The Introduction: Fight Song Week Day 5

     Okay folks, let's be honest.  It had to end this way.  It was ALWAYS going to end this way.  With the Chicago Bulls and an English bloke by the name of Alan Parsons...


     In the final decade of the 20th Century, the city of Chicago had many things going for it.  A new expansion to the Adler Planetarium, the transformation of Navy Pier from abandoned hulk to THE tourist trap of the Midwest, and the creation of the Museum Campus(just to name a few).  But the ONE thing that put Chicago on the map in the 90s?  Well that's easy.  But rather than tell you, how about I just play you a video to introduce them much better than anyone else ever could.

     That's right, 1990s Chicago was ruled by Michael Jordan & Co.  This opening theme just served to enhance their mystique.  The track used is called "Sirius".  It was originally released by the British group The Alan Parsons Project way back in 1982.  Later on in the 80s, the song was incorporated into the team's new intro music.  The introduction came to define the Bulls dynasty like nothing else.  The theme is still used to this day during player introductions(but lets be honest, it's nothing like it was in the 90s)

The North Side Anthems: Fight Song Week Day 4

     In 1984, the Cubs were burning up the National League, and well on their way to their first postseason berth since 1945.  And all summer long, the city of Chicago was singing along to the catchy tunes of Steve Goodman:

     Goodman, a well-known folk singer and a lifelong Cubs fan, wrote the song at the request of WGN, who wanted a more upbeat tune for the games.  Goodman came through, and the song became a staple of Wrigley Field for the entire 1984 season.  Tragically, Steve Goodman passed away due to Leukemia 4 days before the Cubs clinched a spot in the postseason.  Afterwards, the song continued to be well-known and liked and used as part of the Cubs' broadcasts.  In 1987, the song was eventually retired in favor of "Here Come The Cubs" by the Beach Boys.  However, in 2007, the song enjoyed a modern resurgence, and is now played after every Cubs win at Wrigley Field.


     Speaking of Cubs Anthems that rose to prominence in 2007, Eddie Vedder was attending a Cubs Fantasy camp when Ernie Banks approached him and asked him to write a song about the team.  Vedder, being a lifelong Cubs fan, was only too happy to comply.  This is what he came up with:

     In September of 2008, the song was made available for purchase on Pearl Jam's website.  This only served to raise the fervor surrounding the song and the Cubs' playoff chase to a fever pitch.  In the summer of 2013, Pearl Jam played a show at Wrigley Field, and at one point in the show, Eddie Vedder invited Ernie Banks onstage to lead the crowd in the song.  Ultimately, the Cubs are still waiting to go all the way, but when they do, they'll have a song to sing when they get there.

The South Side Anthems: Fight Song Week Day 3

     In 1959, the Chicago White Sox made it back to the World Series for the first time since the infamous 1919 Series.  After Richard J. Daley made everybody think the Soviets were invading, the team got to work getting ready for the World Series.  All that time, they were being spurred on by this little ditty:

     Earlier that year, Al Trace(a former Sox minor leaguer) wrote the lyrics, and was looking for someone to record it.  Enter Captain Stubby and the Buccaneers, a country-comedy duo who were famed for releasing the jingles for the Roto-Rooter and Green Giant.  The song was a hit at the time, but was eventually forgotten until June 2005.  At that point, one of the employees of the Sox dusted off an old record of the song and decided to play it during a game.  The act went over without a hitch, so now the song has made a return to prominence on the South Side.


     Ever since the 1990s, the White Sox have had a distinctive way of welcoming their players into the game:

     Released by the band AC/DC in 1990, Thunderstruck quickly caught on for all kinds of sporting events, as evidenced by the video above, as well as the fact that it was used by numerous other sports teams throughout the country.


     When the White Sox made it back to the World Series in 2005 for the first time since 1959, they did so with yet another song in tow.  However, whereas the last one had been specially composed for the team, their '05 song was one of the most iconic 80s songs ever:

     The whole thing started out when some of the 2005 White Sox heard this song playing in a bar in Baltimore and liked the sound of it.  As the season wound on, the team was looking for a rally song, and this seemed to fit the bill.  After rolling through the playoffs and capturing their first World Series title since 1917, they went so far as to invite Steve Perry to their victory rally, where some of the players sang the song a capella with Perry.

Bearing Down for Victory!: Fight Song Week Day 2

     In the 1940 NFL Championship Game, the Chicago Bears(led by the one and only George Halas) stomped the Washington Redskins to the tune of 73-0(yes, I realize that score sounds like something the Superfans would dream up, but I swear to you all that it actually happened). The Bears were on top, and they had announced their presence in a big way. Around this same time, somebody happened upon the long-disused nickname for the University of Chicago's football team, and figured it would fit well with the Bears. And so, the Monsters of The Midway entered the 1941 season with a good amount of swagger, a newfound respect from the rest of the fans, and to top it all off, a brand spanking new fight song:

     Composed by Al Hoffman in the wake of the historic victory by the Bears, the song made another milestone. Through the writing of this tune, the Bears became the first NHL franchise to have a fight song, which certainly made a difference in the spirit level of their fans. In 1993, Bill Archer and The Big Bear Band recorded a new version of the song, which is the one still played today after every Bears victory.

Scottish Hockey Music: Fight Song Week Day 1

     Well folks, it's time for the first theme week of the year.  I hope you guys enjoy this one!

     It's game time at the Madhouse on Madison.  The Blackhawks are taking the rink against any one of their many rivals in the National Hockey League.  All of a sudden, a player takes a daring shot, and the shot GOES IN.  GOAL!  The crowd goes wild.  The team celebrates.  And reverberating from the sound system is the driving bass of a certain song that should be instantly familiar to all Chicago fans.  Here, take a listen:

     For those of you who still don't know what song this is(maybe you're new in town), it's called Chelsea Dagger, and it was originally released in 2006 by the Scottish band The Fratellis.  The song was reportedly written about the wife of the lead singer of the group, who was an exotic dancer using Chelsea as a stage name.  Add in the fact that the term 'Dagger' is Scottish slang for a woman of loose morals, and I think you can see where this is headed.  The song ended up doing quite well for the band, eventually climbing to #5 on the UK charts. 

     The song found its way to Chicago in the Fall of 2007, when Rocky Wirtz assumed ownership of the team from his late father.  In a bid to attract fans who had abandoned the team in droves during his father's miserly reign, Wirtz started looking for ways to enhance the fan experience.  One of those ways was to add a goal song to every game.  After combing through all the different examples, the team's people settled on this song.  Initially, it didn't catch on, but then by the end of its inaugural season it had become as much a part of Blackhawks hockey as cheering through the National Anthem. 

     For an aside, Chelsea Dagger is not the first song that has been played by the Hawks either. In 1968, the Dick Marx Orchestra and Choir released "Here Come The Hawks!".  And then in 2007, The Ministry & Co-Conspirators released "Keys To The City" as a gift to the Blackhawks organization.