Notre Dame Victory March

The "Notre Dame Victory March" is the fight song for the University of Notre Dame. It was written by two brothers who were Notre Dame graduates. The Rev. Michael J. Shea, a 1905 graduate, wrote the music, and his brother, John F. Shea, who earned degrees in 1906 and 1908, wrote the original lyrics. The lyrics were revised in the 1920s; it first appeared under the copyright of the University of Notre Dame in 1928.

The chorus of the song is one of the most recognizable collegiate fight songs in the United States, and was ranked first among fight songs by Northern Illinois University Professor William Studwell, who remarked it was "more borrowed, more famous and, frankly, you just hear it more."^[1]

Lyrics

Typically the two verses are sung together, and then the chorus is sung one or more times.

The chorus and the original lyrics, which were written in 1908, are in the public domain in the United States; however, the lyrics used today were written in the 1920s, and are still under copyright in the United States.

Rally sons of Notre Dame:
Sing her glory and sound her fame,
Raise her Gold and Blue
And cheer with voices true:
Rah, rah, for Notre Dame
We will fight in ev-ry game,
Strong of heart and true to her name
We will ne'er forget her
And will cheer her ever
Loyal to Notre Dame

Chorus:

Cheer, cheer for old Notre Dame,
Wake up the echoes cheering her name,
Send a volley cheer on high,
Shake down the thunder from the sky.
What though the odds be great or small
Old Notre Dame will win over all,
While her loyal sons are marching
Onward to victory.^[2]

The Dropkick Murphys released an instrumental version of the Victory March, called "Victory" with the single Walk Away and subsequently with their collection, Singles Collection, Volume 2.

The song was used in the 20th season of The Simpsons in an episode called Double, Double, Boy in Trouble, as a reference to Joe Montana, an alum of Notre Dame, who made a brief cameo in that episode.

In film

Knute Rockne, All American, Knute Rockne (played by Pat O'Brien) delivers the emotional "Win one for the Gipper" speech, at which point the background music swells with the Victory March. Drawing from this reference, the song has been used in mass media in situations that seemed to compel an inspirational "halftime speech". The "Win one for the Gipper" speech was parodied in the 1980 movie Airplane! when, with the Victory March rising to a crescendo in the background, Dr. Rumak, played by Leslie Nielsen, urged reluctant pilot Ted Striker, played by Robert Hays, to "win one for the Zipper", Striker's war buddy, George Zipp. The Victory March also plays during the film's credits.

The song also was prominent in the movie Rudy, an account of the life of Daniel "Rudy" Ruettiger who harbored dreams of playing football at the University of Notre Dame despite significant obstacles.

Usage by other sports teams

The tune of the Victory March is also used by:

• Port Adelaide Magpies Football Club (South Australian National Football League) - It was used by the Port Adelaide Football Club prior to them leaving the SANFL and joining the AFL.
• Sydney Swans Football Club (Australian Football League) - It had been used by the Swans' predecessor, the South Melbourne Football Club, before relocation to Sydney
• St Patrick's College, Ballarat - College Song, "Cheers Cheers for Old SPC".
• The Holy Cross School in New Orleans, Louisiana, which was founded by the same Brothers of the Holy Cross as the University of Notre Dame, also uses the same victory march.
• Millsaps College in Jackson, Mississippi uses the music for their fight song, "Purple and White."
• Agnes Scott College in Decatur, Georgia also uses the music for their fight song and other campus festivities.
• Calumet High School in Calumet, Michigan uses the music for their fight song. The school is the only high school in its district, which includes Laurium, Michigan, birthplace of George Gipp.
• Nouvel Catholic Central High School in Saginaw (Saginaw Charter Township), Michigan
• The tune of the fight song is also played at many high school football games throughout the United States of America.
• Clay High School (South Bend,Indiana) uses the music in their fight song.
• V. J. and Angela Skutt Catholic High School (Omaha, Nebraska) uses the music for their fight song.
• John Carroll Catholic High Scool in Birmingham, Alabama
• Longview High School in Longview, Texas
• Mishicot High School in Mishicot, Wisconsin

References

1. ^ "Irish fight song deemed better than M's 'Victors'". The Michigan Daily News. September 11, 2003. http://media.www.michigandaily.com/media/storage/paper851/news/2003/09/11/News/Irish.Fight.Song.Deemed.Better.Than.Ms.victors-1418442.shtml. Retrieved 2007-12-20. 
2. ^ Notre Dame Victory March Lyrics und.cstv.com

External links

• Notre Dame Victory March (hosted by the Internet Archive)
• Notre Dame Victory March page at official Notre Dame Athletics site
• Sports Illustrated article ranking the best college fight songs