Agree, two great ideas. As for the "Wicked Witch" not being loud enough, if the fans all do it along with the band we could be really loud. Not sure how to get everyone to "sing along" though.
Victory song?
- Thread starter Al_4_State
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Agree, two great ideas. As for the "Wicked Witch" not being loud enough, if the fans all do it along with the band we could be really loud. Not sure how to get everyone to "sing along" though.
The song is introduced as the alma mater. They're given the words (now on the scoreboards, formerly they were even printed in the game programs). It suggests that students and alumni simply don't care. The onus is not on the band to change that attitude. It should be on the various student and alumni organizations.
From a social standpoint, the average person who knows the tune will shy away from singing along if no one else is so as not to embarrass themselves.
Agreed, it just isn't working. Now just hold off with the flaming on me, but I think we could always try the nuclear option: Jeff Johnson. Just not on the field at the game, but at the big Destination Iowa State rally at Hilton for the freshmen before class starts.
Every year a small delegation of the band goes to this thing and Jeff teaches all the cheers and traditions. The student section didn't do Cyclone Aerobics or Cowbell up until about 4 years ago. The year it started was the year it got taught at Destination Iowa State. I know, I was there. And I know it wasn't done in the previous years, I was there for those too. One year of teaching that to incoming students and off it went. Forget the stupid scoreboard.
You could also slap it on some T-Shirts. It seemed like at least when I was there, all the Destination Iowa State students got a free t-shirt with Cy on the front and the lyrics to Fights on the back. Do one with Bells, and bam, you have 5,000 copies of the alma mater lyrics walking around campus or sitting in front of you in a lecture hall for the rest of the year.
After you teach, you engage the football team. If they start coming over to the student section to sing it with the band after the games, they will join in. Students learn from other students, general fans learn from the students, and the tradition begins. And hopefully, once people have learned the song, the pregame performance of Bells can take on a little life instead of the couple minutes of momentum killing dead time that it is now.
It isn't a matter of desire or Bells being a bad song or anything. It is a matter of education. Drunk people love to sing. It is a law of nature, look it up. There are a crapload of drunk people at JTS on gameday. You just have to pound it into them when they are sober, because they won't be reading scoreboard drunk on a Saturday. If you do that, then all you have to do is play it and they will sing. Oh yes, they will Sing. How is it that you think Sweet Caroline works? Nobody breaks into that sober walking across campus on their way to class.
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Indestructable wouldnt be bad but I think this one would be better
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jonFSTMrHhs]YouTube - Slipknot - Pulse of the Maggots (Unofficial Video)[/ame]
Please do not pretend to speak for "the rest of students/alumni" because you don't. Some value it and others don't. It is not just a band thing. I was never affiliated with the band and I value the tradition of it.
If I could quote this for truth any harder, I would be arrested for assault. This is the answer. I still have my ISU fight song shirt somewhere in my closet.
I will disagree with the last part. I did once jokingly shout,
"Good times never seemed so good..."
On central campus to prove a point, which was validated by the,
"SO GOOD! SO GOOD! SO GOOD!"
I got back.
It may never be heard or seen in all of these posts, but I always thought the following song was made to order for the Cyclones. Just change Mariah to "A Cyclone", and you have a winner. Use the first two versus or all, this vintage song can be what we are looking for. Humor an old man, okay?
By the way, Sam Cooke is truly immortal!
YouTube - sam cooke they call the wind mariah
By the way, Sam Cooke is truly immortal!
YouTube - sam cooke they call the wind mariah
write this down - first time I'm agreeing with a member of the band.
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has it been pointed out yet that while only 5-10% of the crowd knows Bells roughly 90-95% know "don't know the words" (in varying forms)?
this probably tells us something ... but its too deep for me to fathom.
Yep.
I've only been in the student section, so the assertion would be that no one in that section likes the Bells of Iowa State. the line "I hate this efffing song" has been heard on more than one occasion when it comes on.
personally I like either "small town"-John mellecamp or "thank god I'm a country boy"-John denver which were both brought up earlier. I would vote for "small town" personally but either works since the city kids are complaining about no country songs
Fact is, isu is less and less a 'country' school than ever. I knew waaaay more people from des moines, minneapolis, or chicago than who were from the country. I just dont think we should play into the stereotype of all being hicks out here, where the tv crews play images of tractors in the fields during the games.
My personal opinion is Sweet Caroline as a victory song, every Cyclone fan knows it whether they love it or hate it. And most that hate it, do so because we play it leading from the end of 3rd into 4th Q and they want a "pump you up" song which Sweet Caroline is not, I agree. Making it a victory song played after the 4th Q will still get it played (of course when we win which is ALWAYS) and it will allow for another pump up type song to be played at the end of the 3rd. Just my 2 cents.