Fight! Wildcats! Fight!

Last updated

"Fight! Wildcats! Fight!" is the official fight song of the University of Arizona. While "Bear Down, Arizona!" is easily the most recognizable fight song attributed to the University it was written 23 years after "Fight!" and is more accurately described as the official motto of the university.

Contents

History

The words to "Fight! Wildcats! Fight!" were written in 1929 by Dugald "Douglas" Stanley Holsclaw, class of '25 and a member of the spirit squad (serving as the "Yell Leader" from 1923 to 1924). Holsclaw and his wife Alice contributed greatly to the University of Arizona and to the state of Arizona itself. Holsclaw went on to serve as a state senator for many years. The Holsclaw family has been honored by the University with an endowed chair in the genetics department and a recital hall in the Music Building. "Fight! Wildcats! Fight!" [1] was officially introduced by the UA band at the 1930 Homecoming game and was also performed by Rudy Vallee and his orchestra over the NBC radio network that same year.

The music to "Fight! Wildcats! Fight!" was co-written by Holsclaw and Thornton W. Allen, a composer, arranger, and publisher based in New York. Allen was responsible for the music for various collegiate fight songs including those for the University of Maryland, University of Florida, and Washington and Lee University.

Lyrics

The lyrics to "Fight! Wildcats! Fight!" consists of a verse and chorus. [2] Originally the verse had two versions: One for students or other members of the University, and another version for the "Towncats", the now-defunct alumni club of the University of Arizona. The chorus also features different lyrics depending on whether it is being performed at a football game or basketball game.

Related Research Articles

University of Arizona Public university in Arizona, United States

The University of Arizona is a public land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it was the first university in the Arizona Territory.

Mila Rodino National anthem of Bulgaria

"Mila Rodino" is the national anthem of Bulgaria. It was composed and written by Tsvetan Radoslavov as he left to fight in the Serbo-Bulgarian War in 1885. The anthem was adopted in 1964. The text has been changed many times, most recently in 1990. On 13 July 1991 the anthem was shortened to its first verse along with the chorus.

Battle Hymn of the Republic American patriotic song written by Julia Ward Howe

The "Battle Hymn of the Republic", also known as "Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory" outside of the United States, is a popular American patriotic song by the abolitionist writer Julia Ward Howe.

On the Banks of the Wabash, Far Away 1897 song

"On the Banks of the Wabash, Far Away" was among the best-selling songs of the 19th century, earning over $100,000 from sheet-music revenues. Written and composed by American songwriter Paul Dresser, it was published by the Tin Pan Alley firm of Howley, Haviland and Company in October 1897. The lyrics of the ballad reminisce about life near Dresser's childhood home by the Wabash River in Indiana, United States. The song remained popular for decades, and the Indiana General Assembly adopted it as the official state song on March 14, 1913. The song was the basis for a 1923 film of the same title. Its longtime popularity led to the emergence of several lyrical versions, including an 1898 anti-war song and a Swedish version that was a number-one hit.

"The Army Goes Rolling Along" is the official song of the United States Army and is typically called "The Army Song". It is adapted from an earlier work titled the "U.S. Field Artillery March".

Bear Down

"Bear Down" is the official motto of the University of Arizona, located in Tucson, Arizona. It is the inspiration for "Bear Down, Arizona!," the unofficial fight song of the school's Arizona Wildcats. The official fight song is "Fight! Wildcats! Fight!" written by Douglas Holsclaw.

"September Song" is an American standard popular song composed by Kurt Weill with lyrics by Maxwell Anderson. It was introduced by Walter Huston in the 1938 Broadway musical production Knickerbocker Holiday. After being used in the 1950 film September Affair, the song has been recorded by numerous singers and instrumentalists. It was also used during screen credits in the British television series May to December, the name of which quotes the opening line of the song's main theme.

The Victors Fight song of the University of Michigan

"The Victors" is the fight song of the University of Michigan (UM) written and composed by UM student Louis Elbel in 1898. The song was first played publicly by John Philip Sousa and his band.

Arizona Wildcats University of Arizona athletic teams

The Arizona Wildcats are the athletic teams that represent the University of Arizona, located in Tucson. The Wildcats compete at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level as a member of the Pac-12 Conference. Arizona's chief intercollegiate rival is the Arizona State Sun Devils, and the two universities' athletic departments compete against each other in multiple sports via the State Farm Territorial Cup Series.

"Victory for MSU", formerly "MSU Fight Song", is the official fight song of Michigan State University, US. MSU's fight song was created in early 1915, when MSU was known as Michigan Agricultural College (M.A.C.). An MSU cheerleader, Francis Irving Lankey, along with lyricist Arthur Sayles, created the song. With several changes noted below, the school has used the same song ever since. The MSU Fight Song is played at all university sporting events and is frequently sung by students and alumni.

"Don't Fence Me In" is a popular American song written in 1934, with music by Cole Porter and lyrics by Robert Fletcher and Cole Porter. Members of the Western Writers of America chose it as one of the Top 100 Western songs of all time.

"Buckeye Battle Cry", composed by vaudeville performer and songwriter Frank Crumit, is one of two fight songs of the Ohio State Buckeyes, with the other being "(Fight The Team) Across the Field". Every football game in Ohio Stadium begins with Ramp entrance by The Ohio State University Marching Band, performed to "Buckeye Battle Cry". The tradition of Script Ohio ends with the singing of one chorus of the fight song by band members. The song is also played after every Buckeye score.

Ragtime Cowboy Joe Popular song published in 1912

Ragtime Cowboy Joe is a popular western swing song. The lyrics were written by Grant Clarke and the music was composed by Lewis F. Muir and Maurice Abrahams. It was copyrighted and published in 1912 by F.A. Mills.

"Hail to Old O.S.U." is the song from which the fight song for Oregon State University is based. It was written by Harold A. Wilkins in 1914 and is played mainly at sporting events like football and basketball games. The lyrics have been slightly altered since being written "to conform to a changing culture", changing to conform to new initials, and the use of a more gender-neutral version.

Oskee Wow-Wow is the official fight song of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The song was written in 1910 by two students: Harold Vater Hill '11 (1889–1917), credited with the music, and Howard Ruggles Green '12 (1890–1969), credited with the lyrics.

"The Nittany Lion" is a traditional fight song played by the Penn State Blue Band at football games and other sporting events. During the pre-game show of home football games at Beaver Stadium, it is part of the traditional Lion Fanfare and Downfield. While it is not the official fight song of Penn State, it is one of the songs most widely associated with the university, and is also incorrectly referred to as "Hail to the Lion". On Fridays and Saturdays, the clock tower in Penn State's Old Main plays a line of the chorus music at the fifteen-minute mark of each hour, and adds a line every 15 minutes until the whole chorus is played on the completion of the hour.

Kansas State University Marching Band

The Kansas State University Marching Band, also known as "The Pride of Wildcat Land" or just The Pride, is a 400+ piece marching band consisting of woodwinds, brass, percussion, color guard, dancers, and twirlers. It is the official band of Kansas State University.

Hail to Pitt

"Hail to Pitt" is the most traditional fight song of the University of Pittsburgh, which is commonly referred to as Pitt. The saying "Hail to Pitt!" is also the most traditional and commonly used slogan of the University of Pittsburgh and its athletics teams. The slogan is frequently used in promotional material, printed on merchandise and souvenirs. It was also the title of a 1982 history of Pitt athletics by author Jim O'Brien. The slogan is often used among alumni as a statement of affiliation, including as a closing signature in conversation or correspondence between alumni, and is sometime abbreviated as "HTP" or "H2P", the latter of which is a registered trademark of the university and is frequently used on official university signage and merchandise.

"I'm Alabama Bound" is a ragtime melody composed by Robert Hoffman in 1909. Hoffman dedicated it to an M. T. Scarlata. The cover of its first edition, published by Robert Ebberman, New Orleans, 1909, advertises the music as "Also Known As The Alabama Blues" which has led some to suspect it of being one of the first blues songs. However, as written, it is an up-tempo rag with no associated lyrics. The song has been recorded numerous times in different styles—both written and in sound recordings—with a number of different sets of lyrics.

Douglas S. Holsclaw was an American politician who served in the Arizona Senate and the Arizona House of Representatives.

References

  1. "UA history & traditions: Welcome home Wildcats".
  2. "Fight Song".