Break from reality: The best college fight song?

Sports Illustrated ^ | 8-7-06 | Andy Gray

[MAD-AS-HELL]

Which school has the best fight song? The debate has been raging for years and will continue to rage long after any of us are alive. The truth is that the context in which the song is played is often more important than the song itself. For example, you're sitting in Michigan Stadium watching your beloved Wolverines face Ohio State in a tight game. With a minute remaining and Michigan up by three, the Buckeyes are marching down the field and threatening to score when Leon Hall intercepts a Troy Smith pass and returns it for a touchdown, sealing the victory. At that point, the Michigan fighting band could play Livin' la Vida Loca and, as Morgan Freeman said in Shawshank Redemption, it would sound "so beautiful it can't be expressed in words, and makes your heart ache because of it. it would sound like the greatest piece of music you've ever heard." In other words, the emotions of a moment can cloud your objectivity. That's where we come in. After spending the past week hunkered down in the SIOC listening studio, we’ve poured through hundreds of fight songs and have come out with our Top 5. 1. "The Victors," University of Michigan 2. "Anchors Aweigh," U.S. Naval Academy 3. "Boomer Sooner," University of Oklahoma. 4. "Rocky Top," University of Tennessee 5. "Notre Dame Victory March," Notre Dame Those are ours. Take a listen and give us your Top 5.

[eraser2005]

If that's true, whoever made the decision for Minnesota is out of their minds. The song they chose reeks by comparison.

[EnglishOnly]

Hail to the Victors!

GO BLUE!

[poindexter]

Theme song from "Coach".

[007girl]

Oh man, he just had to go and ruin a great fight song! heehee GO VOLS!

[hoagy62]

Fight, fight, fight for Washington State
Win the vic-to-ry
Win the day for crimson and gray
Best in the West
We know you'll all do your best, so
On, on, on, on
Fight to the end
Honor and glory you must win
So fight, fight, fight for
Wash-ing-ton State
And vic-to-ry!!

W! A! S..H..I! N! G! T..O..N!
S! T! A..T..E!
C! O! U..G..S!!!!

[expatpat]

Wasn't Lehrer a techie from Harvard's rival MIT?

[highimpact]

Cay somebody explain to me how a song about corn failing to grow in rocky soil on top of a hill is considered a "fight" song? It's a catchy tune, but so is "Somewhere over the Rainbow."

[massgopguy]

Sign at the Boston College-Bringham Young game.
"Our Jesus is better than your Jesus!"

After attending BC games since 1967 I must admit that my favorite fight song goes

"On brave old ARMY team. Into the fray. Onward to victory. Cuz that's the brave old ARMY way"

Nicest visiting fans? Come back anytime Vols.

[commish]

1. Michigan
2. Notre Dame
3. Ga Tech
4. USC
5. Tennessee
6. Auburn
7. Alabama
8. Ohio State
9. Florida State
10. Georgia

[Gone GF]

How about the W&L Swing? If you go to the this page

http://alumni.wlu.edu/web/page/normal/484.html

you'll find 11 different recordings of it, including ones by Rudy Vallee and Gene Krupa. You might also realize you've heard before but never knew where it originated.

[BaBaStooey]

As it is my role to provide comic relief, I must now pimp the lowly but wonderful Division II school which I graduated from.




Let's go Cardinals
Let's win that game
On to victory tonight
Down the field let them know
With the Cardinals we'll go
To victory we'll fight!
Let's go Cardinals
Let's here that sound
Hit em hard, that 1-2-3
Let's go! Win!
Lead us on to victory!

Despite being a resident of Michigan, I must say that Notre Dame has the best song. By far.

[SmithL]

Our Jesus is better than your Jesus?

Now that's funny!

[dfwgator]

The Music for UF's Song is Great, but I admit the lyrics need a lot of work, few Gator fans even know the words:

So Give a Cheer for the
Orange and Blue,
Waving Forever!
Forever Pride of Old Florida,
May She Droop Never.
Well Sing a Song for the Flag Today,
Cheer for the Team at Play!
On to the Goal,
We'll Fight our Way for
Florida!

[mjolnir]

I cannot stand the Wolverines, but I must admit that they have the best fight song.

As a Spartan and, more importantly, a decent human being, I must agree with you UofM sucks. Onbjectively speaking, however, you are absolutely correct-- "The Victors" is without any doubt the best fight song.

[eraser2005]

Sousa had a thing for the Big 10. He called the Victors the best fight song, and gave his papers to the University of Illinois, and wrote the Illinois March for them. Of course, that isn't a good fight song, and you'll only ever hear it in concert and when their band is in parade.

MP3 format:http://fightmusic.com/mp3/big10/Illinois__Illinois_March.mp3

[Poser]

In order:

Wisconsin
Michigan
Notre Dame

There is no other competition.

[Hemingway's Ghost]

Sail, Navy, down the field
Sails set to the sky.
We'll never change our course
So Army you steer shy.

Roll up the score, Navy
Anchors aweigh.
Sail, Navy down the field and
Sink the Army
Sink the Army gray.

Beat Army

[July 4th]

That's more of a military parade march, but good as well. The Big Ten in general has a bunch of good songs. I'm partial to Wisconsin, but I don't mind the Michigan one either - especially since we sing it with different lyrics here in Wisconsin.

[19th LA Inf]

Hullabaloo, Caneck! Caneck!

I will never forget listening to games back in the 50s, broadcast by the immortal Kern Tipps. He never failed to tell how the Aggie War Hymn was written by Pinky Wilson while standing on the banks of the Rhine.

[dfwgator]

Interesting story about the Harvard Fight Song. A friend of Adolf Hitler, Putzi Hanfstaengl, started playing it on the piano one day, and Hitler liked it so much, he adapted it into a Nazi March.