NationStates Jolt Archive

What are your favorite fight songs and marching bands?

I'm going with my top 3 list or fihgt songs:

Hail to the Victors (U of M)
Anchors Aweigh (USNA)
Hail Purdue (Purdue University)

OK, Purdue shouldn't be on the list, but its on there for bias and because I hate ND (which should be on an unbiased list)

For pro sports, I don't know many fight songs, but my personal bias says Bear Down, Chicago Bears

For college bands, the best band isn't even a marching band. It would be a scatter band. I'm going with the Leyland Stanford Jr. University Marching Band. The band's antics are famous. They are talented, play great arrangements, and have been banned from playing at several schools. (Having your drum major dress as a nun and direct the band with a wooden cross won't make you a favorite in South Bend)

The band also refuses to play their school's fight song after TDs. They just play "All Right Now" by Free.

Hail to the Whiners is a horrible, ugly song. It fits a horrible, ugly University.

My List:

MSU Fight Song (naturally)
Across the Field (Ohio State)
Rocky Top (Tennessee)

While I dislike them, Texas A&M's marching band has to be on the list, they're just too good not to be.

The California Marching Band

As for fight songs, any of theirs.

Sons of Cal is good

"We're sons of California,
A loyal company,
All shout for California
As we strive for victory,
All sing joyful chorus,
As her colors we unfold,
then hurrah for California
and for the Blue and Gold

C!
A!
L!
I!
F, O, R!
N, I, A!
California
California
California!



We're sons of California,
Fair mistress of the sea,
And we'll win for California
for her glorious destiny,
Then raise the joyful chorus
as her colors we unfold,
And we'll win, for California,
And for the Blue and Gold."





Big C is excellent as well

"On our rugged Eastern foothills,
Stands our symbol clear and bold,
Big "C" means to fight and strive
And win for blue and Gold.
Golden Bear is ever watching;
Day by day he prowls,
And when he hears the tread
Of lowly Stanfurd red,
From his Lair he fiercely growls.

Grrrrrah, Grrrrrrah!
Grrrr, Rrrr, Rrrrrah!

We are Sons of California,
Fighting for the Gold and Blue.
Palms of glory we will win
for Alma Mater true.
Stanfurd's men will soon be routed
By our dazzling "C",
And when we serpentine,
Their red will turn to green,
In our hour of victory!"

Note: Eastern foothills refers to the east bay. The misspelling of "Stanford" as "Stanfurd" is intentional.

Those are two, there are many more.

For college bands, the best band isn't even a marching band. It would be a scatter band. I'm going with the Leyland Stanford Jr. University Marching Band. The band's antics are famous. They are talented, play great arrangements, and have been banned from playing at several schools. (Having your drum major dress as a nun and direct the band with a wooden cross won't make you a favorite in South Bend)

The band also refuses to play their school's fight song after TDs. They just play "All Right Now" by Free.

The 'furd band sucks. In the 50's and early 60's they were good, but now they're just terrible. They play pop songs instead of their school's actual songs, and they play terribly out of rhythm and out of tune.

Michigan State has always had a class-A band, and their fight song is a good one. But my vote goes to the University of Washington (note the references to kicking California's ass in the 1924 version):

1924

Bow Down to Washington,
Bow Down to Washington,
From the distant lands they send Their teams of great renown,
But on the field of battle They are trampled to the ground.
We shall carve our name In the Hall of Fame
To preserve the memory of our devotion.

Chorus
Heaven help the foes of Washington,
They're trembling at the feet of might Washington.
The boys are there with bells,
Their fighting blood excells,
It's harder to push them over the lines Than pass the Dardanelles.
Victory the cry of Washington.
Leather lungs together with a Rah! Rah! Rah!
And o'er the land our loyal* band
Will sing the glory of Washington forever.

Verse Two
Bow Down to Washington,
Bow Down to Washington,
Hardy are the men who wear The Purple and The Gold,
Joyously we welcome you Within the vanquished fold.
Bring the Golden Bear,
From his mighty lair,
For We're goin' to hang his carcass in the Northland.

Chorus
(the same except for the last two lines:***
And when we snare that Golden Bear,
You'll never carry it back to California.)

Verse Three
Bow Down to Washington,
Bow Down to Washington,
See 'em smash the line for six And then seven more,
On their way to victory As in the days of yore.
See the Golden Bear With the glassy stare,
Well he knows he'll be a dead one in the morning.

Chorus
(Probably the same chorus that was sung after Verse Two.
The music is unclear about which chorus is sung after Verse Three.)

***In the 1916 edition (Echo Music, Seattle):
Dobie, Dobie pride of Washington.
Leather lungs together with a Rah! Rah! Rah!

This reference is to the great J. Gilmore "Gil" Dobie, Husky coach 1908-1916 (won-lost record of 58-0-3). The original lyrics were changed when Dobie left the University of Washington after the 1916 season to coach at the University of Detroit, later at Cornell, Navy and Boston College.

The 1928 edition (West Coast Music, Seattle) has:
Baggie, Baggie pride of Washington.

The reference this time is to Enoch W. Bagshaw,
coach 1921-1929 (63-22-6).

1997

Bow Down to Washington,
Bow Down to Washington.
Mighty are the men who wear the Purple and the Gold,
Joyfully we welcome them within the Victor's fold.
We will carve our name in the Hall of Fame,
To preserve the memory of our Devotion.

Chorus
So, heaven help the foes of Washington,
They're trembling at the feet of mighty Washington.
Our boys are there with bells,
Their fighting blood excells,
It's harder to push them over the lines than pass the Dardanelles.
So Victory's the cry of Washington
Our leather lungs together with a Rah! Rah! Rah!
And o'er the land, the loyal band**
Will sing the glory of Washington forever!


* The 1943 lyrics quoted the phrase
as "joyous band" rather than "loyal band".
Most everyone who sings Bow Down today
sings the words "loyal band",
but in the words listed in the game day program,
the word "joyous" still appears.
(see note **)

** As has been noted by many,
there was no official
Husky Marching Band in 1913,
when Bow Down was written.
The meaning of "band" has changed from
the group of fans that roots the team on,
to the official UW Husky Marching Band.

A reference to "leather lungs" for imagery, and "harder to push them over the line than pass the Dardanelles", for both historical and nautical references are unique among school songs. I never went there, but living in Seattle for 26 years, UW was inescapable.

The 'furd band sucks. In the 50's and early 60's they were good, but now they're just terrible. They play pop songs instead of their school's actual songs, and they play terribly out of rhythm and out of tune.

I love them though for their sense of humor and formations. BTW, they don't play pop. They play rock. That is why they bill themselves as the world's largest rock band.

You have to love the shit they do at BYU (the comment about marriage being between a man, and a women, and a women, and a women...), ND (tons of shit which got them banned including naming a program "The Irish, why must we fight), Oregon (Buzz Saw/Spotted Owl formation), and of course putting a giant condom over Tommy Trojan. They became world famous when they skipped practice at UCLA to play outside of the OJ Simpson Trial in 1994.

I know that cause you're a Cal guy you have a natural thing against Stanford. Same thing for me having stuff against OSU, MSU, and IU. (How about those Cardinal yesterday?):D

(Here are a few Stanford songs you will like)

"The Cardinal is waving over the field; Our men are fighting with the spirit that will not yield. Rah, Rah, Rah! Farewell old Berkeley, we're after you, Once again the Cardinal will whip the Gold and Blue!"

(verse 1)
The Dirty Golden Bear
Is losing all his hair
His teeth are out
He's got the gout
He knows not what it's all about
His eyes are made of glass
He's losing all his class
So TAKE the Dirty Golden Bear and shove him up your ***!

(verse 2)
The Dirty Golden Bear
Has dirty pubic hair
His dick is dead
It's got no head
He cannot get it up in bed
He tries to use his hand
But cannot find his gland
So YOU can find him jerking off the UC Berkeley Band!

This thread is... bizarre.

What’s a fight song?

This thread is... bizarre.

What’s a fight song?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fight_song

Back on topic though,

Purdue's band is pretty good in terms of its history. I don't like our current director and the arrangements he uses, but we do have a storied past.

We of course have the World's Largest Drum. It is so large that it has be carried on the field atop of a Model T chasis.

While it is less famous, we have the world's largest sousaphone. It is only used at Homecoming and is 80+ years old.

The Purdue All-American Marching Band has pioneered a number of accomplishments. It was the first band to:

* break rank on a football field to make a formation (The Block "P"), 1907 (This year's homecoming had an alumni band join the Purdue AAMB on the field to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Block P. There were nearly 1,000 people on the field to form it.)
* carry the colors of the Big Ten, 1919
* play opposing school fight song, 1920
* wear their hats backwards after a conference victory
* have a member to walk on the moon (Neil Armstrong)

The Oregon State Fight Song is the best, and naturally UOs is the worst. I also hate USCs

The Oregon State Fight Song is the best, and naturally UOs is the worst. I also hate USCs

No one can hate USC's fight song. You can hate the school, but the song is great.

Ramblin Wreck from Georgia Tech.

Thanks to wikipedia, I have the full list of LSJUMB antics. This list doesn't even mention their most famous moment, The Play.

* In 1986, the University suspended the band from traveling to the UCLA football game scheduled on November 8th, 1986 after incidents in previous games that season. First, on October 11th, 1986, an infamous incident of public urination happened following the home football game against the University of Washington. (Although many swear that this incident occurred during the halftime show, actually two band members were caught urinating outside the stadium after the game, when the bathrooms were locked.) Second, during the halftime show of the home USC game on October 19th, 1986, the band spelled out "NO BALLZ". Finally, for the next game they performed an anagram show and spelled out an anagrammed four-letter word ("NCUT"). (The "NCUT" formation was written to be "NEUT," an anagram of "TUNE"--but Band members did not form the crossbar to the "E", changing it to a "C" and thus drastically changing the anagrammed word.) After the UCLA game suspension was served, the band appeared at the Cal game wearing angel halos in an attempt to apologize and get invited to travel with the football team to a bowl game. The band attended the Gator Bowl that year, amid very close scrutiny. [4]

* In 1990, Stanford suspended the band for a single game after their halftime show at the University of Oregon criticized the logging of the spotted owl's habitats in the northwest United States. Governor Neil Goldschmidt (D-OR) issued a decree that the band not return to Oregon for several years; the band did not return until 2001. [3] After the spotted owl incident, all halftime shows were reviewed and approved by Stanford's Athletic Department.
* In 1991, the University of Notre Dame banned the LSJUMB from visiting its campus after a halftime show at Stanford in which drum major Eric Selvik dressed as a nun and conducted the band using a wooden cross as a baton. (During the pregame show and first half of the game, the drum major had been dressed as an Orthodox Jew, where the wooden cross was part of a menorah-like baton.) After the halftime show, a female Notre Dame fan ran onto the field, approached from behind the unsuspecting Selvik, and forcibly ripped the nun habit off of his head. Selvik pursued and regained his habit from the attacker, who in the scuffle for the habit told the drum major he was "going to hell for this."[4]
* In 1992, the Athletic Department pressured the LSJUMB to fire its announcers after one used the phrase "No chuppah, no schtuppa" at a San Jose State University game halftime show.
* In 1994, the Band was disciplined after nineteen members of the band skipped a field rehearsal in Los Angeles to play outside the L.A. County Courthouse during jury selection for the O.J. Simpson trial. The band's song selection included an arrangement of The Zombies' "She's Not There." Defense lawyer Robert Shapiro described the incident to the media as "a new low in tasteless behavior."[5] During the halftime show of the football game against USC that year, band members drove a white Bronco with bloody handprints around the Stanford stadium track.[6]
* In 1997, the Band was again disciplined for shows lampooning Catholicism and the Irish at a game against Notre Dame. The Band put on a show entitled "These Irish, Why Must they Fight?" Besides the mocking supposedly stereotypical Irish-Catholic behavior, there was a Riverdance formation, and a Potato Famine joke, drawing criticism[5] for its "tasteless" portrayal of Catholics. Both the band and the Stanford President Gerhard Casper subsequently apologized for the band's behavior. [6]
* In 2002 and 2006, the Band was sanctioned for off-the-field behavior, including violations of the University alcohol policy.
* In 2004, the Band drew national attention and Mormon ire for joking about polygamy, which was practiced by some Mormons until 1890 and is still practiced by certain splinter groups outside of the LDS Church. This occurred during a game against Brigham Young University. The Dollies appeared in wedding veils with the Band Manager of the time kneeling and "proposing" to each in turn as the announcer referred to marriage as "the sacred bond that exists between a man and a woman... and a woman... and a woman... and a woman... and a woman." [7] The joke was later used multiple times by Massachusetts Governor and Republican Presidential Candidate Mitt Romney, himself a Mormon.[8][9]
* The band's hijinks were given a wider audience when they became the subject of Alan Alda's appearance on the "Not My Job" segment on National Public Radio's Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! on September 9, 2006.(listen here)
* In 2006, the band was suspended by Stanford administrators when their former "Band Shak" was vandalized. After moving into a new $2.8 million facility, the previous Shak, a trailer that served as a temporary home for the band, was found with broken windows and profanities spray painted on the walls. Administrators believed members of the Band were responsible for the damage, as the band had believed the trailer was to be demolished the next day. The Band was placed on a provisional status for several months, and had many privileges taken away for the duration of the suspension, including the right to be freely student-run. [7]. The band was also barred from performing at Halftime of the 2006 Big Game as a result. In March 2007, the University exonerated the individual Band members involved in the incident. It also charged the Band $8,000 for damages (though it initially estimated damages of $50,000). [8]. In July 2007, the Band was fully reinstated, and in September 2007, the band had its alcohol probation lifted as well.

I hate the USC song with every ounce of my being.

Everytime they play anywhere, I hear that fucking song.

Even when they came to Corvallis, they played that fucking song.

Well, obviously all of the various songs that we at Ohio State can call fight songs are truly wonderful (and we have the best damn band in the land, TBDBITL, baby!), Across the field is my favorite.

But, I really like the Sooner fight song last night. It was pretty cool.

Well, obviously all of the various songs that we at Ohio State can call fight songs are truly wonderful (and we have the best damn band in the land, TBDBITL, baby!), Across the field is my favorite.

But, I really like the Sooner fight song last night. It was pretty cool.

You can't honestly call OSU's band better than some of the others in the country. I wasn't too impressed with them when Purdue played OSU.

When it comes to the Big Ten, the IU Marching Hundred has everyone beat. Their fight song sucks, but the band is good.

The best band I saw this year was ND's band. I hate the school, but their band was amazing. They did a great halftime show which put our band to shame.

You can't honestly call OSU's band better than some of the others in the country. I wasn't too impressed with them when Purdue played OSU.

When it comes to the Big Ten, the IU Marching Hundred has everyone beat. Their fight song sucks, but the band is good.

Are you kidding? The incomparable script Ohio, the unbelievable halftime shows, the legend and legacy of the OSUMB are all phenomenal. Last year I was dazzled by the single greatest halftime show I have ever seen, at the Michigan game. When playing the music from the Lord of the Rings movies, they did a formation that was Barad-Dur with the Eye of Sauron at the top. The sousaphones formed the eye, and because of the lighting at the game the eye glowed. It was amazing.

Beyond that, the OSUMB does not have woodwinds. They replicate the sounds of string and woodwind instruments on brass.

Are you kidding? The incomparable script Ohio, the unbelievable halftime shows, the legend and legacy of the OSUMB are all phenomenal. Last year I was dazzled by the single greatest halftime show I have ever seen, at the Michigan game. When playing the music from the Lord of the Rings movies, they did a formation that was Barad-Dur with the Eye of Sauron at the top. The sousaphones formed the eye, and because of the lighting at the game the eye glowed. It was amazing.

Beyond that, the OSUMB does not have woodwinds. They replicate the sounds of string and woodwind instruments on brass.
How can some geek from Purdue have _any_ opinion about bands? The Ohio State University does now, and has always had the "Best Damn Band in the Land". They prove it every halftime.

I like these ones:

This, (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gywByATYPME&feature=related)
(sorry I couldn't get a better clip, though)

this, (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4tEJiwzaNME)
and

this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7p2h2Lgpqg).

They're great!

snip

Tasteless. The only thing ours does even close to that level of crudeness is the Stanford Indian song, which unfortunately no longer makes sense as they're no longer the Indians.

Stanford's band got banned from their own football field. Kinda disgraceful if you ask me.

No one can hate USC's fight song. You can hate the school, but the song is great.

Which one? They have three songs in total.

The only one that's even sort of a good tune is "Fight on (For USC"

Which, by other Pac-10 teams (USC is universally hated by the rest of the Pac-10), has had its lyrics changed to:

"Time out,
For USC
It's time to pay
the Referee."

I hate the USC song with every ounce of my being.

Everytime they play anywhere, I hear that fucking song.

Even when they came to Corvallis, they played that fucking song.

I hate it less than their other two songs

"This
Is the only song we know
It's boring and it's slow
You really wish we'd go."

Fly, Eagles fly, on the road to victory!

Fight, Eagles, fight, Score a touchdown one-two-three!

Hit 'em low, hit 'em high,

And watch our Eagles fly!

Fly, Eagles fly, on the road to victory!

E-A-G-L-E-S Eagles!

Win.

Anchors Aweigh is a close second. ND has to be up there.

Oklahoma's fight song is utterly worthless, probably the worst in the nation. The following sample of the lyrics is all the proof I need for this claim:

Oklahoma, Oklahoma,
Oklahoma, Oklahoma,
Oklahoma, Oklahoma,
Oklahoma, O-K-U!

Best fight song has to be Hail to the Victors. Go U Northwestern is also quite good, of course.