OT: Fight songs (other than The Victors) you like?

Submitted by DISCUSS Man on

Slow day and slow times round these parts. Hump day post-work banter time.

Obviously we all know The Victors is the best fight song ever written (as said by John Phillip Sousa). But what other college fight songs do you admire?

I think one that has always had a good tune was northwestern's. I also am really fond of Montana's-

 

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WolverineHistorian

June 5th, 2013 at 10:09 PM ^

Watching tons of college football games every Fall, it's easy to realize how spoiled we are with 'The Victors,' because there are a TON of lame college fight songs out there.  I don't know the lyrics to the majority of them but I know the melodies and we're talking crap city. 

Have you ever watched a Florida State/Miami game?  Both of their fight songs are embarrassingly bad.  They sound like theme songs to a pre-schooler's TV show.  Auburn's fight song sounds like a cute commercial jingle.  USC's has always been considered a classic but I always found it very meh.  And Rocky Top is GOD awful, nothing more than a country hick tune you would sing on the porch while wearing overalls and playing a banjo. 

As much as I despise ND, OSU and MSU, their fight songs are better than the majority of fight songs out there. 

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E. Gordon Gee

June 5th, 2013 at 10:15 PM ^

Fight songs that I like:

  • Wisconsin - On Wisconsin
  • Miami (FL)
  • Northwestern- Go U. Northwestern
  • Alabama-  Hey Alabama (I love the abbreviated version after they score a TD)
  • Indiana -Indiana, Our Indiana
  • Michigan State- Falcone Fight
  • California- Big C
  • Stanford- All Right Now
  • Michigan- Hail ..... O wait you said other than Michigan fight song. Woops. /s

 

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Zone Left

June 5th, 2013 at 10:41 PM ^

I like Texas Fight and The Eyes of Texas. Boomer Sooner and USC's Fight On are catchy the first dozen times each game, but they play it after every damn play. In the opposite vein, OSU's is good, but the band doesn't EVER play in the Horseshoe. They didn't play at all at The Game this year. Edit: I like Rammer Jammer Yellow Hammer. I'm not proud of that.

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Bromigo

June 5th, 2013 at 11:50 PM ^

Who cares who 2nd best is? I sing The Victors super slowed down to put my kids to bed and normal speed to wake them up. It's so versatile.

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Larry

June 6th, 2013 at 3:25 AM ^

Two that I kinda like are Florida and Oregon, especially "Mighty Oregon." It's a nice easy melody, catchy enough, and (AFAIK) unique at least within FBS. Also, as a one-time-wannabe band dork, I have to give props to "Texas Fight" for all the trombone glissandi (smooth up-and-down notes made by moving the slide without stopping the air supply).

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Darth Wolverine

June 6th, 2013 at 7:10 AM ^

Clearly Michigan State's fight song.




Oh wait, never mind. I misread the thread title. I thought it said "worst fight songs."

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Logan88

June 6th, 2013 at 8:36 AM ^

I like USC's "Fight On!" and Tennessee's "Rocky Top." I can't stand either team and their uniforms are terrible (UT's are the worst in any sport IMO) but I dig their fight songs.

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NoVaWolverine

June 6th, 2013 at 10:31 AM ^

Nothing equals The Victors; John Philip Sousa called it "the greatest college fight song ever written," and that's all anyone needs to say about that. 

But as a musician I'd vote ND's as a clear #2. Much like The Victors, it has a great, catchy melody, and some terrific lyrics -- "wake up the echoes," "shake down the thunder from the sky," all that stuff. And I say this as someone who, though a Catholic, has despised all things ND since I was young. I'd punch that damn leprechaun if I could. Doesn't change the fact it's a great fight song, though.

Having grown up in Texas among a family full of Aggies, I also have a soft spot for the Aggie War Hymn. If you're ever at Kyle Field or watching an A&M game on TV, notice how everyone sways back and forth during the second verse to mimic a saw blade as they sing "saw Varsity's [i.e., UT's] horns off" -- you can feel the whole stadium literally sway, and it gives you goosebumps, I tell ya.  As some noted above, it does have a pronounced "little brother" aspect to it, with all the vitriol toward Univ. of Texas in the lyrics. That said, UT's "Texas Fight" (which I'll also admit is quite catchy) also references A&M specifically ("And it's goodbye to A&M").

Damn shame that rivalry had to end, though I dare say A&M has gotten the better outcome of that split so far.

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jmblue

June 6th, 2013 at 11:37 AM ^

Besides some of the ones mentioned already (Wisconsin, OSU, USC), a couple others I like are  Cal's and Colorado's:

 

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French West Indian

June 6th, 2013 at 11:34 AM ^

...other school's fight songs.  That's probably part of the appeal for me, how  annoying it can be to hear the USC or ND bands blaring out their distinctive sounds...and how good it feels when we can shut them up.

Now, in terms of music that I like, I'd have to start with Ravel's Bolero...

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Bocheezu

June 6th, 2013 at 12:49 PM ^

The best fight songs are ones that immediately conjure up images of a guy breaking tackles and running down the field.  You can almost see the slow-mo replay run to the endzone as they break to commercial with the fight song playing in the background.  For me, fight songs that do that are

Notre Dame -- just an iconic fight song

Penn State -- more fight songs should heavily feature trombone; this song just makes me smile, except when it's happening against Michigan 

Wisconsin -- shame that most people just think of the cheese commercials

there are other fight songs that are good, but just don't conjure the same imagery for me that those do

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