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. | ||||
