May 8, 2008
Feeling musical? Cash prize offered for new ‘Song of Washington’
Quick, what is the first line to the UW’s alma mater (no fair looking it up)? OK, let’s try an easier question. Have you ever tried to pass the Dardanelles? Is it like passing a kidney stone, or more like passing the salt?
At significant events, the UW currently has two songs from which to choose which are designed to engender warm feelings about the University. One is the alma mater, whose words are known by a tiny percentage of students and alumni, with lyrics written by members of the classes of 1908 and 1909. The other is the official fight song, Bow Down to Washington, written in 1915, more popular but definitely containing some dated locutions, such as:
Our boys are there with bells,
Their fighting blood excels,
It’s harder to push them over the lines
than pass the Dardanelles.
So the UW has decided to hold a contest to create a new Song of Washington. Cash prizes will be awarded to the top three authors of the lyrics for a new song. All three sets of lyrics will then be handed to a composer, who will set them to music. Then a UW committee will select a winner. Grand prize is $1,000; second and third place will receive $500.
The new song will not replace Bow Down to Washington, but it could evolve into the new alma mater. Let’s hope it’s more successful than the efforts of UW faculty member Edmond Meany, who penned the immortal words to Washington Beloved in 1908 and Bells of Washington in 1918. And who could forget Yoh, Washington, the famous fight song from the ’teens?
“We’d like to have a new song that is so galvanizing, memorable and significant, that it can be sung on any special occasion — at Commencement, at the end of a football victory, at any other prominent event,” says Connie Kravas, vice president for development and alumni relations.
While some people may think there’s nothing wrong with the two songs the UW has, other schools have many more songs in their schools’ repertoire, says Brad McDavid, director of Husky Athletic Bands. “I was at Purdue, which has at least six popular songs. The UW has tried to add songs in the past, but some of those haven’t lasted very long. There was a fight song competition in 1987, and I don’t think that song lasted an entire season.” The last song that really excited students and alums was Vict’ry for Washington, the fight song from 1936.
The current UW administration has been interested in traditions, both old and new, that remind individuals of their ties to the University. A good analogy for the Song of Washington, Kravas says, is America the Beautiful. It’s not the national anthem and really doesn’t have official status. But the words seem fairly easy to remember and the song is very popular at public events.
So, if you feel inspired or merely want to compete for the cash, go to https://www.washington.edu/discovery/uwsong/. Deadline for submissions is May 28. The winner will be announced in the fall.
