From Happy to Sad, Big 10 Football Fun-- Part 2: Minnesota, Indiana, MSU, Michigan

9.  MINNESOTA--  TCF Bank is the most modern stadium in the Big Ten and a huge improvement from when they played their home games in the Metrodome.  Finally a home field on the campus and, and you can buy beer.

8.  INDIANA--  The Hoosiers have a late arriving crowd, especially for noon games.  There might be 15,000 fans in the stadium at kickoff and twice as many in the parking lots.

7.  MICHIGAN STATE--  A huge, underrated walk along the Red Cedar River on a fall day as the leaves are changing is a must..  Spartan Stadium is blah, but the tailgating is astounding.  Drink beer, not the water.

6.  MICHIGAN--   The Big House is an intimidating, massive stadium, sometimes referred to as a crater with a football field at the bottom.  Some consider it a sure-fire bucket list item, and that fight song will sure stick in your mind.

Football Saturday, You Know.  --RoadPunt

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CROSS PURPOSES:  "Ferry Cross the Mersey" was a 1964 hit song for which British Invasion group?


Gerry and the Pacemakers

New Cubs Victory Song-- Part 4: "Cubs Win"

If you want to see a fun video, go to You Tube and watch "Cubs Win" by Jump Suit.  Those guys must have had a ball making the video.

And, the words are few and easy to remember, always important for Cubs fans.

Here are some of the words:

Hey, now come on, you everybody
Everybody everywhere, let's make party.

Cubs (Hey Hey)
Cubs Win (Hey hey)
Cubs win.

This is our year.
This is our year
Santo, Ryno, Mordecai,
Frank Chance, Ernie Banks,
All the guys.

Great Song.  --RoadDog

New Cubs Victory Song-- Part 3: "Cubs Win!" by Jumpsuit, a Real "Parti Gras" Song

Some comments about "Cubs Win!" by Jumpsuit.

"The opening horn riff immediately puts you in a party atmosphere."

"The swaggering horns and the party tone of the tune befits the celebratory vibe that follows every Cubs win."

"Easy, happy, whimsical, full of everlasting hope, love and positivity."

Even Steve Goodman's brother, David, likes the song.  He said: "I hoist a beer to Jumpsuit's 'Cubs Win."  How ya gonna beat that Parti Gras Brass Band feel?"

This song has a really great video.  Check out "Cubs Win" by Jumpsuit on You Tube.  It is a lot of fun and gets you in Parti Gras mode.  they filmed it outside Wrigley Field while there was still snow on the ground.

Hope To Get to Sing it a Lot This Year, Said the Sox Fan.  --RoadDog


SOME CRAZY SAYINGS:  A plateau is a high form of flattery.

A New Chicago Cubs Victory Song-- Part 2 "Cubs Win!"

Of course, there are some who still want Steve Goodman's "Go Cubs Go" to played at the end even if it does call for the Cubs winning today.  One guy called the Tribune "Blasphemus Idiots to consider changing it because it's a Cubs tradition."  But what if they've already won.  I'm o.k. with a new closing song as long as it is as good as Goodman's (A Chicago favorite son).

The winning song is "Cubs Win" by Jumpsuit, a band that released its first album in 1997 and whose members -- brothers/photographers Nathan and Grant Sutton -- live in various North Side locations.  Their horn-fueled celebration revolves around the line "Let's make party" and a chorus that works in some syncopated "Hey-Heys" via Jack Brickhouse, Cubs announcer for many, many years.

I don't know that the Cubs are using the song, however, as I haven't seen the end of any home games yet.

Hopefully They Are.  It Is a Really Good Song.  It Might be, It Could Be...  --RoadDog


SOME CRAZY SAYINGS:  he had a photographic memory that was never developed.

A New Chicago Cubs Victory Song-- Part 1

From the April 3, 2015, Chicago Tribune "Belting out victory anthem" by Mark Caro.

Jumpsuit's "Cubs Win" song gets nod from fans, local judges.

The job was to create a new song that Cubs fans could sing after victories instead of Steve Goodman's "Go Cubs Go" which actually is more of a pre-game song.

More than 30 new songs were turned in, covering most music genres including rock, country, blues, hip-hop, big band jazz and a cappella chants.

The field went from 16 to 8 to 4.

The final four:

Cubs Win--  George Peter Block, Jr.

Cubs Win--  Jumpsuit

Everybody Loves the Cubs--  Frank Polancic

Raise the W--  Jimmy and Joey White.

Hey Chicago, What's You Know, the Cubs Are Gonna Wiin Today.  --RoadDog

Huskie Fight Song Set to Christmas Decorations

By NicksChristmas on You Tube

Northern Illinois University has always had a great fight song and, with the success of late after all those years of losing, we've sure gotten the opportunity to sing it a lot.  And hopefully this New Year's Night we'll get to sing it a whole lot more.

The football team has definitely lived up to the song.

Here's the site http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWREv-yUM4I .

Now, there lives a Real Huskie Fan!!  I understand the home is somewhere in Dekalb, Illinois, Home of NIU.  Puts my poor Christmas exhibition to shame.
Well Worth Seeing.  --RoadDog

Brought Back Memories of Dad

I was listening to Allen Vick this morning on WNCT, 1070 AM, out of Greenville, NC, as I often do while spending too much time on these blogs, when he played Shirley Ellis' "Clapping Song."  At the end, he said that now that song would be in your head all day.  True.  Singing it in my brain right now.

But, I must admit that it brought back some memories of Dad.  He used to sing one stanza from the song to us all the time:

"3,6,9, the goose drank wine
The monkey chewed tobacco on the street car line
The line broke and the monkey got choked
And they all went to heaven on a little rowboat."

If he sang that once, he sang it a thousand times when we were growing up.  I remember when I first heard the Shirley Ellis song back in the 60s and thinking, "Wow, that's Dad's song!  How'd she know it?"

He also had that ode to his high school in Mt. Olive, North Carolina, that went something like "Skinnyder- rinky, dinky, dinky, skinnerderinky-doo, Mt. Olive we love you."  I always thought he made that one up as I can't imagine any school having a fight song like that.  They'd have the other school laughing so hard, they couldn't play. Maybe that's why they sang it, if indeed, that was their real fight song.

Thinking of You, Dad. 

Who Has the Better Goal Song?

So, it turns out that the Philadelphia Flyers have their own "Goal" song called "Bro" by California punk-rock quartet Pennywise. While, of course, our Hawks have "Chelsea Dagger" by the Scottish garage-pop trio Fratellis.

The June 3rd Chicago Tribune had a comparison of the two songs. The Flyers song is first and Blackhawks second:

SONG: "Bro"; "Chelsea Dagger"
BAND: Pennywise; Fratellis
STYLE: Guitar speed rock; Glam clap-and-stomp

THE CHANT: Flyers: "Aaa-ohhhh! Ah-ohh-ohhhh! Ahhhh!! Ohhhh! Ohh-ohh-ohhhhhh!"
Blackhawks: "Doh! Dih-dih-doh! Dih-dih-doh! Dih-dih-doh-di-doh-dohhhh..." Homer would be so proud!!


THE VIBE: Well-lubricated revelers kicking and smashing things; Well-lubricated revelers swaying in arm-in-arm delirium

WHEN TEAM DEBUTED IT: 2007-2008 season; 2008-2009 season

FIRST KNOWN TEAM TO USE IT: Flyers: Anaheim Ducks made it their goal song in 2005-2006 season. Pennywise performed it live to celebrate the Ducks' 2007 Stanley Cup title.
Blackhawks: Celtic Football Club in Glasgow, Scotland began playing it after home scores in 2006.

OTHER TEAMS USING THE SONG: Arizona Cardinals and New York Islanders; Tampa Bay Rays and Baltimore Orioles.

WHERE ELSE YOU MIGHT HAVE HEARD IT: San Jose Earthquakes MLS game; Amstel Light beer ads.

EARWORM POWER RATING (Not really sure what this is, perhaps loudness?): 6; 10


WINNER: This being a Chicago paper, who do you think?

That Durn Song Really Grows On Ya. --RoadDog