Dissension on Team 144 - Could this be true? Pump it Up vs Mr. Brightside

Submitted by Amazinblu on January 10th, 2024 at 4:23 PM

I'm a huge believer in culture - and, Team 144 has exemplified what it means to be a team.

The following caught my attention, and I thought I'd share it.   It's a short video that captures a number of players on the team - as well as Coach Moore.

It was quite apparent to me that Team 144 has some different opinions - and, may not be as aligned as I (and perhaps - you) were led to believe.   The question is:  "If you could only listen to one song for the rest of your life - what would it be?   Pump it Up or Mr. Brightside."    

https://youtube.com/shorts/qjHj-ANLBqM?si=wUMdFFXoz9SADa3G

The team doesn't agree.   So, apparently - they're not aligned on everything.  Enjoy... (Yes, a degree of sarcasm.)

As for me - it's Mr. Brightside.   Which would you pick?

Go Blue..

Football

Vasav

January 10th, 2024 at 4:26 PM ^

when I run "pump it up" is the song in my head. when i was in school the drunked song to end a night at rick's was journey. so my connection to mr brightside is just M football, same as pump it up or the victors, so I pick pump it up

Joined: 12/13/2009

MGoPoints: 19255

RobM_24

January 10th, 2024 at 4:37 PM ^

I like the song, but if I were choosing a song to fill the role of "Jump Around" "Seven Nation Army" and so on for a stadium experience pump-up or sing-along type song -- I would have never even suggested or considered Mr. Brightside. Seems more like something you'd listen to after a break up.

I'm fine with it though, if other people truly enjoy it. 

Joined: 01/27/2014

MGoPoints: 63583

conradb42

January 10th, 2024 at 4:33 PM ^

Mr. Brightside. Jammed that song to Madden 2005 or 2006.

But hearing it sung by tens of thousands at BIG 10 Championship, OSU, Rose Bowl, and at the NC makes it an all timer.

For those at either Playoff games, the energy of the crowd and team changed during and after singing it. Will hit different forevermore

Joined: 09/12/2013

MGoPoints: 3586

Class of 1817

January 10th, 2024 at 4:42 PM ^

Title game was my first time hearing M fans live jam on Mr Brightside. I never dug the song, but I gotta say…

Don’t sleep on that song. They played Mr. Brightside during the commercial break with about 9m left in the 4th and the stadium was deafening with M fans shoutsinging…and things in the game changed immediately.

They also played “Smells Like Teen Spirit” ostensibly for the UW fans, but it received zero crowd response. Then they hit Mr. B and I think all of UW was thrown into confusion. It was actually an incredible boost!

HAIL

Joined: 06/23/2011

MGoPoints: 4420

m1jjb00

January 10th, 2024 at 5:25 PM ^

I caught the tail end of the Pat McAfee version of the title game, and he was arguing that it was unfair b/c of the different response.  (He wasn't arguing that it's the reason why Michigan won, and I kind of agree with him, even if I think the reason was like most reasons---someone fucked up.)

Joined: 11/21/2009

MGoPoints: 8065

Class of 1817

January 10th, 2024 at 8:26 PM ^

ARGH!! I didn’t grab any, I was so caught up in the moment.

Re: McAfee, that’s hysterical because that’s exactly what I told my buddy after the game. It was fantastic to experience but I turned to him and said “Modern-day Seattle (my current hometown) isn’t going to crush Nirvana here, so putting that up against Mr. Brightside was kiiiiinda unfair.”

We absolutely owned Seven Nation Army over the PA as well, which was also didn’t happen until late-game, so…

Any scandal here, Commissioner Petty?!

Joined: 06/23/2011

MGoPoints: 4420

Synful

January 10th, 2024 at 4:45 PM ^

If those are my only choices, as much as I like Mr. Brightside, I'd keep the music turned off.  After a while both songs would get sooooo grating.

Joined: 09/05/2010

MGoPoints: 877

TruBluMich

January 10th, 2024 at 4:48 PM ^

I like the energy of the crowd when Mr. Brightsde comes on and knows how special it is for those who enjoy it.  However, that song is about someone catching the person they love cheating on them and is not going to resonate with everyone.

Joined: 08/03/2011

MGoPoints: 21953

Kinda Blue

January 10th, 2024 at 6:02 PM ^

I agree.

Obviously the song is about anxiety over a girlfriend who might be cheating.  But the crowd screaming "Destiny is calling me" resonates in a stadium in the middle of a competition.  I also think that, until this week, being a UM fan has been a little Charlie-Brown and Lucy with the football.  Even when we are good, we are expecting to have things good wrong in the end.  It captures our traditional sense of anxiety over being really good but never coming out on top of the entire heap (see NCAA tourney finals versus Louisville and Nova).

The song was kinda perfect for this year.  It conveys the angst we carried and then allows for a release of shouting about the call of DESTINY and weirdly placed optimism!

It's not perfect, but it works...especially at the Big House.  And I am an alum who predates this new tradition.

Joined: 11/18/2008

MGoPoints: 525

TruBluMich

January 10th, 2024 at 6:12 PM ^

Not according to the singer of the song.

Brandon Flowers wrote the lyrics to Mr Brightside at the end of his first serious relationship, when he was about 19 or 20.

Speaking to Q Magazine in 2009, he recalled how he had discovered his girlfriend was cheating on him in a pub in his hometown of Las Vegas.

"I was asleep and I knew something was wrong," he said. "I have these instincts. I went to the Crown and Anchor and my girlfriend was there with another guy."

https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-56601090

As for all the good parts about the song, I get it, but some people refuse to understand that the song creates different emotions that some people would rather not have.

Joined: 08/03/2011

MGoPoints: 21953

aa_squared

January 10th, 2024 at 5:14 PM ^

How can you base TEAM unity based on one song?!!!!!!!!

Personally, I'm not worried about the lyrics. I just like the music and emotion it brings out.

Other people have the same reaction to other songs.

IMO....The song is alive.

Joined: 07/19/2019

MGoPoints: 8126

MGlobules

January 10th, 2024 at 5:19 PM ^

Pump It Up could work as deep background; I could push it out of my brain, or just move to it. I love singing Mr. Brightside, but having it on forever? I'd go nuts quickly.

Joined: 11/17/2008

MGoPoints: 47648

AlbanyBlue

January 10th, 2024 at 5:24 PM ^

I'll start by saying I do not understand why "Mr. Brightside" became Michigan's stadium anthem. It's a song about dealing with your ex testing the bedsprings with someone else. So, yeah, very strange. Maybe there's a reason, but I don't know it.

That said, the stadium and a giant throng of people singing along and going nuts when it comes on? Yeah, give me that all day and twice on Sunday. Michigan football will always be connected to that song for me, so give me that one.

Joined: 09/11/2010

MGoPoints: 22040

kehnonymous

January 10th, 2024 at 5:36 PM ^

i personally think the lyrics capture the zeitgeist of BPONE and it's kinda cool that we as a fanbase owned it and turned it into something positive that was uniquely us, and recognize that my opinion isn't universally shared.  The real reason, though, that I think it caught on because it was just a spontaneous capture of lightning in a bottle, which is a nicer way of saying that it was the only fun moment in the 2017 MSU monsoon game and maybe the fact that everything else about that game was miserable made Mr Brightside that much more viral, and the rest is history.

Joined: 11/25/2011

MGoPoints: 32994

Sopwith

January 10th, 2024 at 5:34 PM ^

I've come to like Mr. Brightside after a long hate period, but only because it's so quirky and I look forward to the a capella portion in the stadium.

But I'd choose Pursuit of Happiness, Kid Cudi (Steve Aoki remix)

Joined: 06/29/2010

MGoPoints: 61105