"The Cup Of Life" is an English version of "La Copa De La Vida" from Ricky Martin's 1998 Spanish-language album, Vuelve. It was written specifically for the 1998 World Cup of soccer in France, and it became the official theme song, with Martin performing it at the closing ceremony. The lyrics are uplifting and inspirational, propelled by an anthemic track with layers of percussion and horns. It really does sound like a world party.
The song connected with a huge global audience far beyond soccer fans. It went to #1 in 30 different territories, mostly Spanish-speaking countries where it was issued as "La Copa De La Vida," but also in France, Sweden, Germany and Italy. It didn't do nearly as well in English-speaking countries, particularly America and the UK.
In America, when this song was released in 1998, Ricky Martin was best known from his tenure in Menudo (1984-1988) and for his appearances on the soap opera General Hospital in 1994. He had released four albums in Spanish and was a star in the Latin community, but his only US chart appearance was "Maria," which went to #88 in 1996. "Cup Of Life" didn't do much better, peaking at #60 in the summer of 1998. It did a bit better in 1999, reaching #45 after Martin hit it big with "Livin' La Vida Loca."
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