Lil Jon's earworm hit "Turn Down For What" owned the airwaves in 2014, and thanks to some love from the Houston Texans and superstar defensive end J.J. Watt, it's still going strong. The tune has turned into a bit of an anthem for (Turn Down For) Watt, pumping out of the speakers at Houston's NRG Stadium whenever he takes the field, makes a tackle or gets a sack. And when the beloved behemoth mimics the dance moves in the video, shaking his shoulders and bouncing to the beat, the fans follow suit.
Because of the Chicago Bears' ugly 5-11 season in 2014-15, my attempt to get the song to be a Soldier Field anthem -- "Bear Down For What" -- never quite took hold, despite teaming up with former Bears defensive tackle Spice Adams on a pretty legit music video. Guess I was just missing the record-setting DPOY to tie it all together (and so were the Bears, come to think of it).
After witnessing a season's worth of Watt's dance moves, the Texans have decided to capitalize on the crowd-pleasing connection, inviting Lil Jon to sing the song during halftime of the team's wild-card game with the Chiefs on Saturday. Watt will be in the locker room, of course, so the fans will have to dance alone.
The announcement had me thinking about which popular jams might serve as playoff anthems for the rest of the teams in action this Saturday. PR folks, get these groups on speed dial and let's make some musical magic happen!
Pittsburgh Steelers + Ariana Grande's "Focus"
With quarterback Ben Roethlisberger leading the way, I'm tempted to make a statement and go with Justin Bieber's "What Do You Mean?" or even throw it back to Robin Thicke's "Blurred Lines," but instead let's turn our focus to another difference-maker on the Pittsburgh squad: Antonio Brown.
Brown's eye-opening catches and highlight-reel touchdowns cry out for Silento's "Watch Me," but I think we all did more than enough whip'ing and nae nae'ing in 2015. Time for something new, and Ariana Grande's "Focus" is just the thing. Opponents can't help but focus on Brown; he tied for the league lead in regular-season receptions and finished second in yards per game and total receiving yards. Plus, both Grande and Brown rock signature 'dos (a high pony for the singer and the Lego-inspired look sported by the wide receiver) and while Brown is a nightmare to cover, Grande is a nightmare for donut shop owners.
The Steelers are the away team on Saturday so requesting their own halftime performer likely ain't gonna fly, but something tells me none of the NFL higher-ups will try to kick a beautiful, oft-scantily clad woman off the field, especially if she agrees to take up pompoms and work for less than minimum wage.
Sample lyrics: "I know what I came to do, and that ain't gonna change. So go ahead and talk your talk, 'cause I won't take the bait. I'm over here doing what I like, I'm over here working day and night."
"Go 'head and talk your s---, I know you're hoping that I'll react. I know you're hoping I'm looking back. But if my real ain't real enough, then I don't know what is."
The bottom line: I think we all know Brown's real is real enough. Book her.
Cincinnati Bengals + Flo Rida's "My House"
The Bengals looked primed to make a long postseason run until Andy Dalton broke his thumb, leaving fans worried about yet another disappointment. Cincy is 0-6 in the playoffs since 2005 and hasn't won a postseason game since 1991. Blame for their recent failures has often been placed squarely on Dalton's shoulders, but after his career year fans are begging to get the Red Rifle back in action.
Unfortunately, reports out of Bengals headquarters aren't good. If anything, Dalton might be able to suit up as a back-up to AJ McCarron. While McCarron has actually proven to be a pretty solid replacement, the Bengals have enough trouble in the postseason when they're at full strength. No doubt about it, the Cincy fans are gonna be butt-clenching and nail-biting their whole way through this one. The big positive for fans heading into Saturday's game is that the Bengals are playing in their own building. They've gotta make home field advantage work, and what better way to do that than a performance from Flo Rida, singing "My House."
Flo Rida has appeared at "Wrestlemania," performed at Super Bowl parties and is scheduled to rock out on Rob Gronkowski's party ship (a.k.a. The Gronk Boat) in February, so he's already totally dialed in to the sports world. The Cincy crowd will need a little pick-me-up on Saturday if their team doesn't come out hot and Flo Rida is just the man to get a halftime party bumpin' at Paul Brown.
Sample lyrics: "Open up the Champagne, pop! It's my house, come on, turn it up."
"Welcome to my house, play that music too loud. Show me what you do now."
The bottom line: As long as Floridian Flo Rida can perform in cooler climes, he'll bring the heat to a nervous Bengals fanbase that needs something to get excited about.
Kansas City Chiefs + Ellie Goulding's "Burn"
After starting off the season 1-5 the Chiefs have been hotter than a Drake mixtape, reeling off 10 straight wins to finish 11-5 and become the first 1-5 team to make the playoffs since the 1970 Bengals. Fire has been the theme for this team, from the hot seat that head coach Andy Reid was sitting on six games into the season, to their white-hot streak of wins heading into the postseason.
So there's no better match for the Chiefs than Ellie Goulding's song "Burn." It was a slow burn as they worked their way back to .500, and it took a little while for the NFL to take notice, but now the Alex Smith-led squad is ready to ignite in the playoffs. And Chiefs fans will be fired up for this one -- they've waited 22 years for a postseason victory.
Once again, there's the little issue of proposing a performance of your anthem at the opponent's stadium. No worries there. Goulding performed at Will and Kate's royal wedding -- upon their request! -- so there's no chance a couple security guards at NRG would turn her away.
Sample lyrics: "We, we don't have to worry 'bout nothing, 'cause we got the fire, and we're burning one hell of a something. They, they gonna see us from outer space, outer space. Light it up, like we're the stars of the human race."
Bottom Line: The Chiefs are heatin' up at the right time, just like a good ol' Kansas City barbeque. They need to keep the burn going on Saturday.