I'd like to further contribute to the discussion: At The Last Waltz Bill Graham should have hauled Neil Diamond off the stage at Winterland by the ear and booted his rear end out the door into the alley.
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“I love Cal deeply. What are the directions to The Portal from Sproul Plaza?”
Wikipedia: During the Nazi era, only the first stanza was used, followed by the SA song "Horst-Wessel-Lied".[url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deutschlandlied#cite_note-8][8][/url] The anthem was played at occasions of great national significance such as the opening of the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin when Hitler and his entourage, along with Olympic officials, walked into the stadium amid a chorus of three thousand Germans singing "Deutschland, Deutschland ber alles". In this way, the first verse of the anthem became closely identified with the Nazi regime.[url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deutschlandlied#cite_note-9][9][/url]
How about a California anthem of some sort: California Dreamin Goin back to Cali (Biggie or Cool J) Anything from the Beach Boys California Love California Sun (the Rivieras)
Lots that aren't quite appropriate (Dead Kennedys, Eagles, Doors, Chili Peppers, Dre, Cal Drinking Song) There's got to be a cross-generational, feel-good, stadium-friendly song someone can find.
I love California Sun.
There are so many songs out there that are contagious, surely we can do something no one else is doing. Especially if it;'s nice a clean song.
LSU doing - Hey Baby is AWESOME.I love when the conducter turns to all the fans...
Wisconsin doing Buttercup, so cool.
Should be something that is clean, everyone can sing. Brown Eyed Girl would be great... because it has that great "Sha la la la la la la la la la de dah"
Or we could really steal from the UK, who stole from us, and go with You'll Never Walk Alone, which is frickinh awesome.
"Walk on through the wind, walk on through the rain, for your dreams be tossed and blown.... Walk on! WALK ON!!! With hope in your heart. And you'll never walk alone. You'll NEVER WALK ALONE!!!"
Come to think of it , that sounds like the perfect Cal anthem!!!
Look, guys, it was spontaneous. Everyone joined in, because they know the lyrics and the melody is appealing. I don't care who else sings it at games, it was obvious that the people at CMS loved it and for that reason we should play it every game at some interesting juncture. It's up to the Cal band to tell us when.
My reply was primarily for end of game. I'll disagree that "Hail" is not a good song for a victory, as it is the Cal Alma Mater, and it's a tradition at many schools (used to be at Cal as well) to sing the Alma Mater after the game.
But I'd be fine with something as a tradition during the game, especially if it replaced the "Bear Growl". Ohio State has their "Hang on Sloopy", the Huskies have "Tequila", and I can't recall what Wisconsin uses but it's a cool tradition as well. I think they all do those songs at the beginning of the 4th quarter. Let Cal Band come up with something and I think it could be a winner.
The Cal Band plays/sings "Hail to California" before the games: "Hail to California, Alma Mater dear... " I want to say it's the University Alma Mater.
After the games, they play "All Hail": "All hail, Blue and Gold. Thy colors unfold... " I believe this is the Campus Alma Mater.
Perhaps there are those who will say this is "TMI".
The male Red Sox fans I know, including comedian Bill Burr, ***despise*** the singing of Sweet Caroline. They view it as a total "sell out" move by the franchise, designed to appeal to female fans. One friend actually talks about the pre-Sweet Caroline days versus the post-Sweet Caroline days, with the only good thing about the post-Sweet Caroline days being that the Red Sox have won.
In Bill Burr's words, women tend to like it, and guys either hate it or sit there silently and cringe as their date sings it, knowing if they say something negative they'll ruin any chance they have of getting laid later.
I vote ***HELL NO*** to Sweet Caroline. Let's stick to our own traditions, please.
While I also would prefer to stick to and build our own traditions, if it's true that most male Red Sox fans ***despise*** the singing of "Sweet Caroline", then that would be a point in it's favor, for me.
Apologies to all of you that love the song but when I was growing up, Neil Diamond and Barry Manilow were the height of uncool. You might get beat up if you had Sweet Caroline on your walkman.
For the life of me, their resurgence boggles my mind.
+1
Someone please explain why white people love singing Sweet Caroline at games? My grad school used to do the same too at games, never got into it.
Stupid white people. amirite?
Also, whats up with non white people singing at the game? Are they trying to be white now?
The male Red Sox fans I know, including comedian Bill Burr, ***despise*** the singing of Sweet Caroline. They view it as a total "sell out" move by the franchise, designed to appeal to female fans. One friend actually talks about the pre-Sweet Caroline days versus the post-Sweet Caroline days, with the only good thing about the post-Sweet Caroline days being that the Red Sox have won.
In Bill Burr's words, women tend to like it, and guys either hate it or sit there silently and cringe as their date sings it, knowing if they say something negative they'll ruin any chance they have of getting laid later.
I vote ***HELL NO*** to Sweet Caroline. Let's stick to our own traditions, please.
Is the only bad thing they have to say about it to justify it being a "sell out" is that women like it?
Wikipedia: During the Nazi era, only the first stanza was used, followed by the SA song "Horst-Wessel-Lied".[url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deutschlandlied#cite_note-8][8][/url] The anthem was played at occasions of great national significance such as the opening of the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin when Hitler and his entourage, along with Olympic officials, walked into the stadium amid a chorus of three thousand Germans singing "Deutschland, Deutschland ber alles". In this way, the first verse of the anthem became closely identified with the Nazi regime.[url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deutschlandlied#cite_note-9][9][/url]
He's referencing a Dead Kennedys song - anti-authoritarian, anti-fascist, anti-governor Jerry Brown (act 1). Not a good candidate for feel-good stadium singalong.
Wikipedia: During the Nazi era, only the first stanza was used, followed by the SA song "Horst-Wessel-Lied".[url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deutschlandlied#cite_note-8][8][/url] The anthem was played at occasions of great national significance such as the opening of the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin when Hitler and his entourage, along with Olympic officials, walked into the stadium amid a chorus of three thousand Germans singing "Deutschland, Deutschland ber alles". In this way, the first verse of the anthem became closely identified with the Nazi regime.[url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deutschlandlied#cite_note-9][9][/url]
He's referencing a Dead Kennedys song - anti-authoritarian, anti-fascist, anti-governor Jerry Brown (act 1). Not a good candidate for feel-good stadium singalong.
Understood, and i guarantee that will make for terrible optics, because the only thing anyone will hear are the echoes of a nazi stadium chant.
Yes and no. Can you think of a rowdier song that is, at the same time, not reliant on what used to be called "Blue" humour? It has the character of the "Bear Territory" chant; but is not domineering (or kicking the losing team when they're down); and it's not as complicated as the California Drinking Song (although I, personally, am very fond of those complications - which, unfortunately, are probably too much for a modern audience -- although wouldn't it be fun to hear 100,000 people singing that song after an impossibly big win. I mean that song forms one of my earliest musical/poetic memories (long before I ever even heard of Cal, or even thought of becoming a professional musician for half my life); and, even now (and despite the horrors of alcoholism), it still is a pleasing (if not long and strange) trip.
Yes and no. Can you think of a rowdier song that is, at the same time, not reliant on what used to be called "Blue" humour? It has the character of the "Bear Territory" chant; but is not domineering (or kicking the losing team when they're down); and it's not as complicated as the California Drinking Song (although I, personally, am very fond of those complications - which, unfortunately, are probably too much for a modern audience -- although wouldn't it be fun to hear 100,000 people singing that song after an impossibly big win. I mean that song forms one of my earliest musical/poetic memories (long before I ever even heard of Cal, or even thought of becoming a professional musician for half my life); and, even now (and despite the horrors of alcoholism), it still is a pleasing (if not long and strange) trip.
and I just remembered (ego cropping up) that I wrote an Alma Mater song for a musical comedy I composed for a drama class at Cal [and I hate musical comedy, but it was suggested to me by an absolutely nuts (and I hasten to say, Jewish) friend, whose original idea was to do a concentration camp comedy, which I, somehow, just couldn't feature]. Cal!
Yes and no. Can you think of a rowdier song that is, at the same time, not reliant on what used to be called "Blue" humour? It has the character of the "Bear Territory" chant; but is not domineering (or kicking the losing team when they're down); and it's not as complicated as the California Drinking Song (although I, personally, am very fond of those complications - which, unfortunately, are probably too much for a modern audience -- although wouldn't it be fun to hear 100,000 people singing that song after an impossibly big win. I mean that song forms one of my earliest musical/poetic memories (long before I ever even heard of Cal, or even thought of becoming a professional musician for half my life); and, even now (and despite the horrors of alcoholism), it still is a pleasing (if not long and strange) trip.
Well i do like those songs where i can hide my inability to carry a tune. But i thought the idea was a melodic, feel-good, nostalgic, esprit de corps-generating and maybe even a little old fashioned type of song. Who let the bears out is fun, but maybe a little too recent, too gimmicky and not melodic enough for my tastes.
The Cal Alma Mater is "All Hail Blue and Gold". It needs to be played sooner. I hate that Bay Area fans have "gone LA", leaving the game early, etc.
In my perfect world, at the end of the game, the team would join the Band for "Fight for California", "All Hail" and "Palms of Victory" (after a win), or "Sons of California" (after a loss).
Patience is a virtue, but I’m not into virtue signaling these days.
Apologies to all of you that love the song but when I was growing up, Neil Diamond and Barry Manilow were the height of uncool. You might get beat up if you had Sweet Caroline on your walkman.
For the life of me, their resurgence boggles my mind.
That Hyundai commercial may have helped. My 11 and 13 year old both sing it.
How about a California anthem of some sort: California Dreamin Goin back to Cali (Biggie or Cool J) Anything from the Beach Boys California Love California Sun (the Rivieras)
Lots that aren't quite appropriate (Dead Kennedys, Eagles, Doors, Chili Peppers, Dre, Cal Drinking Song) There's got to be a cross-generational, feel-good, stadium-friendly song someone can find.
I love California Sun.
There are so many songs out there that are contagious, surely we can do something no one else is doing. Especially if it;'s nice a clean song.
LSU doing - Hey Baby is AWESOME.I love when the conducter turns to all the fans...
Wisconsin doing Buttercup, so cool.
Should be something that is clean, everyone can sing. Brown Eyed Girl would be great... because it has that great "Sha la la la la la la la la la de dah"
Or we could really steal from the UK, who stole from us, and go with You'll Never Walk Alone, which is frickinh awesome.
"Walk on through the wind, walk on through the rain, for your dreams be tossed and blown.... Walk on! WALK ON!!! With hope in your heart. And you'll never walk alone. You'll NEVER WALK ALONE!!!"
Come to think of it , that sounds like the perfect Cal anthem!!!
Love these ideas! Please plant the seeds to the proper people Ken. We're missing out on some incredibly memorable chicken skin moments we do together as a community.
So many local artist from the Bay Area - Santana, Green Day, Journey, the Dead, Smashmouth, Tower of Power, MC Hammer, Metallica, Sly and the Family Stone, and Counting Crows (Cal's own) to name just a few. Seems like there is a lot of stuff to use. I mean, Green day has a song titled "Tight Wad Hill' for christ sake. Seems like a lot of material which would be better than Sweet Caroline. Although I did like that everyone was singing, which is cool.
Jump Around took off at Wisky, so it seems like there could be something local that bring the crowd to life.
Welcome to Paradise by Berkeley's own Green Day!
Or Summer if 69 by Bryan Adams: upbeat everyone knows.
Does Jack Clark have a twin brother that somehow got into sequins, crooning and sideburns instead of playing rugby and being a tough guy?
How dare you disparage Slim's masculinity. Once you put a couple of mescals in him, ole Slim held his own in many a brawl in trucker cantinas down Nogales way.
Cancel my subscription to the Resurrection
Send my credentials to the House of Detention
“I love Cal deeply. What are the directions to The Portal from Sproul Plaza?”
The Cal Alma Mater is "All Hail Blue and Gold". It needs to be played sooner. I hate that Bay Area fans have "gone LA", leaving the game early, etc.
In my perfect world, at the end of the game, the team would join the Band for "Fight for California", "All Hail" and "Palms of Victory" (after a win), or "Sons of California" (after a loss).
Yep. Since the team now generally comes over and joins them for Fight, I think the band should just go immediately into All Hail right after, and have the team stay for it.
BTW - I believe that was the *origjnal* tradition of All Hail after games. The business of playing it for the Alumni side I believe only dates to the late 60s. Students no longer wanted to sing it or stay around for it- but alums on the other side did. So the band quit playing it from the stands rightbafter and made it the first post game song on the field for the alums instead.
That time frame is also when they started finishing the post game concert with the full Lights Out March version of the fight song, and I think for the same reason. The alums of that era had mostly been on campus in the 30s, 40s and 50s, when the band did pregame marching from the south end to the north. They'd enter to the full "Hail to California Fanfare" and march up field playing the Lights Out March. At about the 40 yard line they'd hit the end of the intro lower their instruments, and sing Fight for California - with the whole stadium joining in!! Ever wonder why the lsju band has an alternative version of the lyrics? Well that's why. They had to have something to drown it out!
Anyway- alums of that generation loved hearing the full Lights Out March version for that reason. To them it was memories of the full stadiums of their youth, watching the Thunder Team and the Waldorf teams. Now it's just a "tradition" that people do by rote. Why it once mattered to people is long forgotten. So many of our traditions are now like that- time for some new ones I'd say. Or in the case of when to play the alma mater, maybe a return to an even older tradition that I'd say was much better.
