What Was the Maize Pom-Pom Chant?
Television coverage of the Big House frenquently showed a Maize Pom-Pom waving chant that looked disturbingly like something that takes place at Atlanta Braves games. It seemed very, uh, untraditional. But it also seemed like the whole stadium was into it, so maybe it was something good. We just couldn't tell on tv. Can anyone enlighten me?
(While I'm at it, I'm flying my boys up for the epic game with tsio this year. Any advice on where to look for a hotel? Thanks.)
September 12th, 2011 at 6:54 AM ^
7 Nation Army.
September 12th, 2011 at 9:31 AM ^
At first I wasn't very happy that they played this because I've seen other schools do it (OSU plays it very often), but it got people pumped. And the White Stripes started in Detroit, so there's that.
September 12th, 2011 at 9:58 AM ^
1) I think they've been using 7 Nation Army since Rawk was played in the Big House four seasons ago.
2) Better than Sweet Caroline which i distinctly remember being played at a goal line stand during the WMU game and praying for Odin to strike the DJ with a lightning bolt. At least they didn't play that until the game was over this week.
3) Yes other schools use Seven Nation Army.
4) It actually kind of worked at the time this week.
No mas
September 12th, 2011 at 2:43 PM ^
This actually got some of the "less vocal" Michigan fans pumped up and making some noise.
September 12th, 2011 at 10:27 PM ^
I'm not sure I worded that how I wanted to, but I agree that it worked. It's just that my first instinct was to resist it because I was so sick of it being played from the OSU game I went to last year (bad memories). After it started playing, and especially when it got to the louder part of the song (chorus? there aren't any words in the part I'm talking about, but I guess I don't know what makes a chorus a chorus), I was really into it.
But I did not know when it started being played in the stadium, I'm a long time fan but I hadn't attended a game until 3 years ago, and I didn't recall it being played often. Then again there haven't been that many games like that that I've been to.
September 12th, 2011 at 10:43 PM ^
I believe the piped-in music only started in 2009.
September 12th, 2011 at 6:56 AM ^
When are you referring to? The student section and whole stadium were into multiple chants/songs
September 12th, 2011 at 6:57 AM ^
the student section chants "you Suck" with a chopping motion...
September 12th, 2011 at 7:00 AM ^
Temptation which is played after the defense makes a third-down stop
September 12th, 2011 at 8:13 AM ^
I believe this is what OP was asking about, and it's, uh, pretty well-established and Michigan-y. It has undergone various transformations through the years: I'm told it was originally a closed fist being brought down like a hammer after a defensive stop; by my freshman year, 2002, it had weakened into an open-handed "chop" like something you might expect to see at a baseball game televised on TBS or a Florida State football game; in 2005 or thereabouts, the Daily mounted a somewhat-successful campaign to turn the chop into The Claw; naturally, giving everybody in the student section a yellow pompon made the whole thing look a little more consistent - and, I think, a lot more impressive.
Side note: I believe the "You Suck" chant that currently (but hopefully not for long) accompanies Temptation has been around since mid-2002, and I'm embarrassed by that legacy of my time as a student. Challenge to MGoBloggers: change it to something that sounds awesome, never makes us sound STUPID ("we're down 3 scores but YOU SUCK because we stopped you this time"), and doesn't sound at all like something our little brother would say.
September 12th, 2011 at 8:35 AM ^
Especially if Michigan is down by a considerable margin and happens to make a third down stop.
September 12th, 2011 at 9:10 AM ^
I also saw a clip on ESPN after the Denard interview of the band playing temptation during their post-game show and the students still did the you suck chant, making it seem like they were telling the band that they suck. Stupid and embarrassing.
September 12th, 2011 at 9:17 AM ^
But that never happened
September 12th, 2011 at 11:18 AM ^
LOL That's so blatantly false.
September 12th, 2011 at 9:33 AM ^
I agree with changing the "You suck" part of it, a lot of people don't want Temptation to be played anymore because of this reason. I would rather keep the tradition and lose the classlessness.
September 12th, 2011 at 7:06 AM ^
Stay by the Detroit airport. Very cheap. Easy to get rooms.
September 12th, 2011 at 7:08 AM ^
Disturbingly? Really? How could you not think the stadium looked and sounded awesone? Come on man, by all accounts this was probably the best the crowd has ever been into the game.
September 12th, 2011 at 9:06 AM ^
Of course it was disturbing. If we haven't done it for at least 100 years, it is just not right!
September 12th, 2011 at 12:49 PM ^
Calm down, guys. Of course the whole thing was awesome. My boys and I were going nuts just watching on tv. The only thing I meant by "disturbingly" was the way it looked like the Atlanta Braves tomahawk chop. I was just asking what it was, that's all.
September 12th, 2011 at 7:11 AM ^
I think basically with any song that was played, people tried to shake the pom poms to the beat. Some songs and times more than others obviously.
September 12th, 2011 at 7:25 AM ^
September 12th, 2011 at 7:27 AM ^
Fake ass snitch.
September 12th, 2011 at 7:38 AM ^
Well, that just shows how disconnected I am from pop/music culture. I thought that was some lame-ass, incredibly annoying chant that the students at PSU made up. Instead, it is a lame-ass, incredibly annoying song that some band I have never heard of made up.
/get off my lawn
September 12th, 2011 at 7:52 AM ^
You should probably listen to the whole song before you spout off. Also, the White Stripes are a Detroit based band and one of the most critically acclaimed groups this century. Too bad Jack and Meg split, but Jack's solo projects/side projects are fantastic too.
September 12th, 2011 at 8:43 AM ^
White Stripes are not "pop", and they are definitely not "lame-ass." Why don't you stop talking for a while, Champ?
September 12th, 2011 at 11:13 AM ^
Fine, maybe they can't quite be umbrellad under "pop," but their music is pretty generic revamped classic rock. It's all three-minute songs with three verses, two choruses, and a bridge. It's pop with different clothes on.
So many stadiums use this chant. I wouldn't be able to help feeling dumb yelling "Oh o o o o o Oh Oh" again and again.
What's wrong with playing the Go Blue chant or the Victors again and again? And get off my lawn!
September 12th, 2011 at 7:27 AM ^
Lol the tradition thing always gets brought up. It was a night game... we broke tradition there!
September 12th, 2011 at 7:28 AM ^
September 13th, 2011 at 2:07 AM ^
It was aweome. It was easily in the same league as LSU or PSU. Easily.
September 12th, 2011 at 7:36 AM ^
no more seven nation army plz. overdone at so many venues...makes my stomach turn hearing it....but its so catchy.....DAMN YOU WHITE STRIPES!
September 12th, 2011 at 9:04 AM ^
why don't you ask the people who were there if they liked it? i was there, and when they played it, it got all 114k fans rocking the stadium. people complain that michigan fans aren't loud enough, and this actually does get the crows going, so why stop it if the people are loving it?
September 12th, 2011 at 7:42 AM ^
Stadium was awesome. Brandon and athletic department did a heck of a job engaging the crowd. Some of it is good by me, some of it I could do without (I am looking at you, Pop Evil), but great job getting the stadium going. I felt like I was at an SEC game by the crowd involvement. Finally they are figuring out how to channel 100,000 plus crowd energy on to the field.
On the "you suck" chant, I am not a big fan. Particularly when the other team continues to drive on us and their 4th down is on our 6 yard line, opponent is about to kick a field goal and they are up by 3 scores. We might feel "they suck" but the game is proving otherwise.
September 12th, 2011 at 7:52 AM ^
NM. Posted to wrong spot.
September 12th, 2011 at 7:55 AM ^
I've listened to the whole song... AND can play it on the piano (where's my horn so I can toot it?!) Frankly I'm sick of hearing it, Penn St. does it, tSIO does it.. sick of hearing it....DAMN YOU WHITE STRIPES!
September 12th, 2011 at 12:22 PM ^
Perhaps someone should explain to tOSU that the White Stripes are from That State Up North. I presume they're mostly too ignorant to know otherwise, and their anti-Michigan zealotry can be relied upon to stamp out the "undesirable" influence of musicians from Michigan.
September 12th, 2011 at 8:02 AM ^
While watching a night game at Michigan stadium with striped shoulder jerseys and futuristic M gloves under the huge luxury sweets playing on field turf with playground/tecmo bowl offenses infront of seats with PSLs listening to journey and eminem.
<br>
<br>Yup - that chant seemed pretty untraditional, like everything else.
September 12th, 2011 at 9:41 AM ^
can I get some of those luxury sweets....mmmm, I love sweets! I bet the luxury ones are good!
September 12th, 2011 at 12:51 PM ^
Dude, it wasn't a value judgment. I was just wondering what it was.
September 12th, 2011 at 2:18 PM ^
wasn't trying.
probably a bad sign, personally.
September 12th, 2011 at 8:08 AM ^
I'm glad to see the crowd engaged in the game, but couldn't we have done it with something other than music that's played in every other stadium in the country as a 'tradition?' PSU has Seven Nation Army, Boston (and every other sporting event since) has Sweet Caroline... Is Pop Evil really the best we can do? What happened to Eminem?
Hell, there's still a marching band in the stadium in case anyone forgot...
September 12th, 2011 at 8:52 AM ^
Play "loose yourself" one time in the 4th quarter as the offense came in, IIRC. It was a very appropriate time. Everyone started singing but few people could keep up with the lyrics - except for this 10 year old kid who kept on going for about 30 sec after the music stopped.
September 12th, 2011 at 9:11 AM ^
You could have stopped after your first half sentence, "I'm glad to see the crowd engaged in the game". Unless you have some new, yet traditional way of getting 100,000 people to yell in participation, appreciate the noise for what it's worth. During Seven Nation Army, almost all of the people in my section (even the middle-aged and older crowd) were waving their pom-poms and chanting. The band already plays a ton, too. It's not like they twiddle their thumbs all game. So either do some research and find a song that: a.) Isn't played at any major college football stadium and b.) Translates well over a crowd of 100k, or just enjoy the crowd being into the game and be done with it. Not everything we do has to have the "This is Michigan" stamp on it.
September 12th, 2011 at 8:07 AM ^
The chant had something to do with the "hounds of hell." I guess it's a reference to Brian Kelly. IDK.
September 12th, 2011 at 8:22 AM ^
7 Nation Army always seemed like someone else's chant that we ripped off. But, at the ND game we kind of started owning it. Plus, its a Michigan band, so I'm good with it now.
September 12th, 2011 at 8:24 AM ^
You're probably going to have trouble this late in the game finding any place in Ann Arbor. I'd recommend trying one of the many places near Briarwood (State St and I-94). I stayed at the Holiday Inn Hotel & Suites for the ND game and would recommend it. Some places will put you on a waiting list if you ask. If you can't find anything in A2, try one of the neighboring communities, e.g., Ypsi, Chelsea, Brighton, or somewhere near the airport.
I was at the ND game and IMHO the Seven Nation Army chant was the best of the night. Everyone was into it and it was the loudest coordinated crowd noise I've ever heard at Michigan Stadium. That along with plain old shouting/screaming clearly caused problems for Rees as he struggled to communicate with his teammates before the snap. Hey, it's called homefield advantage for a reason.
And as I believe someone else already said, I think we have a more legitimate claim to Seven Nation Army than PSU or other teams outside of Michigan given the band's Detroit roots.
September 12th, 2011 at 8:41 AM ^
and drive to the game. Not too bad of a drive: Ford to M-14 to US-23 to Washtenaw which forks at Stadium.
September 12th, 2011 at 9:12 AM ^
It definitely was great way to get fans to cheer loudly on defense, so I support it too.
September 12th, 2011 at 8:39 AM ^
...at the end of Temptation, what would be wrong with saying "GO BLUE"?
Probably makes too much sense.
September 12th, 2011 at 9:05 AM ^
the crowd does this "ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh" into the kick, but then just fades off. Why not "Gooooooooooo .... then kick, followed with "Blueueueueueueue". You could hear the nd fans doing their "Goooooo Irishhhhhhhh" on kickoffs.
Agree on the "you suck" ... does sound "bush"
Go Blue!
September 12th, 2011 at 9:12 AM ^
It sounds good on paper, but implementing new cheers is a tough thing to do.