Where does the expression "Oe oe oe oe oe, ... oeee, ... oeee" come from?

Question

I have heard Spaniards singing

"Oe oe oe oe oe, ... oeee, ... oeee"

in soccer and other sports.

Where does this expression come from? Is it a Spanish expression?

Answer 1

I'm from Spain. It's Oé.

Oé became from the Basque word Hobé and started to be used by the famous player Arconada.

From ¿De donde viene el cántico de oé, oé, oé?

En un artículo que encontramos se hace referencia escrita a ello, donde por primera vez queda constancia de la existencia y la procedencia de la canción, lo explica en una entrevista el mítico Arconada: “campeones hobé, hobé” significa “campeones, los mejores, los mejores”, en euskera.

Con los años, el “hobé, hobé” ha ido derivando al “oé, oé”, que se oye hoy en día.

Find here the relevant part of the linked article in the newspaper La Vanguardia from 26 april 1982:

Olé it's another thing used by the toreros world.

Answer 2

A simple search on Google for "Olé, Olé, Olé, football chant" or "olé spanish meaning" should lead you to this:

One evidence of the chant appeared in an article of the Spanish newspaper La Vanguardia from 1982. It was during the final match of the Spanish Football League that year. After Real Sociedad had been proclaimed champion, the people at the Atotxa Stadium in San Sebastián started to sing "Campeones, campeones, hobe, hobe, hobe", which literally means "Champions, champions, we are the best". The latter three words belonging to the Basque language. The chant expanded to the rest of Spain, and become known as "Oé, Oé, Oé".

The word "olé" itself, being a Spanish interjection thought to be of Arabic origin, or derived from the Germanic in the Iberian peninsula, from which it also derives the English Hello and the neighbour Portuguese Olá, mostly associated with the bullfighting of last centuries, but also with the sports after the XIX century. It was chanted when individuals seemed to rise above themselves in performance.

The chant is used frequently in football games around the world, and can be heard in Montreal Canadiens hockey games when the team is winning. It is also used by supporters of the University of California, Santa Barbara's Gaucho intercollegiate sports teams, particularly the basketball and soccer programs, and led to the creation of a mascot, simply named Olé.

It is also used by the supporters of the Republic of Ireland national football team, especially in the song "Put 'Em Under Pressure".

In Argentina, sometimes the name of a person the people could be cheering to is added at the end; e.g.: "Olé, olé olé ole, Die-go, Die-go! (referring to Diego Armando Maradona).

Update

Here are some aclarations to make:

1. Its "Olé" and not "Oe" as some may claim

From the same wikipedia page:

Olé, Olé, Olé (The Name of the Game)

In 1987, Roland Verlooven produced a more popular version of the chant, "Olé, Olé, Olé (The Name of the Game)". It was recorded by a group known as "The Fans", and published by Hans Kusters Music. It was released in Spain by Discos Games, and in Germany by ZYX Records. The text of it goes "Olé, olé, olé, olé, we are the champions, we are the champions", but there are widespread misunderstandings of it rather being "...we are the champs, we are the champs" by many who have simply not heard and understood the lyrics correctly.

Link to the original song: -> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L0GmxnlXv3s

2. Context of the chant

Top of the World (Olé, Olé, Olé)

"Top of the World (Olé, Olé, Olé)" is a stand alone single from Chumbawamba. It was released in June 1998, and the single reached the number 21 in the UK Singles Chart. It was also featured as the UK's song on the World Cup 1998 compilation album Music of the World Cup: Allez! Ola! Ole!. Their 1997 album Tubthumper was re-issued with this song on the album.

3. Open ears!!!

Quote by comments on this question:

I'm Spanish and the people sing "oé" (NOT Olé) in many chants, for example in this one: youtube.com/watch?v=VJvz9Hpx_ho or in this other one: youtube.com/watch?v=NnXqD7_YnHU When they say Olé is just when your team passes the ball many times and the opponent can't get it as if it was a bullfight. – Javi

Well, the truth is that if you watch both videos using big speaker to amplify the sound you can hear clearly people using chanting Olé, Olé, Olé..., there is also some drunks as well as some others that don't know the full chant, and you can recognize them simply because their chant sounds more like "Oé, oé, Oé...."

That alone don't means that the chant is "Oé, oé, Oé...." or that there are two chants.

I know that for some, search in Google it's incredibly hard and confusing, so here is a direct link to the reference on wikipidia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olé,_Olé,_Olé

Answer 3

I don't know the etymology of it, but I'm pretty sure it's "olé", not "oe".

Olé is an interjection that is very typical of the bullfighting. (Well, not that I know anything about bullfighting, but to me "olé" definitely evokes that and other cliches about Spain)

As a side note, there's a sports newspaper in Argentina called "Olé".

Answer 4

As essmussein and Javi said it's Oé, oé

Olé, and Ole, are not only used in the world of bullfighting, though, so much so that, in fact it can also be heard in a football match, though it is rare, and it is not chanted in the same way Oé, oé is. Bare in mind that Oé, oé is always sung to the same chant, and is not used outside that scope, nobody shouts a plain Oé to cheer anything.

I didn't know about its apparent etymology, as stated in that article; my guess is everyone here, at least maybe outside of the Basque country, thinks it comes from a relaxed version of Olé. Interesting.

Answer 5

Olé and Oé are two different expressions, Olé in Spain, Mexico and Latin America is mostly used in bullfighting when the matador does a good pass or series of passes with his cape. While Oé, Oé, Oé is mostly used in supporter chanting at football matches - - - While Olé in Latin countries is also used in football matches when one team threads a series of passes and is dominating the opposing team. It is derogatory and demoralizaing for the rival team to be subjected to this chant.

Answer 6

So many misleading data around here...

In the 60s I already listened to "oe oe oe" in tv football matches. And surely they were not Spaniards shouting that. I think I remember this may come from France.