Who's Got the Best Fight Song?
In other words, the emotions of a moment can cloud your objectivity. That's where we come in. After spending the past week hunkered down in the SIOC listening studio, we’ve poured through hundreds of fight songs and have come out with our Top 5. 1. "The Victors," University of Michigan 2. "Anchors Aweigh," U.S. Naval Academy 3. "Boomer Sooner," University of Oklahoma. 4. "Rocky Top," University of Tennessee 5. "Notre Dame Victory March," Notre Dame Those are ours. Take a listen and give us your Top 5. Comments:Sheesh, I think the copy (and the choice for #1) was made by a frustrated Michigan alum. Sorry ... but Troy won't be returning to the Big House, he walked out with the Wolverines testicles in his hands last November. THIS YEAR, the neutering takes place in the 'Shoe!
And, of course, best fight song is "Fight The Team Across The Field" compliments of TBDBITL. Go Bucks! Take Rocky Top off the list. Much like any Top 40 radio station, they have killed a good song by playing it ALL THE TIME!!!!! The vols are only matched by the cocky, arrogant, not nearly as good as they think they are, helmet clads morons from USC. They ramble that stupid tune over and over. Their QG throws an interception and those idiots play-on. No wonder the words to the song "This is the only song we know"...
Right on with your pics. I can still remember my first time singing The Victors as a student. 1999 vs. nd, I couldn't even finish before I got choked up. It still gives me (and the 110,000 others singing) goosebumps.
You've GOT to be kidding, right? Even the most uninformed person recognizes the Notre Dame fight song. If you were to ask someone to hum a school fight song, chances are they would hum this one without thinking. I would think this would be the clear winner as the best fight song -- one that any fan or non-fan can hum and recognize, even if they don't remember to which school it belongs.
Georgia Tech's historical "I'm a Ramblin' Wreck from Georgia Tech..." Any song that includes "To hell with Georgia" and lyrics about drinking gets my vote
USC's fight song definitely needs to be #'s 1-5. Most of the others are too chippy and fun-loving. This is football, it sounds like there is about to be a true battle (purely metaphorical sense with all due respect to those truly at War) with those deep, overpowering brass sounds.
Rocky Top is the absolute WORST song ever written, and the UT band doesn't know how to play anything else. For all the fans out there who don't have to play Tennessee, thank your lucky stars. Not because they are a good team (they're not), but because the band plays the song 40 times a game.
Ugh. Truer words can not be spoken
Hail to the Victors! Any song by the name of Boomer Sooner belongs on no list of the top songs. Although I'm not a big fan of the UT orange I'm partial to Rocky Top.
WHAT!!! Rocky Top! You have got to be kidding me. It's not even a fight song. UT uses it when they gain more than 3 yards on a rushing play for crying out loud. Besides, their real fight song is a copy of ND's. They have finally figured out that everyone else hates the stinkin' song (thanks Kenny Rogers from Six Pack...the movie), so they use it as psychological warfare. Pick some other songs. "War Eagle" or "Yea, Alabama" or even "Dynamite" from Vandy should replace "Rocky Stop."
No list like this is complete without "On, Wisconsin". When it's played by the best band in college football, Camp Randall Stadium shakes!
Hi Hi Yikas from Appalachian State University is by far the greatest fight ever, hands down, no questions asked. As 1-AA champions and the best band in the country this should be a no brainer.
Hmmm....do I sense some bitterness towards USC? Not having their fight song in the top #1-5 goes to show how much the country despises and is jealous of this great team who year after year shows spirit and demonstrates pure talent. Last year's Rose Bowl was a fluke - USC will be back on top once again!
I agree with cooldice... Though a Sooner fan, I'd have to put Notre Dame's song and #1 just because people know it without even knowing what it is. Second most easily recognized is Florida State's war chant, though I imagine it didn't make the list because of the controversy. Third is, unfortunately, Michigan's. Again, very easily recognized. Then Boomer Sooner in fourth with USC's Troy Tribute in fifth.
apparently, there is no texas love up in the house today: Texas Fight, baby! even those silly aggies have a fun fight song, though i can't remember what it's called...
There is no fight song that will automatically get the crowd going like LSU's Fight song. When the trumpets turn you are fired up. Especially right before the fourth Quarter.
the list is a joke.....not having USC in the top 2 makes no sense...only one of the most storied teams/bands/fight song of any division 1 team.
Rocky Top? Boomer Sooner? do you guys know that there is a world west of the Mississippi? USC FIGHT ON! #1 The victors
#2 Notre Dame The rest are too far behind to count Notre Dame should be number one. plain and simple. and please take rocky top off its the worst song ever! as a nashville resident, with friends playing rocky top constantly, its not only a bad fight song, its just a bad song and so annoying!
Have you ever listened to the words to "Boomer Sooner?" It's got to be one of the worst I have ever heard!
Obviously this honor would go to Duke if they actually had a football team. Come basketball season there is no better fight song played in a rocking Cameron Indoor Stadium that include the lyrics "Fight Fight for the Blue and White, Carolina go to hell eat S%#&!!!!!" Then conclude with "turn on the steam team, fight Blue Devils fight!" "Rip em up, tear em up, give em hell Duke!"
The Victors! is the best, and when in that stadium with over 100,000 folks signing it, you can FEEL why it is!
um, i know it's not really completely relevant, but i think that oklahoma is actually west of the mississippi, usctrojan. i know it's not west of, say, the rocky mountains or perhaps the colorado river, but it is definitely wast of the mississippi.
damn so when's the last time a big 10 team heard roccky top? damn thats right! when we whooped big blues buts in 2001 citrus bowl! as far as anybody out west is concerned, if usc is so damn good then why the hell do they schedule arkansas and not a real sec team like the big orange baby! good ol rocky top rocky top tennessee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ya'll might be hearing it more than ever this yr so bygod go ahead and put us "VOL NATION" AT THE TOP GO BIG ORANGE!!!!!!!!!!
Of course a Buckeye fan is the first to chime in with their jealousy of being left off another list. "The 'Shoe" is not even a complete stadium, and their Mascot is a nut of some sorts...Thank you for not blowing this list and putting any other song above "The Victors", declared by John Philip Sousa as "the greatest fight song ever written"
Anyone who disagrees with the Notre Dame Victory March as the preeminent college football fight song have merely damned themselves and their progeny to a fiery death.
Rocky Top rocks! The sound of 100,000 strong singing it is thrilling. And clearly it enrages the anti-Vol crowd. What more could you want from a fight song?
Anyone who disagrees with the Notre Dame Victory March as being the number one college fight song has merely damned themselves and their progeny to a fiery demise.
The Irish have the best and most well known fight song in the land. Hands down...IRISH!!!
TBDITL....they may be the biggest, but not the best. Based on the preceding comments, apparently most college grads can't count to 5.
Here they are: 1. The Victors 2. Notre Dame Victory March 3. On Wisconsin 4. Tribute to Troy 5. Ramblin' Wreck from Georgia Tech. You gotta reward those lyrics! Please note: I didn't attend any of the schools listed above, and I despise the athletic teams from several of those on my list. Gotta agree with flag8r:
1. The Victors 2. Notre Dame Nothing else even comes close. No way that Boomer Sooner or Rocky Top make the top 5 in my book. USC's fight song definetly should have been #1, no questions asked. USC has the best song being played by "The Greatest Marching Band of All Time", being the only marching band ever to have a platinum record.
I suppose Michigan has to be good at something...
Michigan?? Even their fight song is arrogant. Their song has only 14 different words in the whole thing. VICTORY FOR MSU!!!!
Go State! The only reason we know the Notre Dame fight song is because it was overplayed every Saturday on NBC even when the Irish sucked.
When I was a 6-year-old kid growing up in Idaho, I had a key chain that sang Hail to the Victors and a Notre Dame hat. I hadn't even seen either team ever play a game, but I loved the fight songs so much that they became my favorite teams. I still love em. I do agree, however, that USC has a great song, as does Stanford. On the other end, BYU (my alma mater) has the second worst fight song of all time, only above the University of Utah. Horrible.
Texas and USC have the most overplayed songs in the land, hands down. Michigan would come in a close third for being overplayed, but it is a good tune...how about a little Fight On State?
While I'm unsure about Rocky Top as a fight song (it's good bluegrass) the Michigan fight song was declared by John Philip Sousa as the best fight song ever. I think he knew soomething about music. My poor UK fight song focuses on football. I always felt funny at a basketball game singing, "Take that ball and hold that line...."
USCTrojan, you do realize that Oklahoma is WEST of the Mississippi River, right?
I love people who hate Rocky Top, becuase it makes us want to play it that much more. USC Fight song defintley should be in the top five. FIGHT ON TROJANS
#1 ND
#2 Michigan You will see these two schools consistently swapping places at the top when they poll "Best Fight Song". The rest of the schools are far behind on this one. Sorry One-And-A-Half-Peat Trojans. Your monotonous fight song doesn't come close to sniffing ND's jock. NOTE TO USC BAND: Put those cheap 80's sunglasses down and slowly step away from the instruments... Hmm let's think about this....John Philip Sousa called it "the greatest college fight song ever written." It's also the only fight song in the college football hall of fame. ahh yes, gotta be The Victors, easy choice for #1.
HAIL TO THE VICTORS, especially you buckeyes fans since your team hasn't won an outright big ten championship since the 80s. Split championships psssh haha. I am once again left to wonder if real musical talent is dead
...rhyming with no real talent (hip-hop) and that goofy Ann Arbor drinking song. Close your eyes and listen to "Fight the Team Across the Field" it is beauty and emotion and it is College Football! Why do think they are called The Best Damn Band In The Land!!! I don't think Rocky Top enrages the anti-Vol crowd as much as it nauseates them. Kinda like the lead poisoning you get from the homemade moonshine they all carry in mayonnaise jars under their orange bib coveralls to games...or to work on the one paved highway running through Knoxville.
Go Dawgs. Hail to Georgia Down in Dixie. Now there's a fight song, but we only play it after extra points. by usctrojan
the list is a joke.....not having USC in the top 2 makes no sense...only one of the most storied teams/bands/fight song of any division 1 team. Rocky Top? Boomer Sooner? do you guys know that there is a world west of the Mississippi? USC FIGHT ON! Wow. All this time I thought that OK WAS west of the mississippi. Thank you for the education. You are a true inspiration to all Trojan fans. Boomer Sooner all the way!!!! Everyone loves to hate the best. USC doesn't get included what a suprise. They put Notre Dame's ballad to mediocrity and Tennessee's ridiculously hokie fight song. The best band in the land gets no love from SI, but I didnt expect much better.
And to answer why USC didn't schedule Tennessee maybe ask the Vols. They elected Cal over SC, wonder why? Well;
If you go by the song that everybody in america really knows is the Trojans Fight Song...I remeber it since I was aid..They play it a bit too much, but it is still inspiring to hear... Daryl I hate USC, and have since I was little, partially because hearing the fight song makes me sick, and mostly because they play it ALL THE TIME at games. Sure the band is esteemed, but play something else for once. We all know that you can make a first down and break up a pass. Same goes for Rocky Top. Now, UCLA's fight song is not bone chilling or anything like that, but it's not played incessantly. I'd have to go with Notre Dame's fight song first, then Michigan. But let's make a shout out to the University of Iowa. Great fight song, rarely recognized. And Stanford might make the cut if their band wasn't so annoying.
It's nice to see you guys get one right.
Go Blue! "Hark the Sound" - University of North Carolina. "I'm a Tar Heel born, I'm a Tar Heel dead and when I die I'll be a Tar Heel dead, so Rah Rah Carolina-lina, Rah Rah Carolina-lina, Rah Rah Carolina-lina, Go to Hell State!
Rocky Top and its "I'm from the south and have no teeth"-like lyrics is terrible. And its tune is too chirpy for college football.
USC has three songs that have the majesty of college football. "Conquest," "Tribute to Troy," and "Fight On." At least one belongs on the list. Georgia Tech has the best fight song in college football by far. The lyrics are a rare deviation from the typical material of fight songs; they are actually creative and meaningful. And as a Penn State student who has heard many Big Ten bands, I can confidently assert that Ohio State does not have "The Best Damn Band in the Land." And why is it that Ohio State fans can't seem to remember that just a half-decade ago, Michigan (with Lloyd Carr) was beating them every year?
The intro to this article was actually too funny to then contemplate the best fight song. "With a minute remaining and Michigan up by three, the Buckeyes are marching down the field and threatening to score when Leon Hall intercepts a Troy Smith pass and returns it for a touchdown, sealing the victory." HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!! The thought of Michigan doing anything other than laying down yet again at Smith's feet is just too hilarious to even consider. And since he'll whoop on them for a third straight time in the 'Shoe this year (as a Senior), this hallucinogenic little scenario will never play out. Hail, Victors...uhhh, right (snicker)!
What an asinine compilation. Honestly, the only song included in SIOC's "Top 5" that sounds good is Notre Dame's, and some of them were downright awful. Oklahoma's "Boomer Sooner", for example, would likely qualify for my "Worst 5" college fight songs. "Rocky Top" is a train wreck of a song; the sanity of those who selected it should be questioned.
I don't even attend USC and hold that it is, without question, the best college fight song of all time. The jealous hacks that degrade it probably want a trendy, pop-like tune that has no place in college football. Can't we all just get along? Okay, as a Tennessee student, yeah they play Rocky Top too much, but if it pisses off the opposing team, then its doing its job, right? As far as popularity, everyone obviously knows what Rocky Top sounds like due to the outrage of other fans on this blog. I think it's a top 5 song simply because of its notoriety and the fact that it actually has meaning to the UT nation. And for the record, the UT band is one of the most talented band's in the nation. It is nationally acclaimed and led by the legendary Dr. Gary Sousa.
Hail to the winningest D1 program and a great fight song to go with it!
On Wisconsin should be on the list.
I also think that LSU's fight song doesn't get enough respect. It's not top 5, but I think it deserves mention. LMAO, Michigan fan is running Big 10 title smack.
Hilarious. Yeah their fightsong is ok. Too bad the team sucks. Waiting for Michigan fan to respond with "Ummmm our helmets are prettier" next. Jim Tressel is to Lloyd Carr what Penicillin is to Michigan Coed "fever" Why would Boomer Sooner make this list? Their mascot, by definition, is someone who broke the law. Is it any wonder why they have attracted people like Barry Switzer, Brian Bosworth, Charles Thompson, and now Rhett Bomar. Please take them off the list.
Go POKES! USC's fight song is so overplayed. who cares about that 1st down and broken pass to play the fight song...learn something else.
notre dame is #1, michigan 2...down with pocky top...vastly overplayed. an opinion from an unbiased USC student who grew up as a ucla fan
1. Michigan - is, was, always will be the best fight song. 2. ND - i've always hated the irish, but i've got to admit i like the song, so long as my team's fight song is played more. 3. USC "Fight on" - Not the two other songs that annoyed me as a kid, but the actual fight song. "Fight on" gets the crowd singing and cheering. It hits you like a wall of sound and then the party starts. 4. UCLA - the song the bRuins stole from Cal is a great fight song. 5. Wisconsin - got to hand it to the cheese heads, they've got a good song. The logic used to pick boomer sooner and rocky top is as confusing as why Texas would choose to use "i've been working on the railroad" as its fight song. I am an Ohio State fan and I even admit that Michigan has one of the most catchy fight songs there is. Nothing was worse than hearing that damm song after Woodson got that interception in the end zone in 97, or every time Tim Biakabutka gained a first down when he got over 300 yds.
Notre Dame is another one that is catchy, and even though i dislike USC, they have a catchy fight song too. Much better than Boomer Sooner and Rocky Top. Are you kidding me. The bast fight song is All Right Now. That's a full on rock anthem. It sounds fantastic, it's got great beat, it's actual popular music, it has an awesome jumping bit. By far the best.
As for ND, yes there's is most recognizable. But that's cause they've got their own freaking channel. If you gave everyone their own channel it wouldn't be such a big deal. 1. All Right Now. 2. UCLA Fight Song 3. Victors 4. Ramblin Wreck And U$C is just wack. Their band is horrible and they bludgeon to death their music. At some football games the other team actually counts how many times they play fight on. Wow USC Trojan...I am sure glad your getting a good education there in CALI...Hope your studying geography next semester...
BOOMER SOONER BABY!!! Even as a Michigan alum, I concede that the "Notre Dame Victory March" is the best fight song in the country. I'd put The Victors #2 and Navy wouldn't even sniff the top 25.
Despite the fact that I'm an alumnus of Tennessee (or maybe because of it), I unequivocally believe that 'Rocky Top' should top the list of the 5 Worst Collegiate Fight Songs...by far the single-most insipid song EVER written...
A-L-A-B-A-M-A...A-L-A-B-A-M-A...ROLL ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE...Sorry I can't actually "sing" it for you...
I am 56 years old and my VERY FIRST record album was a collection of about 20 college fight songs...So I can say that I know a few of them... COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY'S "ROAR, LION, ROAR" is pretty excellent and "THE EYES OF TEXAS" will make the hair stand up on your neck... Just for the record, I am a "dyed in the wool" OLE MISS REBEL and although it is NOT the official fight song of the university, "DIXIE" rivals anything anyone else can muster... Have to agree on the # 1 pick. The Victors is a great, stomping, triumphant song. The ND Victory March is a nice little ditty but it sounds more like a pop tune from 1930 than something I want to sing when my team is playing. And Rocky Top? C'mon now. And where are the USC and OSU fight songs?
oooooOOOOOOOOKLAHOMA where the wind comes sweeping down the plains!!!!
And when they end the song, and it seemlessly goes into Boomer Sooner. CHILLS baby!!!! "Fight on State" is best
WE ARE PENN STATE, and always remember, MICHIGAN SUCKS! A lot of you guys clearly have no objectivity. I grew up a Michigan fan, am now a Trojan. Hail to the Victor is the best to me, but Notre Dame's is clearly #2, or even 1b and I hate them from both sides. Ohio State's band is a great cover band, that is it. Yes the intro for the USC fight song is incredible but the rest of it makes it fall out of the top 5 instantly, and those that hate on it in general are just jealous---(UCLA has the most annoying song they play just as much). My top 5 would be Michigan, Notre Dame, Navy, Wisconsin, Georgia Tech
I'd put Oklahoma's "Boomer Sooner" on the list for most overrated fight song and most blatant rip off of another school's fight song. OU took Yale's "Boola Boola," originally written by Cole Porter, and just changed the words.
I also have to agree with flag8r:
1. The Victors 2. Notre Dame Nothing other songs even come close. True story... I was visiting Turkey in 1998 when I was in the military. I was walking around, checking the sites and wearing a Michigan hat and a local kid comes up to me and starts humming and singing The Victors. His english was shoddy at best but I got the point. He did however, in perfect english I might add, manage to cry out, Go Blue! Well, I apologize that this has turned into a flame-fest. Here's my top five:
1. Notre Dame Victory March: I knew this tune-for-tune before I knew what a Notre Dame was. I don't care for the Domers, but their fight song is a classic. 2. Tribute to Troy: Has there ever been a fight song that made you want to go kill something more than Tribute? Or at least squash a bug... Tribute actually gets me the most fired up, but Notre Dame wins this by default. 3. Battle Hymn of the Republic: performed by the RedCoat Marching Band. Great. Just great. 4. Hail to the Victors: Like Notre Dame's, this is a classic, but it doesn't really evoke any emotions with me. 5. Rocky Top: if for no other reason, this song is played over and over and over....... It definitely makes you think of college football, that's for sure. Dead Last: Miami. Go ahead, listen to it. Hum it. It is incredibly obnoxious and redundant. Being an Auburn fan I have to say that even though we might not have the most popular song, our flight of the eagle before the game more than makes up for it. and for the record, Georgia Tech has the best song-- hands down!! Wareagle!!!!!
Love the Fantasy Filled Example given by AG as to when the UM Fight Song would sound so good. Too bad an INT to seal the victory over OSU is just that a complete and utter Dream World. Troy proved his worth up in Ann Arbor, there was never a time to play their fight song when Troy Smith was on the field. Now it's time to hear "Fight the Team Across the Field" as the Smith/Ginn Connection flys all over some Wolverine Ass!!!
List of top 5 by school names
#1 Michigan #2 Texas #3 Notre Dame #4 Tennessee #5 Wisconsin How can nobody have put Texas on a list? And as a Georgia fan I'm ahsmed that our songs are so lousy, but have to give out some respect to Rocky top, because to really appreciate a song you have to think of how lousy it makes you feel to hear it after your team blows a game against that team playing the song. i am not a graduate of the university of texas, but "i've been working on the railroad" is not the fight song; it's the alma mater, the one that we sing when we link pinkies. yes, the band plays IBWOTR during games as well, but Texas Fight is the fight song...at least until Gabriel blows his horn.
I didn't know the University of Michigan even had a football team. Why would they need a fight song??? And why do all these other school claim to have the best band in the country? I thought that issue has been closed since about 1910. Go Bucks!
Buckeye alum here, but even I hum the ND fight song once in awhile (cooldice was right on the money here). It's a catchy tune, and to me, it means college football. It's the song that reminds me about what I love about the game and the traditions (and how I am getting so excited for this fall). As for Victors, the song makes me want to hurl, but it is another one like ND's song that is very traditional. My "unbiased" top five would be... 1. ND, 2. Michigan State, 3. Victors, 4. Across the Field (OSU - I like hearing this one the best, as it usually means good things are happening), 5. Texas - hard not to like a song that's played to "I've been working on the railroad". Another point... the USC song reminds me of the tomahawk chop. Can you possible play it some more?
OKOKOK - let's get some things straight - "Rocky Top" and "Anchors Away" are not fight songs. They are theme songs similar to "Hang On Sloopy" at my beloved Ohio State - these songs are not glee-club-collegiate-ivy- covered-halls-of-academia-and-tradition kind of musical moments.
Having covered this - there are three and only three fight songs that should come to the true fan's mind (all require Keith Jackson commentary as well) . . . As much as I hate these three schools: Notre Dame - recognizable to aliens from another planet Mich - annoying, but deserving of second place and is a classic as well Southern Cal – a true war song, intimidating to have to hear it all game long in a Rose Bowl . . . all the rest are add-ons and also-rans. Soooo....at least Michigan got 1 thing over OSU.....Hail to the Victors is not a great fight song, just a good title. BTW....when was Michigan's last uncontested national title? Hmmm.....consider that before speaking on Bigt 10 titles.
Serious question here...
How can Tennessee fans sing "Rocky Top" when they don't have teeth? As an Ohio State fan I have to give the song nod to UM and PSU. The PSU fight song sounds like a friggin party and jubulant celebration. The list should read
1 Victors 2 ND 3 PSU 4 USC 5 LSU/Clemson... same song You are correct. Hail to the Victors is greatest fight song ever written.
Hail! Hail! To Michigan the Champions of the West! Go Blue! I guess I can kinda see Michigan's fight song there, but what about Wisconsin? Their fight song has been used in many movies as the generic college song and their not even in your top five?! Well, at least I can take consolation that the college mascot voters got it right. Shame on you and go Badgers!
The Aggie War Hymn is the best fight song hands down. Noone else even comes close.
I didn't go to ND and I can't even say that I am a subway alum, but from the time I was a kid, I could recognize the ND fight song immediately, AND I liked it. Hollywood does to as it has incorporated it into a lot of movies over the years ("Airplane!" being a great example). And those words--"shake down the thunder"--give me a break! How could you not even have them in your Top 3? Admit it, your SI biases are showing here.
Fight on State, Fight on State,
Strike your gait and win. Victory we predict for thee, We’re ever true to you, dear old White and Blue. Onward State, Onward State, Roar, Lions, Roar! We’ll hit that line, roll up the score, Fight on to victory evermore, Fight on, on On, on, on, Fight on, on Penn State! Let's think outside of football for just a second, so you'd have to include UCLA's "Sons of Westwood." Sure, they "stole" it from Cal, but made it better and used it to rally for an NCAA-record number of Championships across all sports.
ND should be #1 though. Then UCLA. U$C and Tennessee should be in the BOTTOM 5. I know the average age of the posters here is probably 20 to 25, but Notre Dame had a somewhat popular team and fight song before they got a television contract! There are a lot of good and beloved fight songs out there, but only two stand out way above all others..the ND's and Michigan's.
I'd like to clarify a common misconception, especially to an ignorant person such as PSUPride. The USC Trojan's fight song is "Fight On" which is generally only played after the team scores points during the game, or on third down conversions, opposition turnovers etc. SO I can see why so many people complain about hearing the song too much. The song that our uneducated PSU fan describes is a fight song precursor called "Fanfare, Tribute to Troy" which is also aptly nicknamed "the dirge" (try a dictionary), and, although tiresome, has quite an effect on opposing crowds. Ever been to a Rose Bowl game? Who here, other than PSUPride, can hum the PSU fight song? Didn't think so.
I give proper respect to Notre Dame, Michigan and Navy but USC must be included in the top 5 along with Wisconsin’s fight song. The rip-offs by UCLA and Texas should be eliminated on principle. First of all, the victors isn't even a FIGHT song. It's a sef-proclamation of how good they think they are. There are no inspriring lyrics to motivate the team. A real FIGHT song is something like Texas', Ohio State's, or ND's. I mean, just read the lyrics to all these fight songs and you'll only find a few with real fighting lyrics.
Now if we go by most catchy TUNEs, it would be ND then victors then OSU. Anybody who has ever watched a college football game knows the tune to ND's fight song. And as for "feeling goosebumps," any stadium with 75,000+ fans singing the same song in unison will produce that effect. I think if people actually knew the lyrics to "the victors" the song wouldn't even be considered in the best FIGHT song catagory. More like most arrogant song (and school) in the land. I went to Texas for those of you who assumed I went to OSU. Hook 'Em. USC's fight song is as overplayed as the tomahawk chop at an Atlanta Braves or FSU game. I went to PSU but can't nominate our fight song as I was never sober enough to know when it was playing. Thus, I have to agree that UM and ND are tops, and hate myself for saying it.
TBDBITL = chumps. Your great "tradition," dotting the I in Script Ohio, was invented by the MICHIGAN Marching Band.
And we're coming to that hole in the middle of Ohio and laying a beating on the Buckeyes. GO BLUE!! The Song That Shakes The Southland... TIGER RAG!
Typing this gives me goosebumps and longing for football season at Clemson's Death Valley, home of "the most exciting 25 seconds in college football." When it comes to top fight songs, there are only two super powers in this race:
#1 Notre Dame's Victory March #2 Michigan's Hail to the Victor Some of the others are good too, but they do not rise to the level of greatness as these songs do. Those who do not agree need to let go of their pride. There's no contest here. Typical penn state nittany whiners (all two of them) NO ONE outside of their school knows their 'catchy' little tune. What a joke! And to say Michigan sucks while in the midst of a 7 game loosing streak to the maize n blue?!? (soon to be 8). Here's a little history that many psu faithful don't even know. The alma mater words sung by many before past psu games were: We don't know the GD words...we don't know the GD words, we don't know the GD words, no we dooonn't, noooooo we don't. Yeah, that's something to be proud of...frickin' losers...
Rarely do people actually rank the best fight songs, because songs have lyrics by definition. People tend to rank fight "tunes," because they disregard lyrics. There is NO WAY "The Victors" could be #1 when lyrics are taken into account. And lyrics are why songs like "Boomer Sooner" and "Glory" (UGA) should never be ranked top fight songs. They may be good band tunes, but not good songs.
My top 5 list (which is based on both tune and lyrics) goes: 1. Ramblin' Wreck from Georgia Tech 2. Rocky Top 3. Notre Dame Victory March 4. The U.S. Air Force (aka "Wild Blue Yonder") You guys love to hate the USC band but have no idea what they are playing. USC's band plays 19 different songs throughout the course of the game. The Fight song "Fight On" is only played after a USC score. The other songs they play; "Fan fare," and "Tribute to Troy" are played but are not the fight song. The question is who has the best fight song, not who's band plays some other song the most.
Pull your heads out. This is a TOTAL injustice. USC's FIGHT SONG is one of the MOST RECOGNIZED fight songs around. They kill you with this song each time a TD or a good play is made. If you listen to a game it is like Nascar and their advertisements on the cars you keep seeing them and especially hearing the same song. For visiting teams it is agony.
The USC band is probably the msot recognized BANDS around they have been in countless TV programs and movies and been a part of one of the greatest rock bands of all time, Fleetwood Mac. Re-think your top 5. For Notre Dame they do not even bring their band to USC to play they have Notre Dame HS, in Sherman Oaks play for them, those guys are a good HS band. No contest. Michigan's "The Victors" is clearly the best fight song in the country, with Notre Dame's "Victory March" second.
Go Blue!!! What are you kidding!! Notre Dame is and will always be the number one fight song. Everyone recognizes it. Michigan should be in the top five, no doubt, but common now. Plus the list leaves off Ohio State. Clearly this is a Michigan fan who wrote this. Oklahoma over Notre Dame. What planet do you live on? Also, no matter how annoying it may be, where is USC.
If I hear another word about Notre Dame I will get sick. They have officially replaced the community college in Columbus as the lowest of the low.
MSU Spartans... did somebody hear a whisper from East Lansing? The Spartans are only good for two things... beating Notre Dame and setting couches on fire. Camp Randall = the only place in America where the band is more entertaining than the football. What's with all the PSU hatred for USC? LOL.
Anyway, my alma mater may have the worst fight song ever...any fight song that talks about the fight songs of every other college on the Eastern Seaboard is ridiculous. As for College Football's Top 5 Fight Songs: #1 Michigan -- Hail to the Victors #2 Notre Dame -- Notre Dame Victory March #3 USC -- Tribute to Troy #4 Ohio State -- Fight the Team across the Field #5 Wisconsin -- On Wisconsin I base these picks on the "chills" factor and national prestige--as in, what songs cause the most chills and make me feel the most captured by the tradition and magic of college football. I've heard all of these in person, and the first two brought out the most goosebumps--with USC,Ohio State and Wisconsin right behind. 1. Michigan
2. USC 3. Notre Dame 4. Ohio State 5. Missouri 6. Penn State 7. Oklahoma 8. Wisconson 9. Texas 10. Tennessee From one of the biggest GT fans in this great land, and from all of here in the Flats we thank you for your support of the Oldest fight songs in D-IA football, for all you yankees out there is what a true fight song should sound like:
I'm a Ramblin' Wreck from Georgia Tech and a hell of an engineer, A helluva, helluva, helluva, helluva, hell of an engineer, Like all the jolly good fellows, I drink my whiskey clear, I'm a Ramblin' Wreck from Georgia Tech and a hell of an engineer. Oh, if I had a daughter, sir, I'd dress her in White and Gold, And put her on the campus, to cheer the brave and bold. But if I had a son, sir, I'll tell you what he'd do. He would yell, "To Hell with Georgia," like his daddy used to do. Oh, I wish I had a barrel of rum and sugar three thousand pounds, A college bell to put it in and a clapper to stir it around. I'd drink to all good fellows who come from far and near. I'm a ramblin', gamblin', hell of an engineer. The best rendition of Victors I've ever heard was sung by the Wisconsin student section, who changed some of the lyrics to make the song more fitting. Leaving off On Wisconsin in favor of Rocky Top or Boomer Sooner is almost as big of a snub as last years final polls were an Auburn team was ranked one spot ahead of the team that just handed them there ass in the capital one bowl. No respect I tell ya no respect.
For those of you who voted for G. Tech, thanks! As one of the biggest tech fans in the Ramblin Wreck nation, I can say that nothing gets the crowd more into the game than our fight song, which by the way is one of the oldest in the country, even George P. Burdell stands up and cheers when this song is played in the flats, to all of you yankees here is the best fight song in D-1A football
I'm a Ramblin' Wreck from Georgia Tech and a hell of an engineer, A helluva, helluva, helluva, helluva, hell of an engineer, Like all the jolly good fellows, I drink my whiskey clear, I'm a Ramblin' Wreck from Georgia Tech and a hell of an engineer. Oh, if I had a daughter, sir, I'd dress her in White and Gold, And put her on the campus, to cheer the brave and bold. But if I had a son, sir, I'll tell you what he'd do. He would yell, "To Hell with Georgia," like his daddy used to do. Oh, I wish I had a barrel of rum and sugar three thousand pounds, A college bell to put it in and a clapper to stir it around. I'd drink to all good fellows who come from far and near. I'm a ramblin', gamblin', hell of an engineer. I am a Michigan State alum and a diehard Spartan fan but I must admit that the Victors is a great song. It is only No.2 however. The Notre Dame fight song is clearly No.1. Anyone who remembers its use in the movie Airplane would agree. "Win one for the Zipper".
Just because a song is well-recognized DOES NOT make it the best. Michigan's fight song has absolutely no musical value; any objective musician will tell you the music is neither complex nor original- in fact, the music was stolen from a march written before the University of Michigan was founded. Also, Michigan prides themselves on being superior to all other schools academically, yet their students and fans fail to memorize more than 14 words. It's completely unimpressive as a fight song. As you say, anything would sound cool sung by 110,000 fans. That statement does not help Michigan's case; all it proves is that Michigan could be singing "Mary Had a Little Lamb" and their fans would think it the best, most macho fight song in history.
On the banks of the Red Cedar Is a school that's known to all It's specialty is winning And those SPARTANS play good ball Spartan teams are never beaten All through the games they fight Fight for the only colors Green and white Go right through for MSU Watch the points keep growing Spartan teams are bound to win They're fighting with a vim RAH! RAH! RAH! See that team is weakening We're going to win this game FIGHT! FIGHT! RAH TEAM FIGHT! VICTORY FOR MSU! You have got to be kidding me. The Notre Dame "Victory March" is the most recognizable fight song in the world. The only people who know the Michigan song are alumni. ND is clearly #1.
All i gotta say is, There's No Place Like Nebraska
Alright, I can concede ND, but MI? The tune is a snore and the words sound more like a bunch of glee club members coming home from a competition than a football team.
1. ND 2. Ohio State 3. Wisconsin 4. USC 5. Navy - Pure Tradition Hilarious that all these buckeyes fans want to mention their fight song when no one else here thinks highly of it. What you really should be worried about is the number 1984. That's the last time your team won an outright big ten title. Try going a year without sharing your conference title before you can have a fight song that's actually worth listening to.
It would also help your fight song if coach Tresselllllll hadn't lost 3 out of 4 to the badgers. Makes the music much better when you're actually winning rather than having to constantly share titles and missing out on the Rose Bowl (whens the last time you went?). 1. "Anchors Aweigh," U.S. Naval Academy
2. "Notre Dame Victory March," Notre Dame The rest. The NC State fight song should be up there, if this list is being based solely on insulting opponents. "Go to Hell Carolina, Devils and Deacons stand in line ..." effectively and summarily dismisses every team on or near Tobacco Road.
Although, if I recall correctly, Georgia Tech does have a pretty good one, too .... The answer is without a doubt, unquestionably Hail to the Victors! We don't need to sing more words because we don't have to. End of discussion. And they're called the Best Damn Band In The Land simply because we all know how much fun they have at band camp doing you know what with their instruments.
My UM friends have this all wrong. The list goes:
1) ANY song that states how much OSWho blows. 2) The Victors 3) The Victors 4) The Victors 5) ND There are no other songs to be considered. By the way, what kind of mascot is a Buckeye, anyway? Eeeewwwwwwwwwwwwww, those are scary! Class and dignity underscore the USNA theme and the program.
"Fight the team across the field?" LOL. Brilliant title. Is there a basketball song too? "Beat the other team on the court". Is there a school motto? "Learn some stuff here."
notre dame victory march is #1, hail to the victors is #1b. nothing else even comes close. the win goes to notre dame for the lyrics. you can't beat "shake down the thunder". despite the nbc bastardization, it's quite a tingle-inducing song.
oh, and rocky top!? are you kidding!? Listen, above MSU fan. While I appreciate the fact an MSU fan actually posted on a football forum before your annual exodus to basketball-forums-only come mid-October, to state that The Victors has no musical value is sheer ignorance.
Wanna talk musical theory? Then let's have at it. The Victors follows the standard construction of a military march. The true musical genius of the song lay in the fact that the melody of the opening strain (section) reprises as the interlude between the two playings of the second strain and then reprises again as the counter-melody (woodwinds in the band) during the famous chorus. A 21-year-old musical prodigy, Louis Elbel, wrote The Victors -- the first college football fight song of any note ever written, borne of victory (a Big Ten championship win over U of Chicago). John Philip Sousa's band was the second to perform it live, in April 1899 in Ann Arbor. Incidentally, ND's Victory March was borne of defeat -- after a 1908 loss to Michigan in Ann Arbor. Two ND students thought ND should have a fight song of their own (The Victors was 10 years old), so they went back to campus and wrote The Victory March. Of The Victors, longtime UM coach Fielding Yost said: "I reckon it's a good thing Louis Elbel went to Michigan. If he'd written The Victors for any other school, they wouldn't have had much chance to play it, y'know." As such, thrill us with your musical acumen, o Sparty fan, with reasons why your team's seldom-played fight song has musical merit. Listen, above MSU fan. While I appreciate the fact an MSU fan actually posted on a football forum before your annual exodus to basketball-forums-only come mid-October, to state that The Victors has no musical value is sheer ignorance.
Wanna talk musical theory? Then let's have at it. The Victors follows the standard construction of a military march. The true musical genius of the song lay in the fact that the melody of the opening strain (section) reprises as the interlude between the two playings of the second strain and then reprises again as the counter-melody (woodwinds in the band) during the famous chorus. A 21-year-old musical prodigy, Louis Elbel, wrote The Victors -- the first college football fight song of any note ever written, borne of victory (a Big Ten championship win over U of Chicago). John Philip Sousa's band was the second to perform it live, in April 1899 in Ann Arbor. Incidentally, ND's Victory March was borne of defeat -- after a 1908 loss to Michigan in Ann Arbor. Two ND students thought ND should have a fight song of their own (The Victors was 10 years old), so they went back to campus and wrote The Victory March. Of The Victors, longtime UM coach Fielding Yost said: "I reckon it's a good thing Louis Elbel went to Michigan. If he'd written The Victors for any other school, they wouldn't have had much chance to play it, y'know." As such, thrill us with your musical acumen, o Sparty fan, with reasons why your team's seldom-played fight song has musical merit. acc fans, including this one from nc state, know hands down it's ga. tech.
great words with a classic tune. So many schools, so many tunes!
My top 5 are 1. Notre Dame 2. Navy 3. Missouri (Every True Son, Fight Tigers) 4. Texas A & M 5. Virginia The eyes of Texas are upon you,
all the live long day! That song's so good somebody stole the melody for a song called: I've been working on the railroad, all the live long day. Michigan? Notre Dame? USC? Gimme a break!!!!! USC's official school fight song is "Fight On" written in 1922 by Milo Sweet. Legend had it then some of our men in uniform played it while fighting in the Pacific during World War II.
Too many people here confuse "Tribute to Troy" which is played when USC is on defense as the official fight song. Figures a Bruin would dog it. They have no taste anyways. Lastly, there is NOTHING cooler than to have your Alma Mater play a song called..."Conquest" at your graduation. Now THAT is totally cool. Fight on!! Unbiased Opinion from an SC Alum:
#1: michigan Tie for #2 and #3 USC and nd fight songs End of Debate I think you should have to have a good team for your song to even be considered and that immediately eliminates "The Victors" as well as that inbreeding classic "Rocky Top". I absolutely agree that the TBDBITL has not only the best fight song but also the greatest tradition in college football with "Script Ohio".
How can you not include a song sung by two world leaders (and hummed by John Wayne) in your top 5. Ramblin Wreck from Georgia Tech is much more original than those other 5.
On, brave old Army team,
On to the fray; Fight on to victory, For that's the fearless Army way. http://www.imjinscout.com/USMA_Fight_Song.html
Everyone's talking about recognizable. If you don't think that the Hail to the Victors is recognized travel across country. Being the school with the largest alumni in the world the song is by far the most recognized. Now in the states Notre Dame closes the gap considerably and I would never argue that these two songs are probably 1 and 1a. Personally I would have:
1. Michigan 2. Notre Dame (very close 2) 3. Ohio State (being a Michigan fan from Ohio probably aids in this ranking considering I have to hear it all the time, all year.) 4. USC (it's classic as well) 5. Tennesse (only because I agree it isn't a fight song but that damn song gets stuck in your head everytime you hear it. And it riles up the home crowd. Both good indicators of a fight song. Personally I hate this stupid song) That's just my humble list. I think I am giving a true unbias opinion, I am alumni to Colorado (Go Buffs!), yet our fight song isn't in the top 25.
However, the best fight song that I ever heard is Ohio State's "Fight The Team Across The Field", truly gets me going and coming from not an OSU alum/fan of any sorts, I think says alot. Go Buffs! (We gotta work on ours!) Hands down Notre Dame has the best fight song. Rocky TOp doesn't belong anywhere near this list and neither does NC State.
1. Notre Dame Victory March 2. The Victors 3. Fight On-USC 4. Tiger Rag (The Clemson version because thats the best) 5. Fight On State-PSU The Victors takes #1 and has an advantage over Notre Dame because any college football layman knows Michigan taught Notre Dame the game of football! So that alone bumps Victors to the front of the line; plus it is THE best, most inspirational, emotion-inducing fight song in the land! Ohio State? Please. A thug and a bribe won you your last championship.
A lot of good songs are sung in colleges around the nation. The best fight song list should always include the following:
1. Ramblin Wreck from Georgia Tech Though not as original as people here seem to think, as it is stolen from an old Irish drinking tune "Son of a Gambolier", it is still tops on my list. Hearing it played by their band after touchdowns, with the entire student section singing along, and yelling "To HELL with georgia!" as loud as they can, is just incredible. 2. Notre Dame A close second to GT's, no song more clearly defines what a college fight song should be. While it might not be the best, it is still the standard by which fight songs are judged. When you hear it, you can just see the Fightin Irish running on to the field, and you know something special is about to happen. Who else is lookin forward to seeing the Irish play Tech this year? Best two fight songs in the land, even if ND isn't bringin a band down to the flats. 3. Michigan Great tune; just oozes college football, and makes you want to wear a big M and watch people crash into each other. 4. Navy While their football team is mired in mediocrity, during the Army vs. Navy game, nothing can compare. 5. Auburn - War Eagle While I don't think this song belongs on a list like this, and I don't particularly like Auburn, I can't help it. I love the lyrics, I love the tune, and its just fun. More interesting is perhaps the worst fight songs. These should be among them: 1. Rocky Top - Tennessee Overplayed to hell, and not that good to begin with. 2. Caisson Song - NCState The Army is allowed to use it. The Wolfpack is not. 3. Oh Christmas Tree - Maryland It may have another name and lyrics, but it is still Oh Christmas Tree. 4. Hang on Sloopy - Ohio State Just not a fight song. How is that supposed to get people enthused. Its Hang on Sloopy for Pete's sake. 5. "Glory" - Georgia They take the Battle Hymn of the Republic, and replace 90% of the words with Glory. That is dumb. Plus, why is a school in the heart of the south playing the Union's Battle song? Seriously. No. Nothing comes close to hearing STAND UP AND CHEER as we root our Bobcats to victory in Peden Stadium, Athens, Ohio!!
Go Ohio University Bobcats!! Just as they are the top two teams in all time number of wins and winning percentage - their fight songs are far above the pack ----> Michigan and Notre Dame.
As for Ohio State fans who differ - well - they should spend their time raising money so the football team can post bail for their players who get arrested. As with number of wins and winning percentage - Michigan and Notre Dame are the class of the field. Ohio State fans need to spend more time raising money to cover bail on their players who get arrested.
"Best" in my opinion means "lyrics and easily recognizable" ... so, I like where some of the lists are going, and in no particular order:
Here they are: Michigan Wisconsin Navy Notre Dame Georgia Tech Sixth Man: Southern California Tennessee is know (painfully at times, but un-original. Auburn/Georgia/ and many others across the SEC use the same tune. The Ohio State Marching Band is the "The Best Damn Band in the Land" because of some article in USA Today 18 years ago? Or because the fans say so? I think Arrogance is actually a major avaialble at Ohio State. Let it go. You have a cool fight song, but Top 5 it is not.
No, no, you UM fans are all wrong. See, the title of the article is "Who's got the best fight song", not, "Who's got the easiest fight song to remember when you're plastered because you're embarassed of the fact that you live in M*ch*g*n", or even "Who's got a fight song that only contains 6 different notes with lyrics that were written by a 2-year-old."
I Guess WISCONSIN can't win every best College Award.
Even though "On Wisconsin" is played by more than 15 other schools as their Fight Song. Here's the problem with Michigan's song, and it goes back to 7th grade English. "Blah, blah, blah...leaders and best." Leaders--plural noun. Best--adjective. Nice grammar, morons. Maybe try some parallel construction next time.
The ones you list are the top 5 classic fight songs, not the real top 5 fight songs. I'm sure you've never even heard of Earlham College, a small Quaker Div. III school in Indiana, but we have what I consider to be the best fight song EVER. Here it is:
Fight Fight Inner Light Kill Quakers Kill Knock'em Down, Beat'em Senseless Do it till we reach consensus GOOOOO QUAKERS Volstan:
Just Like a UT fan... Trying to make your program and song better then it is. Your Program is not one of the best with your two national titles and 752 wins 9th in all time wins. The best schools are 1ND/AL 3 UM 4 USC 5 OU/OSU there is a big drop from here to get to the next school with great tradition Nebraska, PSU, and the like would be on this level... Tennesse would still be way down. Just like you school doesn'nt have the tradition it wants... your song is not as good as you want it to be either. I love Anchors Aweigh because it was written at the Naval Academy and is the fight song for not only the Academy, but for an entire service. "...Drink to the foam..."
WAR EAGLE (FIGHT SONG)
War...Eagle, fly down the field, Ever to conquer, never to yield. War...Eagle fearless and true. Fight on, you orange and blue. Go! Go! Go! On to vic'try, strike up the band, Give 'em hell, give 'em hell. Stand up and yell, Hey! War...Eagle, win for Auburn, Power of Dixie Land! Thats a fight song gentlemen..War Fark :-) "I'm a Tar Heel born and a Tar Heel bred, and when I die I'll be Tar Heel dead."
Hark The Sound at UNC is a lot better than Rocky Top. That is all. 1. ND
2. Michigan 3. Wisconsin 4. USC 5. Navy How can you guys leave out Wisconsin? John Philip Sousa himself called it the best college march in the country. you won't hear the michigan fight song played in the "shoe " this year in the 4th quarter,it won't even matter! rocky top is a joke,usc's fight song is the most boring,nauseating thing ever..... " On Wisconsin " is a great college fight song!still feel" Across the field "played by TBDBITL deserves top 5 recognition.
As a Purdue alum, I'm naturally biased toward "Hail Purdue." Maybe not top 5, but certainly top 10. I've heard the Michigan and Notre Damn songs more than I care to and I agree they belong in the top two spots. But where's the love for the "Minnesota Rouser." That's a hell of a song, right there.
YOU MUST BE CRAZY!!.. TO PICK THE UNIVERITY OF MICHIGAN 'S FIGHT SONG OVER NOTRE DAME'S VICTORY MARCH IS BEYOND COMPREHENSION...NOTRE DAME IS ONLY THE MOST PRESTIGIOUS UNIVERSITY IN THE WORLD AND THE MOST RESPECTED TEAM IN COLLEGE FOOTBALL TO NOT HAVE THEM PICKED AS #1 IS INCONCIEVIEBLE
It's sad that nobody mentioned "War Eagle," the Auburn University fight song. That is at least as good as any on
SI's list, including the tiresome and tedious one for Notre Dame. To give my top five: 1. "Rambling Wreck From Georgia Tech" 2. "War Eagle" 3. "The Victors" 4. "On Wisconsin" 5. "Anchors Aweigh" I'd give "Yea Alabama" an honorable mention, but I'm an Alabama grad. I also married an Auburn grad. The best move in my life. There are allot of great songs out there. I agree with the list for the most part but having Rocky Top in the top 5 is just plain stupid. It's an aweful fight song. Heck it's not even a fight song. It's a hillbilly tune adapted to a football game. It just doesn't work. Also, not having USC in the top 5 is a tragedy. I'm not a USC fan but you have to love their fight song.
As a Michigan State alum, it breaks my heart to say it but The Victors is the best college fight song, followed by ND.
BOOOO!! Boomer Sooner is the lamest song ever - the Okie who wrote that was so dumb that they only knew two words to put in the song!! Sure there's the bit about being sooner bred (which is kinda scary that it talks about breeding!?) and sooner dead and all, but basically its just the same two words, over and over and over and over and over and over...
Notre Dame belongs higher than Rocky Top even at a tie for #1 with Michigan... Those two songs are the most recognizable by even the non-sports fans! USC's Fight On or On Wisconsin or Texas' are WAYYYYYYYYYYY better than boomer sooner The writer must have been smokin' some good stuff!!! "Fight The Team Across The Field" played by "TBDBITL" was obviously intentionally omitted!!! Is Andy an alum of that school up north? One needs to look at the top mascot in the nation, in addition to 65,000+ fans in attendance for a spring practice game, and the fact the THE Ohio State University's logo licensing fee is the highest of any Unviversity for some reason!! GO BUCKS!!!!
The writer must have been smokin' some good stuff!!! "Fight The Team Across The Field" played by "TBDBITL" was obviously intentionally omitted!!! Is Andy an alum of that school up north? One needs to look at the top mascot in the nation, in addition to 65,000+ fans in attendance for a spring practice game, and the fact the THE Ohio State University's logo licensing fee is the highest of any University for some reason!! GO BUCKS!!!!
The writer must have been smokin' some good stuff!!! "Fight The Team Across The Field" played by "TBDBITL" was obviously intentionally omitted!!! Is Andy an alum of that school up north? One needs to look at the top mascot in the nation, in addition to 65,000+ fans in attendance for a spring practice game, and the fact the THE Ohio State University's logo licensing fee is the highest of any University for some reason!! GO BUCKS!!!!
As a die-hard college football fan, I think for the most part, this top 5 was pretty good. There is major eastern bias here, but thank heaven that the song from Hell ( USC's cartoonish fight song) is not on here.
Here's my top 5: 1- Michigan's "The victors" 2- Notre Dame 3- Brigham Young's Rise and Shout 4- Arizona State 5- Kentucky's My Old Kentucky Home Rocky Top is a good bluegrass song as sung by the Osborne Brothers. It just doesn't lend itself to being played by a college marching band. One line in the song ends so abruptly that UT fans have to add the word "woooooooo" to fill up a long pregnant pause, and it sounds so prissy when they do it.
Gotta be The Eyes of Texas!
@ PHQTHM:
I'd just like to point out, as a member of the Band of the Fighting Irish, that we campaign to go to the Coliseum every year, and our administration is unwilling to shell out the cash to get us there... we happen to have almost 400 people in our marching band, and LA is a little far from South Bend. But I sincerely disagree with your list, guys. There's no reason the Victory March should not be in the top 3 (2?). Especially when you actually *listen* to Rocky Top. Wow. one word IOWA
SCREW the buckeyes down with blue there is only on real champ in the BIG TEN IOWA
You have to rank "Ramblin' Wreck" #1 -- it is so famous Nikita Khrushchev knew it and sang it with Nixon in 1958. You think anyone in the Communist Soviet Union knew "The Victors"?
"Ramblin' Wreck" was so popular that in 1958, Nikita Khrushchev knew it and sang it with Richard Nixon. How can you not rank it #1 based on that alone?
So much hatred for Boomer Sooner. Considering that "Fight On" is just the same two stanzas played OVER AND OVER AND OVER again, I'd think you have very little to say about Boomer Sooner's lyrics.
Let's get something straight. There are "fight songs" and there are "pep chants". Fight songs are officially sponsored songs, usually very old that the school recognizes for all sports. Pep chants are things like the "War Chop" at FSU. It is not a song, it is merely a "spirit booster". I dare any non-FSU grad to sing their fight song. Hell, I dare an FSU grad to do it. Just because the Texas band blasted out "The Eyes of Texas" theme 1 BILLIION times in every game does not make it a good fight song or pep chant. Based on musical merits, popularity outside of the school, and memory retention, "Hail to the Victors" and the "Notre Dame Victory March" are clearly on top (as much as that pains me). No one that does not go to USC or is in the Pac-10 knows the USC fight song. Stop whining. You are not the only school to win a championship in the last 20 years, and you're not the only one to win a couple.
bligbluerulz,
"My Old Kentucky Home" is not UK's fight Song. On!On! U of K is the fight song. Just a FYI To IOWA#1: IOWA = Idiots Out Wandering Around To zo: RIGHT ON! There IS no place like Nebraska! To clear some things up about Texas:
1. The Eyes of Texas is the alam mater, Texas Fight is the fight song. A lot of college fight songs and alma maters are based off of old drinking songs and random other songs so The Eyes of Texas being based off of another song is not uncommon. Our national anthem is based off of an English drinking song that is equivilent to "I've Been Working on the Railroad" in England. It happens. 2. To whoever said Texas was 9th on the all time wins list...wrong...Texas has 803 wins, good for 3rd all time, behind Michigan (849) and Notre Dame (811) (http://football.stassen.com/cgi-bin/records/calc-wp.pl?start=1869&end=2005&rpct=30&min=5&se=on&by=Win+Pct) 3. Texas has 3 national titles, not 2. 4. Yes, I am a Texas grad ('04) Hook Em! To correct some things on Texas:
1. The Eyes of Texas is the alma mater. Texas Fight is the fight song and what should be considered for this conversation. To those saying it is based off "I've Been Working on the Railroad": yeah it is but it's not uncommon. A lot of college songs are based off of old songs and drinking songs. Our own national anthem is based off of an English drinking song. It happens. 2. To the guy that said Texas was 9th all time in wins....wrong...Texas has 803 wins, good for 3rd all time behind Michigan (849) and Notre Dame (811) (http://football.stassen.com/cgi-bin/records/calc-wp.pl?start=1869&end=2005&rpct=30&min=5&se=on&by=Win+Pct) 3. Texas has 3 national titles, not 2. 4. Yes, I am a Texas grad ('04) Hook 'em. Apparently, my translation of "The Victors" was not fit to print, but I think I can slip in the last 2 lines.
"Hell, hell to Michigan The cess pool of the west" It seems as thought Lloyd Carr has contracted JohnCooper-itis. Symptoms are a high winning percentage, but failing to win the final 2 games of the year. GO BUCKS! To the poster above...could you please make it a bit more difficult for us Michigan students to make fun of you? Seriously, such comments are just too easy.
1. Michigan - "The Victors"
2. Notre Dame - "Notre Dame Victory March" 3. Minnesota - "Minnesota Rouser" 4. Texas - "Texas Fight" 5. Alabama - "Yea Alabama" I don't know what's more sad that OU ripped off Yale's fight song or that the mods who claimed to research this list before posting it didn't hear or read about the theft.
Did you just pick the top 5 out of a hat? My school (U of MN) played Tennessee in the Liberty Bowl in 1986 and Rocky Top was played no less than 25 times. They did not score 25 times. Every time the chorus came up, the stadium shook like a white trash Nuremburg. It's inclusion in this list over On Wisconsin is baffling beyond words.
Also, here's another attempt to get the naughty version of Michigan's Fight Song out there: Hail to those fornicators Hail to those ma********** Hail, hail to Michigan The cesspool of the East * Hail to those M************* Hail to those Damn C********** Hail, hail to Michigan The school we love to hate. *Well, they were East of us. (I admit that I am unashamedly biased as a Badger since birth.) Fight songs should be just that - a way to get the crowd back into the game, not as a celebration for every little thing your team did right. Pre-game, after touchdowns, great. But not after every positive play (unlike several of the songs on this list).
No song gives me chills like the version of On, Wisconsin played during the last home halftime show of the seasons. Number 1 on my list. Anybody remember Disney's animated Robin Hood? The two fight songs used in that Wisconsin and Notre Dame. Hullabaloo, Caneck! Caneck!
Hullabaloo, Caneck! Caneck! First Verse All hail to dear old Texas A&M, Rally around Maroon and White, Good luck to the dear old Texas Aggies, They are the boys who show the fight. That good old Aggie spirit thrills us. And makes us yell and yell and yell; -- So let's fight for dear old Texas A&M, We're goin' to beat you all to -- Chig-gar-roo-gar-rem! Chig-gar-roo-gar-rem! Rough! Tough! Real stuff! Texas A&M! Second Verse Good-bye to Texas University. So long to the Orange and White. Good luck to the dear old Texas Aggies, They are the boys who show the real old fight. The eyes of Texas are upon you. That is the song they sing so well,(Sounds like Hell!!!) So, good-bye to Texas University, We're goin' to beat you all to -- Chig-gar-roo-gar-rem! Chig-gar-roo-gar-rem! Rough! Tough! Real stuff! Texas A&M! I am a Tarheel, but gotta give props to Wake Forest for having one of the catchiest fight songs ever. Just try to get it out of your head once you hear it. Plus you gotta love hearing a bunch of Baptists toasting their alma mater with a glass of wine.
As I gather 'round the well and cheer those Tar Heels on like hell... it goes U of Mich and Notre Dame, and lets be honest, no one cares about the rest. Like it or not, hate it or not, those two schools are college football. All time tops in win %, total wins, gobs of nat championships, heismen winners. thats whats up.
HAIL TO THE VICTORS! Every time the chorus came up, the stadium shook like a white trash Nuremburg
And that is exactly why Rocky Top should be included. Mike,
It may be possible you think the Fight On is the same lyric over and over again because you heard it so much in the Orange Bowl but it is not. Here's the lyrics and the songs USC plays during games: "FIGHT ON" Fight On for ol' SC Our men Fight On to victory. Our Alma Mater dear, looks up to you Fight On and win For ol' SC Fight On to victory Fight On! This song is usually played after first downs and touchdowns. "CONQUEST" Another famous USC song is the regal processional march, "Conquest," by Alfred Newman. It is usually played after every USC score and victory. Other Songs “Tribute To Troy,” the incessant stanza of pounding drums and blaring horns, is played after every defensive stop. “Fanfare” is the introduction to “Tribute To Troy” and is played when the band takes the field. “All Right Now” is played after USC gets a turnover. “Another One Bites the Dust” is played after USC gets a sack. The “William Tell Overture” is played at the start of the fourth quarter. "The Emperor's Theme" from Star Wars is played when USC is flagged for a major penalty. Hopefully that enlightened some of you morons. Charlote Buckeye,
If you will recall, Tennessee beat OSU the last time they played. Obviously you haven't seen the power T formed by the "Pride of the Southland Marching Band" and the Vols running thru the T onto the field with Smokey the blue tick hound in tow to the joyous cheers of 107,000 faithful. This is soon to be followed by 106,000 of those fans singing Rocky Top to the top of their lungs dozens of times for the next three hours. Hey blou,
if it's so easy, why didn't you take a shot? Here in Ohio, when we make a threat, we back it up with action. I'm biased, because I'm an alum, but the University of Arizona's fight song ROCKS! Plus, it has a touching story behind it. Lore has it a dying football player told the coach to tell his teammates to "Bear down." Since then, that's been the school motto and the fight song is "Bear Down Arizona." The unofficial version goes like this: "Bear down, Arizona. Bear down, red and blue. Bear down, Arizona, kick the sh-- out of ASU." In the official version, the last line is "Bear down Arizona, hit 'em hard let them know who's who" or some such nonsense. But nobody in Tucson sings that version!
I disagree 100%, MIT should win that contest.
I'm a beaver, you're a beaver, we are beavers all When we get togeather, we do the beaver call Cosine Secant Tangent Sine 3.14159 Integral Radical u/dv Slapstick Sliderule MIT! All y'all are wrong. The Best Fight Song in the world can be none other than Fight Fiercely, Harvard, by the great Tom Lehrer.
Fight fiercely, Harvard, Fight, fight, fight, Demonstrate to them our skill. Albeit they posess the might, Nonetheless we have the will. How we shall celebrate our victory We shall invite the whole team up for tea, (How jolly!) Hurl that spheroid down the field And fight, fight, fight! Fight fiercely, Harvard, Fight, fight, fight, Impress them with our prowess, do! Oh, fellows, do not let the Crimson down, Be of stout heart and true. Come on, chaps, fight for Harvard's glorious name! Won't it be peachy if we win the game? (Oh, goody!) Let's try not to injure them But fight, fight, fight - Let's not be rough, though. Fight, fight, fight - And do fight fiercely! Fight, fight, fight. Rocky top you'll always be home sweet home to me... good ole' rocky top, ROCKY TOP TENNESSEE!
and for all of you lame anti-UT bloggers out there that think we play it too much... Rocky top you'll always be home sweet home to me... Good Ole' Rocky Top, ROCKY TOP TENNESSEE! John McCain's memoirs describe American POWs in Hanoi whistling the Notre Dame Victory March to keep their spirits up, in defiance of guards who would beat them if they heard The Star Spangled Banner.
I doubt very much if a John McCain would have survived those years in hell if he'd been forced to listen to "Rocky Top". Central Michigan has a nifty melody. I would also put Michigan State in front of the Victors
Hard to believe that Oklahoma and Tennessee made this list. A couple of teams on this list have broken my heart, but still have a good song. But, here is how they should be listed.
1- Michiga State - Best song by far 2- Georgia Tech - 3- Notre Dame- 4- USC 5- Michigan - although they suck I am an SC alum...and even i'd have to say that UM and ND have the #1 and 2 fight song, followed by SC.
I also wanted to point out how interesting it is to read all the Ohio St and Mich fans go at it (even in this blog). That is definitely the biggest rivalry in college sports. Outside of SC games, the Mich/Ohio St game is the one i'm most eager to watch year in and year out. 1) victors 2) ND 3,4,5) who cares, they're all too far below.
no one outside of the big ten knows the ohio state fight song, so stop trying to mention it you buckeye fans. yipicya, it's so laughable how you love jim "1-3 versus wisconsin and 0 outright big ten championships" tressellll. i guess after all those disappointing years under john cooper, anything is better, even a cheater like tress. and as for you OSU alums, of course you like your fight song. Any song probably sounds good to you while you're putting in 10 hour shifts at a gas station. SI......leaving SC's fight song off the list just shows your incompetence and irrelevence in regards to sports these day.
Leave the real sports jornalism to espn and just stick to making swimsuit edditions. McCain could not have listened to Rocky Top since it was not written when he was shot down over Hanoi. Second, it was not played by the Pride of the Southland Marching Band until 1973.
I am a UT alum. "Rocky Top" serves its purpose. It fires up its fans and pisses off the opponents!!! Whoever made the comment about the "real" UT fight song being a copy of Notre Dame's has no clue. Tennessee has THREE fight songs...NONE sound like Notre Dame's!! As a fan of the USC Trojans since the late 1980's (my brother is class of 1992...the riots happened during his finals), I have to say that "Fight On!" is even better than "Rocky Top" at serving its purpose. But only more so recently. Prior to the current success under Pete Carroll, "Fight On!" was equal to "Rocky Top" in this area. So, the list is this.... 1. "Fight On!" University of Southern California (the REAL USC!) 2. "Rocky Top" Tennessee (aka the REAL UT) 3. Notre Dame 4. Michigan 5. Navy!! "Boomer Sooner" is simply horrible. Matches the weak fans that I met during the 2005 Orange Bowl......90 percent were gone by the middle of the 3rd quarter. Oh, thanks for the game program Sooner fan. Sorry I made you cry with my non-obscene comments about Jason White's ineptitute as a quarterback. "Yea Alabama" is a close sixth....pisses off Tennessee fans any time it is played. If you have never been in Kyle Field when it is swaying to the War Hymn, then you have not been to what CBS Sports named the best college venue. Gig'em Aggies.
This is the BEST Fight Song, not the Best TV network jingle.
Therefore, the NBC football jingle should not be considered. The fact that it's ranked #5 smacks of media bias between SI and NBC - it's not fair when you have an entire network of songwriters and musicians to write your fight song! Glad to see my School made the list (Anchors Aweigh). For the person who said it isn't a real fight song with no lyrics:
Stand Navy down the field, Sails set to the sky, We'll never change our course, so Army you steer shy-y-y-y Roll up the score, Navy, Anchors Aweigh Sail Navy down the field and Sink the Army, sink the Army gray!! It is hard to argue: It has THE most recognizable tune, although the Football team isn't what it has been inthe past. On a historical note, it was written for the USNA class of 1914 by Bandleader Zimmerman with the above words, so those ARE the original words. Well said dstew62! "Across the Field" is indeed the best fight song. Maybe #2 is the real version of Michigan's-- Hail to the what? And I guess you don't need to know how to spell at Michigan or Iowa. It figures.
GO BUCKS!! First off, "Boomer Sooner" is a rip-off of one of Yale's fight songs entitled, "Boola Boola". #1 Fight song? "Down the Field" is played at the end of every Yale football, basketball or hockey win.
March, march on down the field, Fighting for Eli, Break through that Crimson line, Our strength to defy!!! We'll give a long cheer for Eli's men, We're here to win again, Harvard's team may fight 'till the end, But YALE WILL WIN!!! I went to a small Kansas liberal arts college. Why isn't my school's fight song on here?... Get over it folks. Your alma mater can't always be the best at everything. Do I agree with these picks, sort of. I personally think Wisconsin has one of the best most recognizable fight songs. Am I right? I don't know, but I won't blindly choose a school that I am an alumnus of simply because I went there. God Bless America. (The best country ever, even though I have not visited any other country.)
Why TN is a joke outside of that hick state.... 1951 and a joke in 1998. That is all you have. You are Ninth in all time wins and your team is not that good... neither is your song. I think that party of the criteria for the best song should be that is was played for the team that finished the season ranked number one more than twice.
GO Bucks Hail to the victors....best song in all of college football. OSU fans are just b*tchy because there institution has so little edcuation they dont rember how to read music notes. But I heard there fight song is great to play on when your in jail, the bars make great notes.
"Fight The Team Across The Field?" What, does your band play that every so often so your football team doesn't turn the huddle into an internecine quarrel?
Michigan State? Moo U? Yeah, you can't really consider a fight song great unless it contains a tough-guy line like, "They're fighting with a vim." When nearly every High school across the country uses a reincarnation of Notre Dame's fight song as their own I think that easily answers the question that it is #1. Everyone in the country, fan or not, knows it. Victors is a distant #2.
Ok lets agree on some things first of all "Rocky Top" is a folk song says so in the title, no where does the original music say it is a fight song. So it is out! Boomer Sooner sang over and over and over and over is not a fight song. I'll give the other their due and agree to those.
If anyone says that "The Victors" is not #1, then they are just plain ignorant. John Phillip Sousa declared "The Victors" the greatest college march ever. I'm pretty sure all of you combined couldn't match his credentials. Putting that aside, "The Victors" was the first fight song inducted into the college football hall of fame. I believe Notre Dame got their song inducted too, but it was after. As much as I dislike Notre Dame, they are #2. After that, it doesn't much matter.
Forget college fight songs - the best one around - Sons of Xavier!!! Xavier HS in NYC - best fight song ever written.
i would write out the words for Boomer Sonner here, but if you you know the title, you know all the words. O well. Anyway it's better then that "I been workin on the rail road" crap from just south of here. (Texas) O and being an oklahoma fan it pains me to say it, but there are chimps in the jungle that know ND's fight song. It's good. It's gotta be number one. But in all reality, when i'm in memorial stadium here in Oklahoma this year. And Peterson breaks a 50 yard TD up the middle, BOOMER SOONER is the only song.
I am a Tennessee student, and I am neither toothless nor redneck. I do like Rocky Top, though. It's a funny song. How many of your schools sing a song about making moonshine every week? I think it's rude to call all Tennessee fans redneck, because it's simply not true. It's also very hurtful.
Boomer Sooner is the Britney Spears of Fight Songs: stupid, unoriginal and impossible to get out of your head.
The Aggie War Hymn of Having No Life (or whatever it is called) is all about ANOTHER SCHOOL. The better school in the state, too. And why do all these haters on The Eyes of Texas hate America? Have you ever heard our national anthem in the presense of someone from the UK? Our anthem is a poem Francis Scott Key wrote during a battle, which was then set to the tune of a popular English drinking song. Oh, and until Tennessee wins another title, UT refers to The University of Texas. that is all. Rocky Top? Hard to believe it is one of the five best when it has received more negative comments than any other song. Even the people that don't hate Tennessee (those that have never played them) hate that frickin' song, especially after they get to hear it every 5 seconds. Without a doubt, it's the most OVERPLAYED song in the country. The only times that they didn't play that disgusting song last year: 1) when Vanderbilt scored to beat them in Knoxville (could have heard a pin drop) and 2) at their bowl game (oh, that's right...they didn't go to one!).
I'm an ND alumn and without doubt Victors and The Victory March are 1 and 1A.
This vote is the best song, not lyrics, not musical complexity, not ease of memory, not even emotion. It is a combination of all of these that make the best. Yeah UM's Victors has lyrics that could have been pinned by a 3rd grader (and I personally hate hearng it) and ND's Victory March was born of a loss (doesn't that say something though that a song that could be born of a loss could become the most recognizable because of the pride with which it is sung)but they are far and away the best. You hear them and you know you are part of the tradition of college football. After that On Wisconsin, Fight On (My least favorite song in the world) and Rocky Top (The only song that even competes with the annoyance of USCs Troy) all of which I've heard in person round out a solid top 5. MSU (Hate you too but i'm being objective) and GT (best lyrics)get honorable mentions. Anchors Away makes me proud to be an American and want to salute the flag not watch football so I didn't put it on my list, though a great song. "And why do all these haters on The Eyes of Texas"
Because its freaking Ive been working on the railroad thats why. No great school song can be ive been working on the railroad. how does that cause pride in a school? Oh and about the aggie war hymn, it has an entire verse that is about A&M and doesnt bash t.u., we just choose to sing the one about yall both times because we love to piss of the sips first and formost: to usctrojan, there is a world east of la and oklahoma is west of the mississippi.
here are the top 5 (i rated them on how cool they are to play after a touchdown): 1. Notre Dame Victory March-i hate ND, but it is a great fight song 2. Ramblin' Wreck-catchy, creative, and unique 3. Rocky Top-few fight songs embody the fans better than this 4. Tiger Rag (Clemson)-Another great post td song 5. For Boston-because boston rules (even though i don't go to bc) The Victors is not that great and neither is michigan. Your atmosphere is less intimidating than stadiums with less than half the capacity. As an ND alum, I obviously have to put the Victory March at the top. Anchors Aweigh is good at #2, but Rocky Top isn't actually Tennessee's official fight song. Michigan State's fight song is better than Michigan's, and their fans at least know the words. Everytime I've been to a Michigan game, their own students hum the entire song except for "Hail! Hail! To Michigan."
Notre Dame Victory March = College Football. People can hum the entire song without knowing anything about Notre Dame or even NCAA football for that matter.
#1. ND #2. Michigan (I'm being VERY objective here... I hate Michigan) Those are the only two that should be in this discussion, and in that order... especially because ND's is the nation's oldest. My top 5
1. The Victors- Michigan 2. Notre Dame fight song 3. USC fight song 4. UCLA fight song 5. Boomer Sooner- Oklahoma Only two fight songs that matter...
1) Notre Dame 2) Mighigan (It pains me to say that seeing as how I was born and raised an ND fan, but that song is catchy and most people know it) The rest can't hold a candle to these two songs. They should play these at every stadium just so people know what a real fight song sounds like. Not to mention when the Irish win the Title, EVERYONE will know it!! ND and UM, easily. As a Gator...
FSU's 'War Chant' is annoying, but in Doak Campbell and not against the Gators, it is just too original to top. "Rocky Top" should not even be mention. Although this not bands....what FAMU does during a halftime show during the Florida Classic can get anyone with a soul moving. Go Gators! ok, to all of you UNINFORMED people... LSU's fight song is NOT, nor will it ever be "Tiger Rag." The only time we play Tiger Rag is during pregame when the band changes directions. The TRUE fight song of the LSU Tigers is "Fight for LSU." And by the way, The Golden Band from Tigerland has been the best band in the land for quite some time now, after winning their national competitions, respectively. So, for all you ignorant people out there, show some respect for the #1 band in the land, and the best pregame show and football venue in the nation. GEAUX TIGERS!
Since my high school's fight song was the Notre Dame Victory March, it would be my second favorite. Now that I am a member of the Sound of the South, I would have to say TROJANS, ONE AND ALL from TROY. Before that was written all they had was Dixie, wich also fairly interesting. I should also give a nod to Ramblin' Wreck and USC's fight song.
School loyalty and allegiance
to the colors run deep everywhere. That's the way it should be. You can disrespect a football team but talk trash about a fight song or a band and watch the tubas and cymbals fly. As a former Trojan football player I hate the "Neuter" Dame fight song but I have to admit it's probably as ingrained in the American consciousness as Happy Birthday and Mary had a Little Lamb. There are alot of great bands in the country that instill pride and ignite enthusiasm among fans and students but no one comes close to the "Spirit of Troy" the one and only Trojan Marching Band. Under the Grammy award-winning direction of Art Bartner and the amazing arrangements of Tony Fox, the TMB's track record of success is unparalleled. Ask any producer or director in Hollywood in the music or film industry. As far as best fight songs go, SC has it's pick among "Tribute to Troy," "Fight On" or "Tusk." But nothing can make an opponent squeamish like "Conquest." Any questions or doubts? Call Fleetwood Mac, Earth Wind and Fire, Paramount Pictures, Disney or multiple Oscar award-winning composer and conductor John Williams. It's true, the Trojan Marching Band has to play the fight song alot but that's what happens when you're playing for 11 National Championship teams, seven Heisman Trophy winners and more All-American players than any other program. When the rest of you catch up, then you can talk. Fight On! I am an OSU grad, a TBDBITL alum, and I live in Michigan...so you could say I''m a little biased. But I'll give Michigan the top fight song. It's catchy, it does the perfect job of stirring up the fans, and the U of M band plays it well.
And I'll be honest..."Across the Field" is NOT a catchy fight song. I think "Buckeye Battle Cry" is far better, but it probably didn't get considered because it's not the "official" fight song of OSU. But let's put that aside, because this article and the subsequent blogging has left out one important fact: THERE IS A COLLEGE MUSICAL TRADITION THAT FAR EXCEEDS ANY SCHOOL'S FIGHT SONG FOR PURE EXCITEMENT AND CROWD-THRILLING POWER. I'm speaking, of course, of the INCOMPARABLE SCRIPT OHIO. U of M can have their catchy little "Victors"...they will never match the sheer crowd-pumping awe of that sousaphone player dotting the "i." Never in any college football history books will they ever record a tradition that matches it. And after that, we have the unmeasurable cheers that go up anytime the band starts "Hang On Sloopy." Any college can have a fight song. Only OSU has the strength, power, and tradition of these two unequalled Saturday afternoon hallmarks. From somebody actually in a Big Ten marching band:
USC's band and song are awful; their band being (thankfully)inaudible on a Fleetwood Mac album a couple decades ago doesn't make them good. Texas made them look TERRIBLE at the Rose Bowl last year. Michigan, Wisconsin, and Notre Dame's bands are also terrible, but they have great fight songs. tOSU, Michigan State, and the University of Illinois all have excellent bands with mediocre fight songs. Here's the Top Five: 1) The Minnesota Rouser 2) Victors 3) Notre Dame Victory March 4) On Wisconsin(even though they've bastardized it almost beyond recognition) 5) Rocky Top 1) Notre Dame
2) Rocky Top 3) Hail to the Victors 4) Michigan State 5) Mighty Oregon (Illinois, Purdue, Navy, OSU, & Northwestern are all good too) Clearly though, Big 10 has the best songs and bands. i have to agree with cooldice, people who dont have any clue about sports will still know the ND fight song, i dont care for the school or their teams, but that song is classic!
Once again SI reveals its bias towards Notre Dame. Clearly, the ND fight song is the most recognizable fight song in the world. Ridiculous selection
How could you have anything other than the Notre Dame Victory March at #1 , and Script Ohio should be at #3 right after Hail to the Victors at #2.
Rocky Top over Notre Dame's Victory March? How much crack did the people who made this list take. Rocky Top is one of the most annoying songs ever written and it doesn't count as a fight song. Victors and ND's fight song are the only two songs that count.
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