Every two years, Dutch football fever reaches its peak during the European Championships or the World Cup.

This year is no different, especially now that the Orange team has reached the final in South Africa. And Dutch football fever comes with its own phenomenon: the football songs.

Listen to a Newsline report by Johan van Slooten:

Of course, many countries have their own football chants sung on the terraces, but many Dutch artists try to take their football songs beyond the stadiums and into the pop charts.

This year, dozens of football records have already been released, but music experts expect many more to be made if the Netherlands wins Sunday's final.

1930s
It all started in the 1930s, when 'Oranje' played its first major tournament, 1934's World Cup in Italy. Dutch vaudeville singer Willy Derby recorded 'We gaan naar Rome' ('We're heading for Rome') which became a smash hit on Dutch radio at the time. Sadly, the Dutch team never reached Rome - after losing its opening match against Swtizerland, it was out of the tournament.

Listen to Willy Derby's "We gaan naar Rome" here:

Golden era
Fast forward to the 1970s, the golden era of Dutch "Total Football". Despite two appearances in the World Cup final in 1974 and 1978 (which the Dutch both lost), Dutch football songs were very thin on the ground.

The football song craze really kicked off after the 1988 European Championships, the first - and, to date, the only - major tournament won by the Dutch team.

Dutch singer Andre Hazes recorded 'Wij houden van Oranje' ('We love Orange'), accompanied by members of the 1988 squad shortly before the tournament. The single flopped initially, stalling at number 70 in the Dutch pop chart, but after Oranje's victory it reappeared and became one of many Dutch classic football songs.

Not bad for a song whose origins weren't Dutch at all - it was based on the old Scottish tune of Auld Lang Syne.

Watch a clip of 'Wij houden van Oranje' here: (story continues below)