Product Code Database
The use of music at sporting events is thousands of years old, and has recently become popular again. Some sports have specific traditions about pieces of music played at particular events. Others have made the presentation of music very specific to the team—even to particular players. Music may be used to build the energy of the fans, and may also be introduced in ways that are less directly connected with the action in a sporting event.
Queen's standards '"We Will Rock You" and "We Are the Champions" have also become common fare at sporting events, as have Five Stone's "Make Noise", Gary Glitter's "Rock and Roll Part 2", and Zombie Nation's "Kernkraft 400". Most collegiate sports are accompanied by a band that plays brass and drum instrumental music designed to accentuate the experience.
Currently two NFL teams have marching bands:
The Los Angeles Rams had a marching band during their times at both the LA Coliseum and Anaheim Stadium. The practice was abandoned when the team relocated to St. Louis.
The Seattle Seahawks adopted The Verve's "Bittersweet Symphony" as their theme song, and it is heard whenever something special happens to the home team. For instance, when the team takes the field to a sellout crowd, the song blares throughout the reverberating stadium, and when the Seahawks score the game-winning field goal, it would undoubtedly be played. When the New England Patriots come out from the tunnel, Ozzy Osbourne's hit "Crazy Train" is played. A common song for the New Orleans Saints during and since their Super Bowl Season is "Half-time", or "Stand Up and Get Crunk" by Ying Yang Twins. The song "Big Easy Mafia" is played prior to all New Orleans Saints games while the players are warming up and the fans are pouring into the stadium to hype everyone up. Green Bay Packers play Todd Rundgren's "Bang the Drum All Day" after every Packers touchdown at Lambeau Field.
A common choice of music to be played over PA systems as games are being kicked off is "Start Me Up" by the Rolling Stones and "Welcome to the Jungle" by Guns N' Roses. deadspin tourny
The Village People/Pet Shop Boys song "Go West" has also become popular, and an instrumental version of the music was used as the theme for the 2006 World Cup.
Liverpool adopted "You'll Never Walk Alone", specifically the version performed by Beat music band Gerry & The Pacemakers, as its theme song. Manchester City have adopted Blue Moon as their song whilst I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles can be heard at games involving West Ham United. Stoke City fans' anthem has been Delilah since the 1970s.
The NCAA does not use organ music, but in many Division I schools, a smaller pep band plays at games (as compared to the full-size football marching bands). However, during a 2004 game between Michigan State University and the University of Kentucky at Ford Field, both teams' full football marching bands played.
Beginning in the mid-1970s, pre-recorded pop and rock music began to supplement the organ music (or replace it entirely) at many ballparks. A very popular theme song is "Meet the Mets" from 1962 when the Mets joined the MLB. The Mets also had a theme song for their World Series run in 1986, "Let's Go Mets".
In the modern evolution of the sport, many athletes now have "theme songs" that are played when they come up to bat. Slate notes that Major League Baseball players "can pick several songs as personal themes for their plate appearances, sometimes a rotation of four different tracks a game." Indeed, in 2004, the Wall Street Journal reported that the longtime organist for Dodger Stadium "has been usurped by a deejay who sits directly below her. He plays a selection of hip-hop and rock, interspersed with devices designed to pump up the crowd and the stadium's volume." In that same year, the Dropkick Murphys' version of a 1902 Red Sox fight song ended up inspiring Red Sox fandom, as their team headed to victory in both the 2004 ALCS and the 2004 World Series.
The Atlanta Braves are known for an organist whose primary duty is playing the visiting player's walkup music, which is often fan-selected or plays on a player's name, with special dispensation for certain players. Former Braves usually are greeted with the theme to Welcome Back, Kotter. Georgian natives receive the state's popular regional anthem "Georgia on My Mind". Players who played college baseball at one of the currently 15 Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) or currently 14 Southeastern Conference (SEC) schools (both conferences' fan bases reach the city) or Big Ten school Maryland (which had been an ACC member until the 2013-14 season, since former Terrapins probably made visits to the state of Georgia while playing college baseball) receive their respective school's fight song. (The fight song is played for all players who played at current ACC schools Louisville, Notre Dame, and Pittsburgh or current SEC schools Missouri and Texas A&M—the five most recent members of the respective conferences in baseball—even if their team played in the American (then–Big East) or Big 12 conference at the time.)
The practice of using a heavy metal theme song to signal the entrance of a relief pitcher began at Qualcomm Stadium in 1998, when the San Diego Padres started playing "Hells Bells" by AC/DC to accompany Trevor Hoffman's taking the mound.
San Jose Mercury News and ESPN.com wrote that the song should be honored by the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. The use of rock and roll for entrance music emerged from the comedy film Major League (1989), in which relief pitcher Rick "Wild Thing" Vaughn entered the game to a cover song of "Wild Thing" performed by X. In addition, batters will often select a song to play as they come to the plate in home games.
Take Me Out to the Ball Game is often played or sung at major- or minor-league baseball games, typically during the seventh-inning stretch.
At Fenway Park, Neil Diamond's song, "Sweet Caroline," is played during the eighth inning of Boston Red Sox home games, and has been a regular part of the program since 2002.
Since 2006, Sweet Caroline has also played over the sound system during the middle of the eighth inning of New York Mets home games.
Consequently, Diamond's hit single became a standing tradition after several years of playing it based upon the home-team's performance.
YouTuber and rapper KSI tends to use his own music as his entrance themes, most notably Down Like That, in which a live performance was held for KSI's walkout.
Many wrestlers have used many themes over the course of their careers. Some wrestlers like Ric Flair and Randy Savage are known for their one particular entrance theme song, Also Sprach Zarathustra and Pomp and Circumstance respectively.
Perhaps the most extreme example of this can be found in professional wrestling and some mixed martial arts promotions, where almost every wrestler has an entry theme written to suit their particular character.
An album entitled "ESPN Presents Stadium Anthems" has been released that includes many songs that are played over the Public Address system at North American sporting events. Similar albums, such as Jock Jams, have been released in the past.
Repertoire
In some cases a particular song may be played at a specific time in the game.
Combat sports
Entrance music includes:
Hockey
Many NHL hockey teams feature an organist to lead crowd chants, cues and other prompts. Hockey organists may adapt popular music for the organ and play genres such as rock, film scores, or pop on the organ in instrumental form. Hockey was the first sport to adopt "Rock and Roll Part 2" as a goal song, initially to accompany when the Kalamazoo Wings would score, and spreading as the DJ of that team went onto work with the Colorado Rockies and started the practice there. When the Rockies moved to New Jersey to become the New Jersey Devils in 1982, the song stayed with them. 29 of the 32 teams in the NHL went on to use "Rock and Roll Part 2" as a goal song at one point.
Roller derby
Walk-on music used in roller derby, also called skate-out music, has been a part of the sport since its very beginning.
+ Skate-out music
! League !! Team !! Song !! Artist DJ Snake ft. Lil Jon Steve Aoki The Soviettes
Snooker
As part of Barry Hearn's vision for the future of the professional game, walk-on music was introduced from the 2010 World Snooker Championship. As of the 2012 World Snooker Championship, the last 32 players and their walk-on music was as follows:
+ Walk-on music
! Player !! Song !! Artist David Guetta feat. Sia Phil Collins Labrinth feat. Tinie Tempah Kesha Flo Rida Giuseppe Verdi Michael Jackson Madness Lady Gaga The Pogues Frankie Goes to Hollywood Marillion Black Eyed Peas Groove Armada Motörhead Chris Brown Electronic Arnold McCuller Joy Division LMFAO Black Eyed Peas Andy Lau Jay Sean Whitesnake The Trammps Train The White Stripes Two Steps from Hell Kasabian Usher Martin Garrix feat. Bonn Van Halen
Wrestling
Wrestling companies often have an inhouse composer composing theme music for wrestlers. They also may use stock music.
Theme music in other sports
Entire teams will occasionally adopt a theme song (such as the Chicago Bears with their 1985 Super Bowl Shuffle, sung by the members of the team). Up until 2011, Monday Night Football had its own theme, sung by Hank Williams, Jr.; the Hockey Night in Canada theme has sometimes been referred to as Canada's second national anthem; and the Olympic Games have long had powerful theme music composed to accompany ceremonies opening and closing the games.
See also
External links
|
|
