The original Handel piece was based on the biblical anointing of King Solomon, traditionally used for the coronation of British monarchs. This regal history gave the new football anthem an immediate sense of grandeur and authority.
Britten looked to the baroque era, specifically George Frideric Handel's 1727 coronation anthem, Zadok the Priest . While he "pinched" the iconic rising string phase from Handel, he wrote his own melody for the rest of the piece. UEFA Champions League Theme Song
For the 2024–25 season, the anthem underwent its first major update in over 30 years. Britten refined and re-recorded the music with a hand-picked orchestra and the , resulting in a slightly faster version with more prominent vocals while keeping the original iconic lyrics intact. The original Handel piece was based on the