What Is Your Favorite Michigan Marching Band Song (not including The Victors)?

Submitted by xtramelanin on

Mates,

Of at least some relevance to football is our glorious marching band.  On the way home I was hunting for music and played 'Hawaiian War Chant' at a rather loud level - always good when driving an old diesel truck.    I submit that is probably my favorite MMB song outside of the obvious choice of 'The Victors'.  

So what is your favorite song you like to hear the band play on Saturdays at the Big House?

Michigan

 

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Michigantrumpet82

July 16th, 2015 at 8:44 PM ^

Yellow and .blue after that '81 Rose Bowl win was glorious! Other highlights: Bob Ufer's amazing speech at the pep rally the day before. I'm certain he knew (although none of the rest of us did) that he was dying and was his last chance to witness a Rose Bowl victory. He was willing those boys to win with everything he had. One of the most stirring speeches EVER.



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Michigantrumpet82

July 16th, 2015 at 8:50 PM ^

Also that was the year of the MMB Funeral For a Friend take down of the Washington band!

MMB and Washington were both staying at the UCLA dorms in the week before the game. Every morning at breakfast, the Husky band would stand up and sing a rather tuneless version of their fight song, Bow Down to Washington. The they would cheer and sit down to their cereal. The last morning, we did an a capella version of John Stout's amazing Funeral for a Friend arrangement. After Washingtonsang, we all stood as one and started singing, starting in the low bass notes and building up into Awesome harmonies with the percussion pounding on the tables 200+ strong. Then we at back down and started eating again. The Huskies sat there stunned, and then broke out into applause. We OWNED them!



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WolverineHistorian

July 14th, 2015 at 8:45 PM ^

This is probably cheating because it's a stand tune AND it contains a very quick, jazzy type version of the Victors which immediately goes into the drum cadence/cheer of "Ohhhh, Ohhhh, Ohhhhhh!, Let's go blue!'   The band alternates between that and 'Let's go blue," on first downs. 

The first time I ever heard the MMB play it was during the horrific Spartan Savings Time game in 2001 but I fell in love with the tune/cheer when I heard it on TV.

To hear it, listen from 6:26 - 6:53

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mgoblue52

July 14th, 2015 at 11:12 PM ^

Former MMB member here.  If my memory serves me correctly, former director Prof. Jamie L. Nix wrote this on a plane soon after he was named as director of the MMB.  I think he told us he wrote it because when he was a grad student here in the '90s, all they had was "Let's Go Blue" and they needed some more tunes.

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jonesie022

July 14th, 2015 at 9:07 PM ^

Anyone remember the slower version of the Victors they would play after a home win right as the clock hit 0:00? Loved that one.

Wonder why they don't anymore?



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BornInA2

July 14th, 2015 at 9:43 PM ^

This is a purely selfish choice, but at the Purdue game in 1985 many of the local high school bands participated in the halftime show. A senior at Huron at the time, it was my one and only time playing on the field at The Big House and I will NEVER forget the sound and vibration of the entire MMB marching across the field at us playing the theme from 2001: A Space Odyssey. It still gives me chills.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSBj9Q0yGYk (sorry, the embed trick still eludes me)

That would be yours truly playing trombone and 9:29 and 9:39. What a thrill.

 

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BornInA2

July 15th, 2015 at 12:59 AM ^

Yep: Cover down and check the cap. We were wearing the old MMB uniforms and they were debuting their new ones. Not a lot of effort was made to fit the old unis to the high school kids and I think my hat must have been sized for Andre the Giant.

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BursleyHall82

July 14th, 2015 at 9:48 PM ^

Former MMB member here. We need more MMB questions on this blog. My top three non-Victors songs are:

1. Temptation

2. I Wanna Go Back to Michigan ("Mother and father pay all the bills and we have all the fun ..")

3. War Chant

One of the annual highlights of being in MMB was during the week before the first game, we'd march over to the football practice field, Bo would have all his guys take a knee, and he'd say something to the effect of, "I asked Mr. Cavender to bring his band over here so that you could hear THE BEST GODDAM FIGHT SONG THAT WAS EVER GODDAM WRITTEN! And you're GODDAM LUCKY that every time you do something worth a damn on the field, this band - WHICH IS THE BEST GODDAM BAND IN THE COUNTRY - is going to play this song for you!"

Then we'd play The Victors, and we'd feel glorious.

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boers21

July 14th, 2015 at 9:50 PM ^

I have no idea what the song is called, nor have I seen the band live. Howevah! I remember the song they played between quarters during the UTL game in 2011. They had a shot of the stadium between quarters for about a minute or so and all you could hear was the band. I don't know if they play that same song between quarters, but I know it's a very popular song.

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pz

July 14th, 2015 at 10:10 PM ^

But a special shout out to the drumline for their cadence, the walk to the stadium from Revelli and the step show in general. If you haven't been... go.

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rockediny

July 14th, 2015 at 10:30 PM ^

M Fanfare, that first note always sent chills down my spine. Playing that in front of 100,000+ is something I wish everyone could experience just once. And the roar that went up at the end when the drum major does his backbend is just........I miss the MMB.

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Perkis-Size Me

July 14th, 2015 at 10:35 PM ^

M Fanfare. When the drum major comes out and does his thing, it gives me goosebumps every time.

Varsity. I ashamedly haven't memorized the lyrics yet, but there's something about hearing that song that makes me feel like I'm going back in time. It feels so traditional and pure college football-esque. Like an old time pep rally of sorts. So far removed from the likes of blasting that dreadful Seven Nation Army through the speakers every three minutes. I have no idea if that makes any sense to anyone other than me, but that's how it makes me feel.



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SwordDancer710

July 14th, 2015 at 10:45 PM ^

Probably Kashmir. Admittedly, the Led Zeppelin show is one of my favorite shows we did in the MMB (the other being the Cirque du Soleil show in 2007), and while the Stairway to Heaven arrangement is amazing, Kashmir somehow has lived on beyond 2006.

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rob f

July 14th, 2015 at 11:14 PM ^

ALL OF THEM!

I am SOOOOO looking forward to the Big House experience this fall with the expected return to prominence of the Michigan Marching Band.  A little tiny bit of RAWK is OK with me, be it was shameful how the MMB was relegated to an afterthought over the last several seasons.

As a "Band Geek" through my high school years and first year of college, I appreciate the hard work that is put in by the MMB.  

BTW, nothing thrills me quite as much as the M Fanfare during the pregame.  Like others have said in this thread, it sends thrills up and down my spine every time!

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Tyrone Biggums

July 14th, 2015 at 11:08 PM ^

I love that the band folks are chiming in. Before stadium expansion the band during games was by far one of my favorite parts of the big house experience. What say you now band folks? Is it the same better or worse? From my perspective I'd like to see the MMB have a resurgence just like the football team. Between living in California, Florida and the NE, and attending games that the school down south plays non UM opponents... unfortunatley I have to admit that they are impressive. Without heart and fan bias the OSU marching band is awesome and innovative. What would it take to allow the MMB to be on the same level? We need more Harbaugh!

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RGard

July 15th, 2015 at 9:44 AM ^

and I know we were better than those bastards then.

We took the tour the morning of the App State game (this past season) so my son (HS rising senior) could see the campus and we all attended the game after the tour.  

Things I noticed were...

1. there's too much piped in music.  We have a band.  Let them play all the music.

2. The shit band (small group of really good musicians from the MMB who went to each section and played quick tunes between plays; I was told they were called the 'shit band' because people threw stuff at them in the 60s and early 70s)...wasn't what it was compared to the late 70s and early 80s version.  I didn't hear the Rocky and Bullwinkle theme once and I don't think there were enough MMB members in the shit band.

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Michigantrumpet82

July 16th, 2015 at 8:29 PM ^

The " Shit Band": would play various little call and response tunes where the crows was to yell out Blue! Instead, those rascally students would shout out "Shit" instead. Soon spread throughout the stadium and people would improvise to try to shout it Ina just about any song.

If some of the old people bring up how refined and classy we were back in the day, feel free to bring up this story to tell them. That, and Boone's Farm Strawberry Wine.



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cloudman

July 14th, 2015 at 11:11 PM ^

I was fortunate to grow up in A2 during the 70's, and I attended the football games with my.parents. After the games, I always like listening to Hawaian War Chant and, of course , Temptation. Looking forward to hearing them again this fall. Go Blue! And let's bring back real Maize colored shirts as soon as possible.

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Mark McBoneski

July 14th, 2015 at 11:38 PM ^

EIGHTS!!!

Because that means we're up by a ton in the 4th quarter, and the drumline will finally listen to the requests of the band (read: trombones). 

People who have been close enough to hear what the band shouts during Eights will understand why it's a favorite.

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JamieH

July 15th, 2015 at 12:59 AM ^

M Fanfare is probably my favorire band tune outside of the Victors.  It's a really great piece.

Small piece of trivia on the Blues Brothers (I Can't Turn You Loose):  If you assume the original recording of the song is "right" there are some "wrong" notes in the melody of the M Band arrangement (which I only noticed because at one point I was for some reason trying to arrange something from the original recording and realized it was different than what the band was playing). 

While this drives me nuts because I'm anal about things like that, I'm sure no one but me has ever noticed or cared.

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