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The use ofmusic at sporting events is thousands of years old,[1] and has recently[when?] 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.
Theancient Greeks intently[clarification needed] tied the performance of music to sporting events, particularly at their quadrennial Olympic Games.
The revival of the Olympic Games in 1896 also incorporated music into the festivities surrounding the competitions. On March 25 of that year, "thePhilharmonic Orchestra played thenational anthem and the firstOlympic Hymn, written by poetKostis Palamas and set to music by the well-known Greek composerSpyridon Samaras."
Entrance music (also known as anentry theme,walk-on music, orwalk-up song) is a musical piece or song that is played for athletes when they first appear in front of the spectators before an event.
ComposerCarl Orff's O Fortuna is often used, as it is recognizable from its first two notes due to its many uses in films, and its booming operatic vocals and percussive instrumentation convey a sense of drama and importance.O Fortuna is based upon a 13th-century poem from the collection known today asCarmina Burana. Orff's composition laments fate, and it forms the beginning and end of his interpretation of the poem.[2]
Certain songs have historically been associated with particular sporting events. Fans of the home team at collegiate athletic events may serenade the losing visitors with a song recorded bySteam, titled "Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye", with its familiar refrain, "na na, na na na na, hey, hey, hey, goodbye."
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", andZombie Nation's "Kernkraft 400". Most collegiate sports are accompanied by aband that playsbrass anddruminstrumental music designed to accentuate the experience.
Many college football teams havemarching bands that play during the game and march on the field at halftime.
Currently[when?] twoNFL teams have marching bands:
TheLos Angeles Rams had a marching band during their times at both theLA Coliseum andAnaheim Stadium. The practice was abandoned when the team relocated to St. Louis.
TheSeattle Seahawks adoptedThe 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 theNew Orleans Saints during and since their Super Bowl Season is "Half-time", or "Stand Up and Get Crunk" byYing Yang Twins. The song"Big Easy Mafia" is played prior to allNew Orleans Saints games while the players are warming up and the fans are pouring into the stadium to hype everyone up.Green Bay Packers playTodd Rundgren's "Bang the Drum All Day" after every Packers touchdown atLambeau Field.
A common choice of music to be played over PA systems as games are being kicked off is "Start Me Up" by theRolling Stones and "Welcome to the Jungle" byGuns N' Roses.[3]
In the many countries wherefootball is popular, and in theUK in particular, football music is a varied and popular subgenre of popular music. Songs are often released to coincide with specific events, such as theWorld Cup, or to become anthems for particular teams. Since football has a huge spectator base, such songs are often very popular on the charts. Examples of music created to be football songs includeNew Order's "World in Motion", and "Three Lions" byThe Lightning Seeds in collaboration with comedians and football fans:David Baddiel andFrank Skinner. A subset of football music is novelty football music, which typically includes humorous lyrics. Examples of novelty football songs include "Vindaloo" byFat Les, "Meat Pie, Sausage Roll", and numerousFrank Sidebottom songs.
TheVillage People/Pet Shop Boys song "Go West" has also become popular, and an instrumental version of the music was used as the theme for the2006 World Cup.
Liverpool adopted "You'll Never Walk Alone", specifically the version performed byMerseybeat bandGerry & The Pacemakers, as its theme song.[4]Manchester City have adoptedBlue Moon as their song whilstI'm Forever Blowing Bubbles can be heard at games involvingWest Ham United.[5]Stoke City fans' anthem has beenDelilah since the 1970s.[6]
Each team in theAustralian Football League has its own theme song with original lyrics referencing the team and the sport ofAustralian rules football. Older teams' songs are based upon traditional melodies (such asWhen the Saints Go Marching In for theSt Kilda Saints) while newer teams' themes have original melodies. A team's song is played once as they walk onto the field, and several times after winning a game. The song is also sung by the winning team in their clubrooms after the game.
AtNBA games, repetitiveorgan music is played at key points of the game. For example, the announcers often play the "Charge" fanfare to accompany the home team entering the visitor's side of the court with possession of the ball. A different theme is used to encourage the home team in defense of their own side of the court. Many NBA teams now play a particular theme to accompany the home team taking the court to begin the game. They also use chants such as the defense chant to show support and pump up the crowd.
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 betweenMichigan State University and theUniversity of Kentucky atFord Field, both teams' full football marching bands played.[citation needed]
Ballpark music performed by anorganist debuted at Chicago'sWrigley Field in 1941, and had spread to most otherMajor League parks by the 1960s.
Beginning in the mid-1970s, pre-recorded pop and rock music began to supplement the organ music (or replace it entirely) at many ballparks.[2] 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, theWall Street Journal reported that the longtime organist forDodger 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, theDropkick Murphys'version ofa 1902 Red Sox fight song ended up inspiringRed Sox fandom, astheir team headed to victory in both the2004 ALCS and the2004 World Series.
TheAtlanta 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 toWelcome Back, Kotter. Georgian natives receive the state's popularregional anthem "Georgia on My Mind". Players who played college baseball at one of the currently 15Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) or currently 14Southeastern 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 aheavy metal theme song to signal the entrance of arelief pitcher began atQualcomm Stadium in 1998, when theSan Diego Padres started playing "Hells Bells" byAC/DC to accompanyTrevor Hoffman's taking themound.[7][8]San Jose Mercury News andESPN.com wrote that the song should be honored by theNational Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum.[9][10] The use ofrock and roll for entrance music emerged from the comedy filmMajor League (1989), in which relief pitcher Rick "Wild Thing" Vaughn entered the game to acover of "Wild Thing" performed byX.[8] In addition, batters will often select a song to play as they come to the plate in home games.[11]
In some cases a particular song may be played at a specific time in the game.
Take Me Out to the Ball Game is often played or sung at major- or minor-leaguebaseball games, typically during theseventh-inning stretch.
AtFenway Park,Neil Diamond's song, "Sweet Caroline," is played during the eighth inning ofBoston 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 ofNew 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.[3]
Entrance music includes:
YouTuber and rapperKSI tends to use his own music as his entrance themes, most notablyDown Like That, in which a live performance was held for KSI's walkout.
ManyNHL 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 theKalamazoo Wings would score, and spreading as the DJ of that team went onto work with theColorado Rockies and started the practice there. When the Rockies moved to New Jersey to become theNew 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.[citation needed]
Walk-on music used inroller derby, also calledskate-out music, has been a part of the sport since its very beginning.[citation needed]
| League | Team | Song | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gotham Girls Roller Derby | All-Stars | "Turn Down for What" | DJ Snake ft.Lil Jon |
| Minnesota RollerGirls | All-Stars | "Boneless" | Steve Aoki |
| Minnesota RollerGirls | Minnesota Nice | "Roller Girls" | The Soviettes |
As part ofBarry Hearn's vision for the future of the professional game, walk-on music was introduced from the2010 World Snooker Championship.[13] As of the2012 World Snooker Championship, the last 32 players and their walk-on music was as follows:[14]
Wrestling companies often have an inhousecomposer composingtheme music for wrestlers. They also may usestock music.
Many wrestlers have used many themes over the course of their careers. Some wrestlers likeRic Flair and"Macho Man" Randy Savage are known for their one particular entrance theme song,Also Sprach Zarathustra andPomp and Circumstance respectively.
Entire teams will occasionally adopt a theme song (such as theChicago Bears with their 1985Super Bowl Shuffle, sung by the members of the team). Up until 2011,Monday Night Football had its own theme, sung byHank Williams, Jr.; theHockey Night in Canada theme has sometimes been referred to as Canada's second national anthem; and theOlympic Games have long had powerful theme music composed to accompany ceremonies opening and closing the games.
Perhaps the most extreme example of this can be found inprofessional wrestling and somemixed 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 asJock Jams, have been released in the past.
