Notre Dame Victory March
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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. 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]
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[edit] 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.
The lyrics are posted at the Notre Dame website: [1]
[edit] Use outside the University of Notre Dame
The tune often has been adopted as the fight song of American high school teams. It also has been adopted by the Australian rules football team Sydney Swans.
[edit] In film
In Knute Rockne, All American, Knute Rockne (played by Pat O'Brien) delivers the emotional (yet fictional) "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 Nielson, 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.
[edit] References
- ^ "Irish fight song deemed better than M's 'Victors'", The Michigan Daily News, September 11, 2003. Retrieved on 2007-12-20.
[edit] 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
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