Alma Mater/Fight song

[RowdyRabbit]

I'll put this here, because the only times I've heard it was pre-game football....

Can anyone clue me into what the additional song was before the alma mater (yellow and blue) song this year was? I was trying to explain and hum to my wife, who is a pep band and marching band alum the tune and she had no clue about another part of the song, pre yellow and blue... perhaps my humming wasn't accurate.

I thought I had heard on here it was originally part of the alma mater or something to the effect?

[West-River_Jack]

Re: Alma Mater/Fight song

Here is a link for the lyrics and a performance of the song. The part that is our fight song is really only the final part. I have always thought of it as the first part being the stanza (usually, and I think erroneously, called a verse), and the fight song part as the chorus. I may be incorrect in this assumption.

http://www.statealum.com/s/1108/inde...id=1&pgid=1822

Some schools take tremendous pride in including both the fight song and alma mater as part of athletic events. Some extend that to include other traditional songs. For example, when attending a Texas Longhorns athletic event, the crowd participates in singing "The Eyes of Texas Are Upon Us." If you have never looked at the lyrics for that one, look them up. Morbid is the term that I would use. The Longhorn band will also play an opposing team's alma mater, but probably not their fight song. The last time I was at Darrell K. Royal Stadium in Austin was a game against the Kansas Jayhawks. Before the game, the band played the Jayhawks alma mater but not their fight song. I found it interesting that Kansas has appropriated the tune from Cornell's alma mater, "Far Above Cayuga's Waters", for their alma mater. But, then again, what school hasn't borrowed at least part of that song, either officially or unofficially.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_SiInyGmA9M

I enjoyed adding the alma mater to this years pregame festivities. I hope they will add the lyrics next year, either sung, or projected on the video board for the fans to sing, or both.

[jackrabbit1979]

Re: Alma Mater/Fight song

I agree with WRJ. I think adding the first part, the more subdued part of the Alma Mater, into the game day event was a great addition. Brings in some tradition and leads into a cool feeling when they get to the more well known piece of the Yellow and Blue. It's a great addition both pre-game, and seeing the team in front of the band swaying back in forth to the music post game. I like it.

[CappinHard]

Re: Alma Mater/Fight song

Quite ironic that our fight song is "Ring the Bells", and we can't (or at least are instructed not to), ring the bells.

[jackrabit1]

Re: Alma Mater/Fight song

We never played the first part of "Yellow and Blue" when I was in The Pride. When I went back this year for the Pride reunion, we old farts were instructed we didn't have to play the first part if we were unfamiliar with it. I played it anyway and it was INCREDIBLY cool! Too bad I have to wait another five years to do that again.

[rabbits64]

Re: Alma Mater/Fight song

I love both songs and I am glad we play the alma mater as well.
Wisconsin is one that takes great pride in playing both, obviously their fight song is On Wisconsin, but their alma Mater is Varsity. I would compare the Pride to the Badgers Band, both are respected greatly at the University.
https://youtu.be/xcfZj1R8B7I

[JimmieTuba]

Re: Alma Mater/Fight song

Kessler (the new director) decided that The Pride needed to play the entire alma mater. We were just playing the 'chorus' before. If you have ever hear any of the choral assembles sing "Yellow and Blue", you would have heard the entire song.

Coull had arranged it so it was a quick hit and peppier version. That is what most people are familiar with.

I like the idea of the stadium singing the alma mater post game. I think it would be a great addition to the new CAS.

[RowdyRabbit]

Re: Alma Mater/Fight song

I'll echo previous sentiment...I really enjoy the whole thing.

[mnjackrbt]

Re: Alma Mater/Fight song

I'll be honest with you guys here, I have never felt like the Fight Song is a "big tradition" at SDSU compared to some other Universities. I am also not a "musically inclined" person, so maybe I have just never noticed it. But I couldn't tell you a single word of the fight song, and have never even heard of an alma mater song nor know what that even is. I'm not sure I know of any friends from my college days that would know the fight song words either, just the tune to it that the band plays.

I don't mean this in a negative way, I think fight song traditions are awesome and I fully support something that the entire crowd knows and can sing. I just don't know how to make that happen, I feel like I am a big SDSU fan and am "in the know," yet, I have no idea what the words to our song are. How many other people are out there like me? It could take awhile to get some sort of tradition going of the crowd singing along pre/post game.

Again, I am not bashing the band or fight songs or anything. I just don't know if I've ever even heard the words to them.

[NWHSUandSDSU]

Re: Alma Mater/Fight song

I'll be honest with you guys here, I have never felt like the Fight Song is a "big tradition" at SDSU compared to some other Universities. I am also not a "musically inclined" person, so maybe I have just never noticed it. But I couldn't tell you a single word of the fight song, and have never even heard of an alma mater song nor know what that even is. I'm not sure I know of any friends from my college days that would know the fight song words either, just the tune to it that the band plays.

I don't mean this in a negative way, I think fight song traditions are awesome and I fully support something that the entire crowd knows and can sing. I just don't know how to make that happen, I feel like I am a big SDSU fan and am "in the know," yet, I have no idea what the words to our song are. How many other people are out there like me? It could take awhile to get some sort of tradition going of the crowd singing along pre/post game.

Again, I am not bashing the band or fight songs or anything. I just don't know if I've ever even heard the words to them.

http://www.statealum.com/s/1108/inde...id=1&pgid=1822

The link has a choral rendition of the alma mater.

RING THE BELLS
Ring the bells for South Dakota
The Yellow and the Blue;
Cheer the team from South Dakota
With loyal hearts so true;
Win the game for South Dakota
The School that serves us well;
We will fight for South Dakota
So let's ring, ring, ring those bells.


THE YELLOW AND BLUE
We come from the Sioux and Missouri,
The Cheyenne and the Jim,
From pine clad peaks of the Black Hills,
Brimful of vigor and vim.
We sing the song of the prairie,
The home of the Yellow and Blue.
The gleaming gold of the corn field,
The flax of azure hue.
(chorus)
Oh SDSU hurrah for the Yellow and Blue;
Old SDSU all honor and glory to you;
For ever raise the song in praise both loud and long
With loyal heart so true (so true)
Oh loyal hearts and true (and true,
so true).

[CappinHard]

Re: Alma Mater/Fight song

I'll be honest with you guys here, I have never felt like the Fight Song is a "big tradition" at SDSU compared to some other Universities. I am also not a "musically inclined" person, so maybe I have just never noticed it. But I couldn't tell you a single word of the fight song, and have never even heard of an alma mater song nor know what that even is. I'm not sure I know of any friends from my college days that would know the fight song words either, just the tune to it that the band plays.

I don't mean this in a negative way, I think fight song traditions are awesome and I fully support something that the entire crowd knows and can sing. I just don't know how to make that happen, I feel like I am a big SDSU fan and am "in the know," yet, I have no idea what the words to our song are. How many other people are out there like me? It could take awhile to get some sort of tradition going of the crowd singing along pre/post game.

Again, I am not bashing the band or fight songs or anything. I just don't know if I've ever even heard the words to them.

I completely agree... My friends and I never really knew the words, so we would sing: "Hey, we live in South Dakota... da da da da da da... (Repeat 3 more times until the ending, then the song ends with...) Let's go drink some beer!" Try those words along with the music, it actually works quite nicely.

[KUlawJack]

Re: Alma Mater/Fight song

I completely agree... My friends and I never really knew the words, so we would sing: "Hey, we live in South Dakota... da da da da da da... (Repeat 3 more times until the ending, then the song ends with...) Let's go drink some beer!" Try those words along with the music, it actually works quite nicely.

Our group sings it all the time at football games. Maybe this is something that needs to be learned at freshmen orientation.

[Nidaros]

Re: Alma Mater/Fight song

I did not know we had an official alma mater song until this fall. I did now that way back when Carl Christiansen rounded up enough funds to commission the writing of the yellow and blue. Carl King, a well known bandmaster from U of Indiana was commissioned to write the Yellow and Blue, which has several verses. One verse is probably kind of touchy in this age in that we invite the Sioux Indian to sit down and smoke the peace pipe. I remember Micheal Rieger former VP at SDSU commented on this at one of the Alumni Council meetings as he had never seen the full text of the school song before and the full text happened to be in some handout materials. His comment was that times have changed and this was very outdated, though Carl King thought it appropriate back in 1913 or thereabouts when he composed the song. I glad they stop where they do went doing the Alma Mater.
Ring the Bell was added some where in the mid 1950's and I remember when that was a very new song. The theme I heard was based on U of Chicago school song.

[Hasbeen]

Re: Alma Mater/Fight song

Anyone looking for a complete history of "The Yellow and Blue" (alma mater song, 1908) and "Ring the Bell" (fight song, 1959) is referred to The College on the Hill, School Songs, pages 55-64. Bully for Band Director Kessler for promoting the alma mater song which reminds us of where we come from in a very inspirational way.

[NWHSUandSDSU]

Re: Alma Mater/Fight song

I did not know we had an official alma mater song until this fall. I did now that way back when Carl Christiansen rounded up enough funds to commission the writing of the yellow and blue. Carl King, a well known bandmaster from U of Indiana was commissioned to write the Yellow and Blue, which has several verses. One verse is probably kind of touchy in this age in that we invite the Sioux Indian to sit down and smoke the peace pipe. I remember Micheal Rieger former VP at SDSU commented on this at one of the Alumni Council meetings as he had never seen the full text of the school song before and the full text happened to be in some handout materials. His comment was that times have changed and this was very outdated, though Carl King thought it appropriate back in 1913 or thereabouts when he composed the song. I glad they stop where they do went doing the Alma Mater.
Ring the Bell was added some where in the mid 1950's and I remember when that was a very new song. The theme I heard was based on U of Chicago school song.

I thought yellow and blue was written by Niels Hansen.