, when music by Gustav Holst had a poem by Sir Cecil Spring Rice set to it. The music originated as a wordless melody, which Holst later named "Thaxted", taken from the " ...

", using words by Sir

Cecil Spring Rice Sir Cecil Arthur Spring Rice, (27 February 1859 – 14 February 1918) was a British diplomat who served as British Ambassador to the United States from 1912 to 1918, as which he was responsible for the organisation of British efforts to end A ...

Kiri Te Kanawa version

New Zealand operatic soprano

Kiri Te Kanawa Dame Kiri Jeanette Claire Te Kanawa , (; born Claire Mary Teresa Rawstron, 6 March 1944) is a retired New Zealand opera singer. She had a full lyric soprano voice, which has been described as "mellow yet vibrant, warm, ample and unforced". Te ...

recorded the first version of this song for the

1991 Rugby World Cup The 1991 Rugby World Cup was the second edition of the Rugby World Cup, and was jointly hosted by England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland and France: at the time, the five European countries who participated in the Five Nations Championship. This was ...

. Her version peaked at 4 on the UK Singles Chart, No. 5 in Ireland, and No. 10 in New Zealand.

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Shirley Bassey and Bryn Terfel version

Shirley Bassey Dame Shirley Veronica Bassey (; born 8 January 1937) is a Welsh singer. Best known for her career longevity, powerful voice and recording the theme songs to three James Bond films, Bassey is widely regarded as one of the most popular vocalists ...

and Bryn Terfel released a version of the song on 11 October 1999. It was mimed live by at the opening of the series in June 1999, with Bassey wearing a gown designed on the Welsh flag. Three versions are featured on the single: a duet with Bassey and Terfel, Bassey's solo version and a version which features the choirs only. The duet version is performed partially in Welsh by Terfel. The official video was filmed at the

Millennium Stadium The Millennium Stadium ( cy, Stadiwm y Mileniwm), known since 2016 as the Principality Stadium ( cy, Stadiwm Principality) for sponsorship reasons, is the national stadium of Wales. Located in Cardiff, it is the home of the Wales national rug ...

, Cardiff and features various other Welsh landscapes. The single reached No. 35 on the UK Singles Chart in October 1999. UK 3 track maxi CD single # "World in Union" (

Duet A duet is a musical composition for two performers in which the performers have equal importance to the piece, often a composition involving two singers or two pianists. It differs from a harmony, as the performers take turns performing a solo ...

: Bryn Terfel and

) – 3:42 # "World in Union" (Shirley Bassey) – 3:45 # "World in Union" (Welsh Mountain Mix) – 3:45 Personnel * Shirley Bassey – vocal (tracks 1 and 2) * Bryn Terfel – vocal (track 1) * The Black Mountain Male Chorus – choir (all tracks) * The Morriston Rugby Club Choir – choir (all tracks) * Robert Fardell and Charlie Skarbek – backing singers (track 2) * The City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra – orchestra * Llio Rhydderch – Welsh triple harp * Troy Donockley – uilleann pipes * David Thomas – drums * Simon Hale – orchestral arrangements *

Tim Rhys-Evans Timothy Rhys-Evans MBE FRWCMD (born c. 1972) is a Welsh conductor and best known as the founder and musical director of the choir Only Men Aloud! and Only Boys Aloud. He also formed the children's choir Only Kids Aloud in 2012. Rhys-Evans, fr ...

and D. Huw Rees – choral arrangements

Hayley Westenra version

The official album of the

2011 Rugby World Cup The 2011 Rugby World Cup was the seventh Rugby World Cup, a quadrennial international rugby union competition inaugurated in 1987. The International Rugby Board (IRB) selected New Zealand as the host country in preference to Japan and South Af ...

in New Zealand was launched on 9 August by New Zealand soprano

Hayley Westenra Hayley Dee Westenra (born 10 April 1987) is a New Zealand classical crossover singer and songwriter. Her first internationally released album, ''Pure'', reached number one on the UK classical charts in 2003 and has sold more than two million c ...

. It was released by Universal Music on 26 August, and included 22 tracks recorded by classical artists. Westenra had not only recorded the song in English and Māori, as heard on this album, but also in French, Italian, and Japanese. It got No. 1 album position on the Classical Compilation Albums Chart of Official Charts as well as the Classic FM chart after releasing in UK. The Official Album track listing # World In Union –

# Swing Low '99 – Arr. C. Skarbek/ T.R. Evans –

Russell Watson Russell Watson is an English tenor who has released singles and albums of both operatic-style and pop songs. He began singing as a child, and became known after performing at a working men's club. He came to attention in 1999 when he sang "God ...

Royal Choral Society The Royal Choral Society (RCS) is an amateur choir, based in London. History Formed soon after the opening of the Royal Albert Hall in 1871, the choir gave its first performance as the Royal Albert Hall Choral Society on 8 May 1872 – the choir' ...

# Land of My Fathers –

Fron Male Voice Choir The Froncysyllte Male Voice Choir ( cy, Côr Meibion Froncysyllte), also known as the Fron Choir ( cy, Côr Fron), is an amateur male voice choir based in the village of Froncysyllte (pronounced roughly ''vron-cuss-ulth/ tay''), Wrexham County Borou ...

# Ireland's Call – Brian Kennedy,

Paul Byrom Celtic Thunder is an Irish singing group and stage show known for its eclectic, theatrical style show. The group is backed by the Celtic Thunder Band on their concert tours, and their live shows are known for the use of dramatic set pieces (of ...

# Scottish Medley – Royal Scots Dragoon Guards # Jerusalem – The Coldstream Guards Band,

Alfie Boe Alfred Giovanni Roncalli Boe (born 29 September 1973) is an English tenor and actor, notably performing in musical theatre. He is best known for his performances as Jean Valjean in the musical ''Les Misérables'' at the Queen's Theatre in Lo ...

# Glorious – Mary-Jess # Now's The Time – Luigi Corvi # Calon Lan –

Katherine Jenkins Katherine Maria Jenkins (born 29 June 1980) is a Welsh singer. She is a mezzo-soprano and performs operatic arias, popular songs, musical theatre, and hymns.Only Men Aloud # Pokarekare Ana –

, Francois Rive, Robbie McIntosh,

Metro Voices Metro Voices is a choir group based in London, England, that specialises in performing for the motion pictures. They work closely with the London Philharmonic Orchestra and with acclaimed British composer Craig Armstrong. They are known from their ...

, Te Tau Choir, Jenny O'Grady,

Royal Philharmonic Orchestra The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) is a British symphony orchestra based in London, that performs and produces primarily classic works. The RPO was established by Thomas Beecham in 1946. In its early days, the orchestra secured profitable ...

, Ian Dean # Waltzing Matilda –

André Rieu André Léon Marie Nicolas Rieu (; is a Dutch violinist and conductor best known for creating the waltz-playing Johann Strauss Orchestra. Rieu and his orchestra have turned classical and waltz music into a worldwide concert touring act. He r ...

Mirusia Louwerse Mirusia Louwerse (born 29 March 1985) is an AustralianMirusia Louwerse
at ...

# We'll keep a welcome – Bryn Terfel, Orchestra of the Welsh National Opera, Gareth Jones, The Black Mountain Choir, The Risca Choir # Nkosi Sikelel'i Afrika –

Kenyan Boys Choir The Kenyan Boys Choir is an African traditional and contemporary male voice choir based in the city of Nairobi, Kenya. Background The Kenyan Boys Choir consists of 25 boys, aged between 13 and 24, from various Kenyan backgrounds and tribes, b ...

# Men of Harlech –

# God Defend New Zealand –

# The Fields Of Athenry – Máiréad Carlin # Cwm Rhondda – Bryn Terfel, Orchestra of the Welsh National Opera, Gareth Jones, The Black Mountain Choir, The Risca Choir # La Marseillaise – Roberto Alagna # Swing Low –

All Angels All Angels were a British classical crossover group formed in 2006, consisting of Daisy Chute, Laura Wright, Rachel Fabri, Melanie Nakhla and actress Charlotte Ritchie. The group's style was classical crossover music and close harmony arran ...

# World In Union (English / Māori) –

# Kakari (Haka 2011) – Qube

Paloma Faith version

R&B singer Paloma Faith was selected to record the song as the official

2015 Rugby World Cup The 2015 Rugby World Cup was the eighth Rugby World Cup, the quadrennial rugby union world championship. The tournament was hosted by England from 18 September to 31 October. Of the 20 countries competing in the World Cup in 2011, there was onl ...

anthem. Her rendition of the song was used on

ITV ITV or iTV may refer to: ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of: ** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...

's Rugby World Cup coverage in the opening titles and during advert breaks, a decision that was greeted negatively by some viewers. A petition to have the song removed was set up by viral marketing expert Jonathan Wilson and received over 10,000 signatures. The petition was featured on the front page of UK newspaper '' The Daily Telegraph''.

Kiyoe Yoshioka version

For the

2019 Rugby World Cup The 2019 Rugby World Cup was the ninth edition of the Rugby World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for men's rugby union teams. It was hosted in Japan from 20 September to 2 November in 12 venues all across the country. The opening match ...

, the song was recorded by Japanese singer

Kiyoe Yoshioka is a Japanese singer and vocalist. She is best known for being the lead vocalist of the band Ikimonogakari since its founding in 1999. She has also been active as a solo singer, releasing her first album ''Utairo'' in 2018. In 2022 her song "Dek ...

. This was also included on her debut solo album ''Utairo''.

used a version recorded by Emeli Sandé for their 2019 World Cup coverage.

Invictus

"World in Union" features in the film ''

Invictus "Invictus" is a short poem by the Victorian era British poet William Ernest Henley (1849–1903). It was written in 1875 and published in 1888 in his first volume of poems, ''Book of Verses'', in the section ''Life and Death (Echoes)''. Backgr ...

'' which is based on the events surrounding the

1995 Rugby World Cup The 1995 Rugby World Cup was the third Rugby World Cup. It was hosted and won by South Africa, and was the first Rugby World Cup in which every match was held in one country. The World Cup was the first major sporting event to take place in Sou ...

in South Africa. The original 1995 World Cup recording by PJ Powers and Ladysmith Black Mambazo is used at the end of the final match. A second recording made for the movie by Yollandi Nortjie and Overtone is played during the closing credits.

References

External links

2007 All-Star version of the song
featuring singers from some of the major

rugby Rugby may refer to: Sport * Rugby football in many forms: ** Rugby league: 13 players per side *** Masters Rugby League *** Mod league *** Rugby league nines *** Rugby league sevens *** Touch (sport) *** Wheelchair rugby league ** Rugby union: 1 ...

-playing nations including New Zealander

, Italian Roberto Alagna,

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...

singers

Katherine Jenkins Katherine Maria Jenkins (born 29 June 1980) is a Welsh singer. She is a mezzo-soprano and performs operatic arias, popular songs, musical theatre, and hymns.Elin Manahan Thomas Elin Manahan Thomas (born 1977) is a Welsh soprano. A specialist in Baroque music, she sang at the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in May 2018. Biography Thomas was born in Gorseinon near Swansea, Wales, the daughter of M. Wynn Thomas ...

, Aled Jones and Bryn Terfel, English singers Lesley Garrett and

Jonathan Ansell Jonathan Mark Ansell (born 10 March 1982) is an English singer, best known as the high tenor of the vocal group G4 (band), G4. Early life Influenced by his mother's tapes of Pavarotti and the Three Tenors, Ansell joined the West Sussex Boys' Cho ...

, the British group

and the

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

n ensemble The Ten Tenors. {{Authority control 1991 songs 1991 singles 1995 songs 1995 singles 1999 songs 1999 singles 2003 songs 2003 singles 2007 songs 2007 singles 2011 songs 2011 singles 2015 songs 2015 singles 2019 songs 2019 singles 2023 songs 2023 singles Sports television theme songs Sports events official songs and anthems Rugby World Cup Shirley Bassey songs Anthems of organizations