Duckster No. 1 Share Posted April 13 (edited) So I think most of us already agree that Puddles is Head and Shoulders (Bill and Feathers?) ahead of the B1G mascots we will see next season. But how about our fight song, "Mighty Oregon?" Both USC and Washington have some pretty recognizable f-songs ( "Fight On", and "Bow Down" ). Really? Bow Down? To a dog? Possibly a little ego driven disconnect there? I digress ... I think "Mighty Oregon" is an under appreciated classic. But you can't deny that the B!G competition isn't going to be stiff. "The Victors" (Michigan) and "On Wisconsin" are certified classics. So what do you think sports fans? How do we stack up in the pantheon? Edited April 13 by Duckster Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drake Moderator No. 2 Share Posted April 13 The Oregon Fight song is great. Although, I have noticed fewer fans stand up for the song at the football games. Perhaps our alumni are standing in line trying to get a beer. I always thought it would be cool if Nike would embrace the marching band. Create some different Uniform combos with band members wearing retro Air Jordans…lol 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Marsh No. 3 Share Posted April 13 On 4/12/2024 at 8:06 PM, Drake said: Although, I have noticed fewer fans stand up for the song at the football games. Perhaps our alumni are standing in line trying to get a beer. Probably because the Kelly-Helfrich years made standing exhausting from Oregon scoring so often. 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles Fischer Administrator No. 4 Share Posted April 13 A friend who is a Yale graduate gently explained that our fight song sounds precisely like theirs...and theirs has been around much longer. Oh well! 1 Mr. FishDuck Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red Eddy Green No. 5 Share Posted April 13 It would be helpful for us older fans with full memory banks to put the words on the big screen. I've seen T shirts with the verses printed on the back, but alass they never sit in front of me. I do well with the National Anthem and America the Beautiful and the verses of Matts Wayward Son and of course Shout, but the Duck Fight song eludes me without some prompting. That particular cubicle in my memory bank is still occupied with Springfield Millers fight song. "Midst the many schools and colors. old Springield is the best. From the Atlantic to the Pacific she's the pride of all the West. We will sing of all her heros and dautless athlets too. We will cheer her ever onward as we wave the White and Blue." 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DC Featherbutt No. 6 Share Posted April 13 One of the least good things about Oregon is the fight song. It is the trio section (3rd section, usually featuring a key change) of an actual (crappy) march. It is, however, ours. Yay team. UCLA and UCB share certain “fight” songs that, IMO, are great. Stanford uses the rock tune “All Right Now” which is cool and different. But……….. Lil’ ole OAC (maybe by luck?) has a killer fight song. Catchy, less intricate than Oregon’s, and can be played at any tempo and make sense. The best part about OAC. We will lose every fight song battle that we choose to enter. Funny story: I am a retired White House musician. One of the annual events I would be tasked with is performing (with a concert band) the fight songs of every NCAA champion as their reps came forward to shake hands with the President in a south lawn ceremony taking place early every summer. I played them all. The first time I played “Mighty Oregon” at one of these events I was excited until I saw the reactions from the other musicians. Let’s just say they were less than impressed. 1 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dav3d No. 7 Share Posted April 13 A Yalie said our fight song sounds like theirs? He must be sniffing Handsome Dan's farts. 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles Fischer Administrator No. 8 Share Posted April 13 My friends...listen to this below. It is very, very similar. At the time, he told me a bit of the history, and he is a personal friend. 1 Mr. FishDuck Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Joseph No. 9 Share Posted April 13 'On Wisconsin', Ohio State's 'Cross the Field' and 'Buckeye Battle Cry,' Fight, Fight, Fight for Iowa' are all great, but "Hail to the Victors' is iconic and probably a close second to 'Cheer, Cheer for Old Notre Dame.' 'Fight On?' I think the needle got stuck. 'The Victors' celebrates Michigan winning a big game and being anointed 'Champions of the West.' What team did Michigan defeat to become 'The Champion of the West?' Try to answer without getting Webby. I imagine several OBD members, at least, know the answer. If not revealed, I'll post the answer soon. Ohio State is playing its Spring Game as I type, broadcast on Fox. (Revealed today that Chip is being paid $2M a year. Equates to $4M a year in LA.) Becoming a part of great traditions is B1G. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dav3d No. 10 Share Posted April 13 (edited) As a former member of the OMB I must respectfully disagree. Yes both are 2/4 march time in G major with a lot of brass emphasis, but it's kind of like saying "all marches sound the same" - might as well blame John Phillip Sousa for that. Mighty Oregon was originally a longer piece: today we only play the chorus (the lyrics have changed too). Yes, yale has been around much longer than University of Oregon but Cole Porter's copyright on Bulldog is 1911. Albert Perfect's copyright (and the first known performance) of "The Mighty Oregon March" is 1916. So I think the implication that Mighty Oregon is derivative of bulldog is a bit arrogant on the part of your Yalie friend. If anything, Perfect was said to be influenced by "It's a Long way to Tipperary." I stand by my fart comment. Edited April 13 by Dav3d 1 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
JabbaNoBargain No. 11 Share Posted April 13 (edited) On 4/13/2024 at 9:30 AM, DC Featherbutt said: One of the least good things about Oregon is the fight song. It is the trio section (3rd section, usually featuring a key change) of an actual (crappy) march. It is, however, ours. Yay team. UCLA and UCB share certain “fight” songs that, IMO, are great. Stanford uses the rock tune “All Right Now” which is cool and different. But……….. Lil’ ole OAC (maybe by luck?) has a killer fight song. Catchy, less intricate than Oregon’s, and can be played at any tempo and make sense. The best part about OAC. We will lose every fight song battle that we choose to enter. Funny story: I am a retired White House musician. One of the annual events I would be tasked with is performing (with a concert band) the fight songs of every NCAA champion as their reps came forward to shake hands with the President in a south lawn ceremony taking place early every summer. I played them all. The first time I played “Mighty Oregon” at one of these events I was excited until I saw the reactions from the other musicians. Let’s just say they were less than impressed. I appreciate your musicians’s lens (I’m a musician as well), but looking beyond the score for an individual instrumentation part, Beavis’ lyrics disqualify that song from not being considered terrible. Now if we want to start a conversation about how lame it is that our band latched on to Star Wars Episode 1 Freedom of Naboo as something they have constantly played for 25 years, that’s a conversation! Edited April 13 by JabbaNoBargain 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DC Featherbutt No. 12 Share Posted April 13 On 4/13/2024 at 10:22 AM, Dav3d said: So I think the implication that Mighty Oregon is derivative of bulldog is a bit arrogant on the part of your Yalie friend. If anything, Perfect was said to be influenced by "It's a Long way to Tipperary." Agree. I see no resemblance at all in the marches. Could it be that both have a fairly definable “break strain” or “dog fight” section where many school’s pieces do not? I’m going to the grave convinced that OAC has one of the greatest. Unfortunate but fact. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Joseph No. 13 Share Posted April 13 In 1898, the Michigan Wolverines won the Thanksgiving Day annual game vs. the University of Chicago Phoenix to capture its first Western Conference championship and become the Champions of the West. The U Chicago mascot name, 'Phoenix', came about as the result of the city's dramatic recovery from The Great Chicago Fire of 1871. Along with Illinois, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Purdue, and Northwestern, Michigan and Chicago formed The Western Conference in 1895. Iowa and Indiana joined in 1899. Ohio State came aboard in 1912 at which time the Western Conference became the Big Ten Conference. In 1939, U Chicago dropped football because the sport was becoming too 'professional' in nature. The Phoenix was ahead of the curve. In 1949, Michigan State joined the conference to return the B1g Ten to 10 teams. Hopefully, on 11/2/24, the Ducks will win the day in Ann Arbor and square the series at 3 apiece versus the Victors. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles Fischer Administrator No. 14 Share Posted April 13 No sweat. I am not a musician, but to my raw ear....they sound almost identical, and most people I believe would agree. We will disagree, and that's fine. I LOVE our fight song, and a prank I like to do on occasion is leave a voice-mail message of my bellowing out the fight song with fellow Duck-Buddies. Either they love it, or think I'm nuts...or both. 1 Mr. FishDuck Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles Fischer Administrator No. 15 Share Posted April 13 On 4/13/2024 at 10:43 AM, JabbaNoBargain said: Star Wars Episode 1 Freedom of Naboo I had no idea.....a pretty strong resemblance! Mr. FishDuck Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duckster Author No. 16 Share Posted April 13 You guys have me laughing at some of the responses. I have to go along with Dav3 as my musical ears (some singing) don't pick up a heavy connection with Yale's FS. Interesting to me that to a large degree our senses serve to define our perceptions. And DC Feather ... great story, but I have to go full contrarian on the Lame-A .. Stanford FS. Free (English R Band early 70's) wrote and performed that little slice of drivel (Paul Rodgers...meh). The Hoover Tower crowd actually believe it's original. Granted, I've probably attended too many events at the Farm over the years to be objective. For the most part F- Songs are from a bygone era and serve as a bit of tether to a schools history, and of things past. In the proper setting, on fields of play, I think they are great and add a layer to the overall festivities. In that simple context I think Mighty-O stands up well. I defy anyone who was at one of those sardine crammed, sweat hot nights inside Mac Court to deny it. With Joe Romania dancing on high ... 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
