Again, sorry for the absence, this time my excuse is actually my reason; while I was doing research for Duke's fight songs, I became so disheartened with what I did and didn't find, I lacked the effort to start this blog. Honestly, I'd rather work on other fight songs with more rich histories and tangible referable information. And the big issue is that Duke's fight songs are not in the aforementioned category: there is no history on them that I can find through my scant research. So, this article will be a short one, and may be the catalyst that convinces me to start blogging out of order, giving me the freedom to bounce around the NCAA, to fight songs that are easy (and fun) to write about. But, that may come at another time. For now, here is what I could find about Duke's two fight songs: "Blue and White" and "Fight! Blue Devils, Fight!" Also, shoutout to the Cameron Crazies for being the best student section in college basketball.
The lyrics for "Fight! Blue Devils, Fight!"
Fight, Fight Blue Devils
Fight for Duke and the Blue and White
March on through
For the touchdown's there for you
Go get 'em
Duke is out to win today
Carolina goodnight
So turn on the steam team
Fight Blue Devils Fight
and for "Blue and White"
Duke, we thy anthems raise
For all thy praises untold
We sing for the Blue and White
Whose colors we uphold
Firm stand our line of blue
For we are loyal through and through
All for the love of old D.U.
Fight! We'll Fight!
With all our strength and might
Win we can
So here we give a hand
Hey!
Rah! Rah! Rah! Rah!
D-U-K-E, Rah!
Also, according to the most reliable reference material on the internet (Wikipedia),"The lyrics and music were written by G.E. Leftwich, Jr." which one was written by him, though, is unknown to me. That's about all I found find out about either of Duke's fight songs. Fortunately, though, I can give you my humble opinion about Duke's fight songs. First, even though "Blue and White" is the official fight song, I think it hardly functions as such. It is more fit as a school song, or even a school march. It sounds good as a piece of music, but it doesn't rouse the rabbles, nor does it compel a pair of lungs to belt out a chorus. It would be easier to hum in an elevator then to sing at a football game. I give it a 4/10, only because the lyrics use such strong visual imagery. There is nothing the DUMB (Duke University Marching Band) could do to make "Blue and White" appeal to anyone as a fight song; it would be more fitting as an Alma Mater. But here's the actual song so you can judge it yourself:
Next is the secondary fight song "Fight! Blue Devils, Fight!" which I have a personal disposition towards (which may explain my strong distaste for "Blue and White") because I feel it is more suitable for the role of Duke's fight song. It has most of the prerequisites for a fight song: the words "Fight" and"touchdown", a generic fight song phrase (turn on the steam), and a negative reference to an opposing/rival team (Carolina, goodnight!). Even though it feels a bit generic, the tempo is much more suitable for singing, and cheering. For a school of such prestige and age, I would think there would be more information about their fight songs, and they would have better fight songs, but I was mistaken. I give "Fight! Blue Devils, Fight!" a 7/10, just because it has the hype of a fight song, but just not that special ingredient that makes iconic fight songs, well, iconic. Next time, I think I'll take a trip to the Midwest and start the Big Ten, or maybe just keep pushing through the ACC, we will have to see!
.
First of all, I’d like to apologize for the gap between this
post and the last; Christmas break was a great opportunity to do nothing;
therefore I did as much nothing as possible. Anyways, next up in the ACC is the University of Clemson. The Tigers actually have two fight songs, one is much more recognizable and associated with Clemson, while the other is a little more obscure. So let's talk about the more obscure one first. "Tiger Rah" was the first official fight song of the Clemson Tigers. As this excerpt from Tigernet.com explains:
The history of fight songs at Clemson University is a long and interesting one. From the earliest days of Clemson College, the cadet band played the Army Song ("When the Caissons Go Rolling Along"). In 1935 Edwin Jones Freeman, a professor and an adviser to the band, wrote a tune called "Tiger Rah!" which became the university's official fight song through 1947. It is a well composed tune, worthy of inclusion in Clemson's traditions.
It is a much more traditional style fight song, with all the ingredients to make it a staple at any other university, or at least well known: Rahs, Hails, the phrase "Alma Mater", and a direct reference to a mascot and the school in the song, not as a cheer. The melody isn't necessarily outstanding, but it won't make you fall asleep. The lyrics are solid, not being too fancy to understand, but still fancy enough not to be of the common folk. Also, when the lyrics are centered, they look like the Japanese symbol for soil (土):
Tiger Rah!
Tiger Rah!
We will fight, fight, fight for every win!
Our Alma Mater reign supreme alway,
Spirit, power, pride within!
Tiger Rah!
Tiger Rah!
We have victory in our sight!
And the orange Tiger Paw will shine,
Hail! Hail! Hail! To Clemson might!
In conclusion, personally I'd give it an 8/10 for the lyrics, not too archaic but not to colloquial, and for the melody, upbeat but not confusing to follow. Honestly, it is a quality fight song, and should be generic, well-known to students and alumni like.
But at Clemson, this wasn't enough to keep "Tiger Rah" in the hearts of Clemson fans, and today if you were to say "Finish this song: Tiger Ra_" almost all Clemson fans would say "Tiger Rag!" This song should be well known to you jazz enthusiasts out there, possibly under the title "Hold That Tiger," which are half of the lyrics to the song. "Hold That Tiger" is one of the most famous jazz songs ever recorded, and was covered by many famous musicians, including Frank Sinatra. The song was written in 1917, and was actually a staple of the LSU band long before the Clemson band even got the idea of including it in their repertoire. But, the LSU version is much more toned down, and kept some of the jazzier aspects of the song. Finally though, in 1942, the song was first introduced to the band, and soon it became the iconic fight song it is today. Notice that the song was introduced in 1942, while "Tiger Rah" was made the official fight song in 1947. But as it says in the rest of the Tigernet.com article about the old fight song, "For the 2013 season, it has been polished off once again, and new, more modern lyrics composed..." meaning that it probably had more archaic lyrics, and it faded into obscurity for quite some time, even though it was the official fight song at one point. What probably happened was that while "Tiger Rag" was on the rise, "Tiger Rah" (I know its confusing the only difference is literally on letter) was on a decline, because "Tiger Rag" is very, very energetic. In fact, Clemson's version of the jazz hit morphed into probably one of the most iconic fight songs in college sports. Even though the lyrics were already a little weak to begin with, the only words really sung, actually shouted, are "C-L-E-M-S-O-N!" The intro actually has words, but they're difficult to fit with the melody (I've tried many times), and the rest of the lyrics have the complexity of a broken record for toddlers. These are the lyrics to the intro:
Long ago way down in the jungle
Someone got an inspiration for a tune
And that jingle came from the jungle
Became famous mighty soon
Thrills and chills it sends through you
Hot so hot it burns you too
Though it's just the growl of the Tiger
It was written in a syncopated way
More and more they yell for the Tiger
Everywhere you go today, they're shoutin:
The use of visual imagery is intense, but here's the iconic (and lyrically weak) chorus:
Where's that Tiger?
Where's that Tiger?
Where's that Tiger?
Where's that Tiger?
Hold that Tiger!
Hold that Tiger!
Hold that Tiger!
C-L-E-M-S-O...N!
But sometimes, as happened here, the lyrics are ignored in favor of an amazingly energetic melody. Even if you aren't impressed with the lyrics, it's hard to deny that "Tiger Rag" is one of the most spirited fight songs out there. It probably gets some of that spirit from its jazz roots, or from the fact that the song is usually introduced, in a booming voice, as "THE SONG THAT SHAKES THE SOUTHLAND." Also, the fact that a marching band uses a jazz song is a bit ironic too because marching bands are uniform and systematic while jazz bands are more impromptu and free-spirited. Regardless, "Tiger Rag" is still a great fight song: the rhythmic pounding of the drums and the energetic melody have made it a staple fight song at Clemson, and if one listens to it, or sees it in action, you can understand why; why it is so beloved by Tiger fans, and why it overtook "Tiger Rah" over the years. Overall, I'd rate it as an 8.9/10, just because I'm a fan of lyrics, but I appreciate how hype it is.
Not all fight songs were originally written as fight songs, but they become fight songs through their usage and because they just seem to fit. "Tiger Rag" is one of those songs. It may not make Shakespeare weeps tears of joy, or humble Louis Armstrong, but it sure does lift the spirits of those Tigers from South Carolina.
Well, as I said in my last post, my first fight song series will be covering the Power 5 Conferences. These are the best conferences in the nation, and consists of the ACC, SEC, Big 10, Big 12, and Pac-12. So, what better place to start then on the East Coast‽ The ACC, which stands for the Atlantic Coast Conference, has 14 members (technically there's 15 but I'm not counting Notre Dame because they're too cool and independent to participate in ACC conference football), and I will not list them off because that's part of the surprise for all you not-into-college-sports people.
The first school whose fight song I am going to review is Boston College's. The Eagle's fight song is called "For Boston," presumably because it was made for Boston *bu dum tiss*. Anyways, bad jokes aside, "For Boston" is the oldest original college fight song. I specify "original" because there is probably some school that uses an older melody as a school song, like rewritten versions of "Battle Hymn of the Republic" (Glory Glory Hallelujah). "For Boston" was written by a fellow named T.J. Hurley, and even though I couldn't actually find the date it was published, (hopefully I will at some later date) I do know he was a member of Boston College's class of 1885, so it's probably pretty darn old. Surprisingly, or unsurprisingly, since it is the oldest fight song, it has no "rah's" or the word "fight," possibly because it was too cool for such generic words, or because those weren't really popular back in the 1880s. The words Hurley used are slightly outdated, but not so much so that you don't understand what you're singing about. They actually sound very poetic, which is the difference between songs as old as "For Boston" and other, newer fight songs. That's a problem sometimes though: some colleges' fight songs are so old (or pompous) they sound archaic, which means they have words people don't really use anymore. On the plus side, it makes specific references to the College itself, which always adds a bit of local culture and pride. And since it's in Boston, and a well known school, it was covered by the Dropkick Murphys, which is pretty neat. Here's the lyrics for you to form your own opinions about, and so you know what I'm talking about above^ (from fightmusic.com):
For Boston, for Boston,
We sing our proud refrain!
For Boston, for Boston,
'Tis Wisdom's earthly fane.
For here all are one
And their hearts are true,
And the towers on the Heights
Reach to Heav'ns own blue.
For Boston, for Boston,
Till the echoes ring again!
The song does have a second verse, but it is rarely heard or sung. This actually happens a lot with fight songs: either an opening intro gets phased out over time, or a second verse fades into obscurity. Here's the second verse in case you were interested:
For Boston, for Boston,
Thy glory is our own!
For Boston, for Boston,
'Tis here that Truth is known.
And ever with the Right
Shall thy heirs be found,
Till time shall be no more
And thy work is crown'd.
For Boston, for Boston,
For Thee and Thine alone.
To conclude, the lyrics take a little getting used to, because of the fancy language, but the energetic melody helps keep it interesting. It isn't really a "get out of your seat and belt out the lyrics" kind of fight song, more like a "traditional clap along and sing in your inside voice" one. And even though I didn't mention this, the band does sing the lyrics, which always helps in passing down the oral tradition. It has stood the test of time, though, being a functioning fight song longer than a handful of US states have been states. If I were to rate it out of 10, I would probably give "For Boston" an 8/10, only because it isn't the most exciting fight song, and the lyrics are a little stale. Comment what you think of "For Boston" below, and stay tuned for my next ACC fight song review!
Many of you reading this have probably either attended and graduated high school, or are attending high school at the moment. One of the most prevalent features of school spirit is the fight song, sometimes referred to as the school song. But let me be the first one to tell you: High School fight songs are usually pretty bad. Quality wise, they are usually unoriginal, and played by extremely amateur musicians (obviously). But, regardless of where your school is and how big it is, high schools usually use one of three different types of fight songs. I like to divide these fight songs into three categories: Originals, Original-Rewrittens, and Fillers.
First, Originals. This is probably the easiet to explain. These are fight songs that are entirely original to the high school it is used at. The quality of the song itself and lyrics can range from college quality to elementary grade level vocabulary, but many take pride in the fact that is was written especially for their school. A good example of this type of fight song is the fight song of Maine South High School, in South Park, Illinois
Next, Original-Rewrittens. These are probably one of the most common type of High School Fight Songs. The basic idea is to take a good medley, and write a whole new set of lyrics, to make it unique to the school it originates from, in a sort of way. Common college fight songs used to make these, and just used commonly in general, are the Notre Dame Victory March, On Wisconsin, Go U Northwestern, the Washington and Lee Swing, and Hail to the Victors, and more likely than not, your high school used one of these fight songs. Original rewritten, like Originals, can range in quality, from almost indistinguishable from the originals except in melody, to lyrical traffic jams. A good example of this type of fight song is Federal Way High School from Washington:
On Federal Way High On to victory (clap, clap, clap) Proud to fight for Blue and White We shout our loyalty Fight, fight, fight! Stand all you Eagles Raise your battle cry! Stand up and cheer for all to hear 'Cause Eagles always do or die
Now, the fight song they borrowed this melody from, Go U Northwestern, from the University of Northwestern:
Go U Northwestern!
Break right through that line.
With our colors flying,
We will cheer you all the time,
U Rah! Rah!
Go! U Northwestern!
Fight for victory,
Spread far the fame of our fair name,
Go! Northwestern win that game.
If you notice, there is actually no similar lines of lyrics in Federal Way's fight song, but the melody stays the same. These are probably the best type of high school fight song because they use already proven melodies with unique lyrics to add a bit of a personal touch.
Finally, the lowest of the low: Filler Fight Songs. These types of fight songs are probably as common as Original-Rewrittens, unfortunately. Basically, they follow similar principles as Original-Rewrittens, but instead of changing all the lyrics, they just swap out any reference to the original school and replace it with their own. A lot of the time, these types don't even rhyme, which is even more painful. And if you want to find out if your school is guilty of using a Rewritten, just type in a couple lyrics into Google, and the original may show up. Terrebonne High School in Louisiana is a great example of both usage of the W&L Swing, a very common high school fight song, and a filler Fight song:
Oh, when the Terrebonne Tigers fall in line,
We're gonna win that game another time.
For THS I yell, I yell, I yell,
And for the football team I yell, I yell, I yell.
We're gonna fight, fight, fight, for every yard,
We're gonna hit that line and hit it hard,
We're gonna roll those. . . . . . on the side, on the side,
Terrebonne High
And now, the W&L Swing:
When Washington and Lee's men fall in line,
We're going to win again another time;
For W&L I yell, I yell, I yell,
And for the University, I yell, like hell!
And we will fight! fight! fight! for every yard;
Circle the ends and hit that line right hard!
And we will roll those Wahoos on the sod!
Yes, by God! RAH! RAH! RAH!
HEY!
Besides a few word changes to fit tense and syllables, they're basically the same fight song. And even though I called out this random Louisianan school, countless other schools across the country create monstrosities like this. But is it necessarily a bad thing? If the melody is proven, and the lyrics are proven, why not just use both? Well, there isn't really a reason not to, but for the sake of creativity, it's not that hard to write new words to a fight song, I've done it countless times.
Now that I got all of that off my chest, I think that I'll start on a series about college fight songs, specifically the Power 5 Conferences: the ACC, SEC, Big 10, Big 12, and Pac-12. So be prepared.
Now, some of you may be wondering, "Why did you make a blog? Didn't that stop being cool in like 2005?" If you are one of those people, I say, BEGONE! LEAVE! Because you don't need to waste your time on me, and I don't need to waste my time on you. Now, to those of you who are actually still reading, I made a blog because I thought it was pretty neat, and I am hipster enough to use an older medium for spreading my ideas through the amazing thing that is the internet, but not cool enough to do it via video. So, a blog was the solution.
This particular blog is dedicated to an oddity of sorts: The college fight song, or just the fight song. I don't believe in the phrase "football fight song" because one of the guiding principles I use when deciding the quality of a fight song is its transparency, which basically means how easily can it be used for other sports, but that's beside the point. One could say that I have an obsession with fight songs, and in order to understand why I'm wasting my time writing about them, I have to give the explanation as to why I became interested in them in the first place. To save time, here's how the story went: I thought my school's fight song was too football-oriented, too long, too riddled with archaic language, and just too uninspiring. To try and solve this conundrum, I did the only reasonable thing a person can do: research fight songs, find the best one, and rewrite the words for my school. Now obviously this didn't end up working out, mainly because of the tradition involved with a fight song, and now my school's fight song is something I've accepted as solid, and I've even started to appreciate it more than I used to.
On this blog, I will mostly posting about college fight songs, the background and history, lyrics, just stuff like that. And my opinions on them, that's a big part of this all. Occasionally I may post about an Alma Mater, which is basically a national anthem for a school. Maybe I might even go crazy and talk about college marching bands. So be prepared for the hypothetical roller coaster you are about to embark on (it's actually kind of mundane if you're not into this sort of thing).
