Band and Cheer Stuff

[Giovanni Jones]

With the epic butt whoopin Wisconsin is putting on Michigan, I felt it was appropriate to post this. On Wisconsin indeed! I think this song must be the most frequently used tune for high school and jr. high fight songs across the nation.

I like the Wisconsin fight song

FWIW, the fight song for my daughter's high school was the same as for Notre Dame, only with much different lyrics ...

Cheer, Cheer for old AHS
You do the score and we'll do the rest
Circle in and hit them hard
Don't let them gain another yard
You'll never hear us singing the blues
We're loyal whether we win or lose
We're the Wildcats! A! H! S!
We're out on the prowl again!

 

[Ajo Macho]

It's common for high schools to simply use college fight songs and write their own lyrics. Prior to LHB, the bands I was in used:

Middle School: Notre Dame
High School: An original piece! (written by student)
Senior High School: Michigan

I've taught at two high schools, one of which used "On Wisconsin". Where I teach now, both the current and previous band director said they're pretty sure our fight song is a college fight song, and it seems familiar to me, but no one knows where it's from. Maybe a D-II school or something.

One of the most confusing: Rockwall is the yellow jackets (Georgia Tech), so instead of black and gold, they wear orange and white (Texas), and their fight song is A&M's.
Supposedly, when the school was being founded, the board of regents (or whatever it is) included one graduate each from Texas, A&M, and Georgia Tech. They each got to pick something.

 

[Chop]

I’m a rambling wreck from Georgia Tech and a heck of an engineer.

Or something like that.

 

[Horn6721]

and something about drinking whiskey clear

 

[Ajo Macho]

I'm a ramblin' wreck from Georgia Tech and a hell of an engineer
A helluva, helluva, helluva, helluva, hell of an engineer
Like every jolly good fellow, I drink my whiskey clear
I'm a ramblin' wreck from Georgia Tech and a hell of an engineer

 

[mchammer]

With the epic butt whoopin Wisconsin is putting on Michigan, I felt it was appropriate to post this. On Wisconsin indeed! I think this song must be the most frequently used tune for high school and jr. high fight songs across the nation.

Yep, in my case it was On Gastonia!

 

[Horn6721]

You also have to consider the expense back then of getting music scored for bands.

 

[Chop]

I don't fault HS's for copying college fight songs. I happen to like the following:

Texas Fight (obviously)
On Wisconsin
Hail to the Victors
ND Victory March
UH fight song
TCU fight song (brilliant in its 4 beat simplicity and the break chant "Rah Rah TCU, Rah Rah TCU")
Tribute to Troy
UCLA's trombone heavy fight song (sort of comparable to ours re: trombones)
Ohio State's drumline heavy fight song
Auburn's fight song
Fight Raiders Fight (or whatever Tech's song is called)


I have a strong dislike for the following:

Boomer Sooner
Aggie War Hymn
(any HS AD or band director who picks one of those two should be dismissed)

I'm no fan of the following either:

Arkansas fight song (think of the old SWC basketball tournaments...)
SMU's (now known as Dallas U.) song (tune She'll be Coming Around the Mountain)
Rocky Top (you lose 0.1 IQ points each time you listen to this one)
The Good ol Baylor Line

 

[Giovanni Jones]

IIRC, the fight song for Nederland HS is a part of the aggy war hymn, played much faster (which, in a way, is a blessing)

 

[SabreHorn]

To my knowledge, only one school at any level has "Cherokee"

 

[Chop]

Here's who we're facing on Saturday on the sidelines:

That looks like the Texas Texas Yee Haw cheer to me. That or her best David Lee Roth stage moves impersonation.

 

[Chop]

And their band:

(I think the photo immediately above is from an older look uniform)

2016 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in NYC featuring the Pride of West Virginia Band.

 

[nashhorn]

I’d be grinning if I was #6 too.

 

[Creek]

The band used to have cowbells. Did we invent it or State?

 

[Ajo Macho]

I have a strong dislike for the following:

Boomer Sooner
Aggie War Hymn
(any HS AD or band director who picks one of those two should be dismissed)

I'm no fan of the following either:

Arkansas fight song (think of the old SWC basketball tournaments...)
SMU's (now known as Dallas U.) song (tune She'll be Coming Around the Mountain)
Rocky Top (you lose 0.1 IQ points each time you listen to this one)
The Good ol Baylor Line

A&M's tune ain't bad (Goodbye My Coney Island Baby), but they play it too slow and the words are incredibly stupid. A lot of them are made-up nonsense, and outside of that, there's as much about Texas as there is about A&M, which, if you're familiar with aggies, isn't surprising.

Baylor's lyrics are pretty standard stuff, but the tune...it doesn't even sound like a fight song. It sounds silly. Like a fight song you'd write as a joke.

Boomer Sooner is garbage both in terms of music and lyrics. Made even worse by being played nonstop. Why is the worst fight song also the one played most often? It's like they know how bad it is and they're using it as psychological warfare.

I can't seem to find a consensus on whether this or this is SMU's fight song; I'm assuming they use both. I could see Peruna (She'll Be Comin' Around the Mountain) getting obnoxious if they played it too many times, but if they use two fight songs, probably neither gets badly overplayed. I've never watched an SMU game; too young to remember the SWC.

Arkansas's fight song is fairly standard all-around, sounds like a typical fight song. I like it OK, call it above-average. Again, too young for it to bring back bad memories.

Rocky Top is a great bluegrass song that doesn't translate well to a marching band. One of the best songs used as a fight song, but not a good fight song. That said, singing along looks fun.

 

[SabreHorn]

Before the death penalty, SMU cranked out their fight song every time their offense snapped the ball and continuously until the offense got back to the line of scrimmage. Thus, the major controversy over the Bill Began egregious call that finally got his sorry *** thrown out of the SWC. Robin Sendlein's planting of Dickerson was worth every inch of the 15 yard penalty.

Boomer Sooner is Yale's fight song, but no one knows the words to Yale's other than Boola Boola

 

[Horn2RunAgain]

I'm no fan of the following either:

SMU's (now known as Dallas U.) song (tune She'll be Coming Around the Mountain)

That isn't their actual fight song, but I get what you're sayin

 

[BurntOrangeLH]

How about Oregon State?

I mean what man would not root for the Beavers?

I remember one time when I was in Seattle the Times had an account of the UW softball team prevailing over Oregon State. The continuing sub headline was, "Huskies Lick Beavers." I kid you not.

 

[Giovanni Jones]

Baylor's lyrics are pretty standard stuff, but the tune...it doesn't even sound like a fight song. It sounds silly. Like a fight song you'd write as a joke.

The mental image that comes to my mind when I hear the Baylor fight song is of two clowns doing pratfalls, followed by beating each other with jumbo-sized bats.

 

[Chop]

The mental image that comes to my mind when I hear the Baylor fight song is of two clowns doing pratfalls, followed by beating each other with jumbo-sized bats.

It’s reminiscent of a Third World country’s national anthem or something.

 

[Giovanni Jones]

A lot of them are made-up nonsense, and outside of that, there's as much about Texas as there is about A&M, which, if you're familiar with aggies, isn't surprising.

OTOH, the reference to A&M in Texas Fight is fleeting and seems even more appropriate in the wake of A&M deserting the Big 12. Perhaps we should change that particular lyric to "and good riddance to A&M!"

 

[Ajo Macho]

OTOH, the reference to A&M in Texas Fight is fleeting and seems even more appropriate in the wake of A&M deserting the Big 12. Perhaps we should change that particular lyric to "and good riddance to A&M!"

I'd be in favor of changing the lyric. Nothing says "goodbye" like forgetting them altogether. In the meantime, we look like sooners/aggies who do horns down even when they're not playing us.

Instead:
And we're taking the field again
And we're victorious again
And we'll cheer for the Texas Men
And we'll rally the burnt orange
And they're taking it on the chin
And we're kicking your ***, amen

 

[Giovanni Jones]

I'd be in favor of changing the lyric. Nothing says "goodbye" like forgetting them altogether.

Instead:
And we're taking the field again
And we're victorious again
And we'll cheer for the Texas Men
And we'll rally the burnt orange
And they're taking it on the chin
And we're kicking your ***, amen

I like that last one.

 

[Giovanni Jones]

LHB schedule at the RRS:

Friday, Oct. 11
2:45 - 5:00 p.m.
Open Rehearsal at Richardson High School

Saturday, Oct. 12
9:00 a.m.
Fox Sports Gameday appearance
9:20 a.m.
Step off to Stadium Parade

 

[BurntOrangeLH]

OTOH, the reference to A&M in Texas Fight is fleeting and seems even more appropriate in the wake of A&M deserting the Big 12. Perhaps we should change that particular lyric to "and good riddance to A&M!"

You know removing any reference in Texas Fight! to aTm would be the ultimate insult for them.

I say let's do it! Let's get a petition with an alternate verse delivered to CDC.
Any poets out there?

 

[ViperHorn]

LHB schedule at the RRS:

Friday, Oct. 11
2:45 - 5:00 p.m.
Open Rehearsal at Richardson High School

If you are in the area, this is a must.

 

[Giovanni Jones]

I say let's do it! Let's get a petition with an alternate verse delivered to CDC.
Any poets out there?

Texas Fight, Texas Fight!
And it's Hello to Mountaineers
Texas Fight, Texas Fight!
And we'll put down a few more beers

 

[BurntOrangeLH]

Texas Fight, Texas Fight!
And it's Hello to Mountaineers
Texas Fight, Texas Fight!
And we'll put down a few more beers

Well, they do want us as a rival.

 

[Ajo Macho]

I say let's do it! Let's get a petition with an alternate verse delivered to CDC.
Any poets out there?

I wouldn't necessarily consider myself a poet, but see above.

 

[ProdigalHorn]

It's common for high schools to simply use college fight songs and write their own lyrics.

It's true. OU wrote their own lyrics to Yale's fight song. I think they were originally written in crayon, but hey, they tried!