Finally, The Words to the NFL Play60 Commercial

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DVERz5D1YEU&w=560&h=345]

Watch a lot of NFL Network shows and you cannot help but see the video of the NFL Play60 Movement, the league's public service campaign to keep gym in school and fight childhood obesity.

The communications intern who came up with that one deserves a bonus. It dovetails nicely with the commercial aims of a sports entertainment mega-enterprise. Getting the public to spend money on school activities is a nice counterweight to getting the public to spending money on stadiums.  But, I digress.

You either love or hate the background music that accompanies the message. I love it. I cannot help but to bob my head or tap my foot to the background rhythm. If you hate it, it might be because it's hard to understand the words. Or, because NFL-N plays it…a lot. (Empty air space, NFL-N?) What are those kids singing anyway?

It turns out they are not kids. The tune is from a 2004 track laid down by Brit garage band Go! Team who made a fetish of incoherent lyrics.

I know what I will be doing this time next Sunday. For today as a public service, here are the mystifying words to The Power Is On, the song on the bus:

Watch who's comin'' at you why? who's got the power?
Watch who's comin'' at you if you might allow her.
Watch who's comin'' at you why? who's comin' through? one, a bit right then we got two.
Watch who's comin' at you but don't fuss
Watch who's gonna get you back on the bus
Watch you change your light bulb then you take a shower and put you back on the bus.
Watch who's comin' at you then you take a shower?
Watch who's comin' at you if you might allow her.
Watch who's comin' at you why? who's got the power?
If you hear us say "come USA…." (NFL Play 60 voiceover)

Hat tip to YouTube user TrackStarAA1 who posted the lyrics. A few edits by me for readability.

Who's Got The Power sounds like any pep squad cheer you hear at urban high school football game. (Go! Team. Oh NOW I get it.) A tie-in to youth music works for Madden.  It works for the Play60 Movement, too.

But why feature the Atlanta Falcons when the video makes it painfully clear that team owner Arthur Blank has no rhythm and coach Mike Smith has that look of "tell me again why am I here?" A little extra digging turned up the rest of the lyrics.

if you hear us say "come USA" there ain't no way the gangstas say
why hello, hello, H-E-L-L-O
Well I need you I want you to know it's A-OK
Falcons…falcons…falcons,falcons
blood stripe falcons

Sigh! Is it really 120 hours until regular season kick-off?

Point after: For a video link of the Go! Team band performing The Power Is On live, look here. (Lyrics vary.) For the link to the full track as played in the NFL commercial, click here. Sounds for all the world like half-time at the Super Bowl.

Perhaps the words were indecipherable only to old farts like me. I never figured out who The Black Eyed Peas were until Super Bowl 2011.