"Go U Northwestern" sucks

[SmellyCat]

It's actually "Hit 'em hard, hit 'em low."

I embarrassingly sang it wrong for many years. It made more sense to have high/low (as opposites) there, so I didn't like this change.

Count me among those who love the song, but only because it's my adopted song. I sang it to my son on the day he was born nine years ago (the first year of his life it was my go-to song to get him to stop crying), and as we all know, he's grown up to be a Friend of the Purple.

 

[willycat]

Go U Northwestern is great. Period.

Have liked it for a long time but it would likely sound better if NUMB added a hundred or so more members. All horns!

 

[EvanstonCat]

It's not about whether a Wildcat would win in a streetfight with a turtle. It's about having a unique brand. When you hear someone talk about the Terrapins or the Buckeyes or the Hawkeyes or the Hoosiers, you know exactly which school they are talking about. When you hear someone mention "Wildcats," you can't tell whether they are talking about NU, Arizona, Kansas State, Kentucky, Villanova, your local high school, etc. It's bad branding. I will take an oddball, unique mascot/moniker any day.

But, as noted previously, I like "Go U Northwestern." I have been known to break into it spontaneously, even when not drunk.

No it's not just about a unique brand. UC Santa Cruz has a unique name, as unique as any: the Banana Slugs. I'm glad we are the Wildcats if that's the alternative.

And there is one team I can think of that has a gopher for a mascot. It's unique. I for damn sure am glad we aren't the Northwestern Gophers. Don't get me started with the mother effing Turtle or those worthless nuts. If we were the Northwestern Buckeyes, I think I would die of a heart attack.

And the worst is the South Carolina Gamecocks. Instead of go cats go, you'd have to say go cocks go! And I'd be EvanstonCock, Glades would be GladesCock, DaCat would be DaCock, and you'd be HawkCock and Smelly would be SmellyCock. And Shakes would be Whacks and Felis would be Penis. So much for unique.

 

[Alaskawildkat]

*EvanstonCat - too funny.

 

[FloridAlum]

No it's not just about a unique brand. UC Santa Cruz has a unique name, as unique as any: the Banana Slugs. I'm glad we are the Wildcats if that's the alternative.

And there is one team I can think of that has a gopher for a mascot. It's unique. I for damn sure am glad we aren't the Northwestern Gophers. Don't get me started with the mother effing Turtle or those worthless nuts. If we were the Northwestern Buckeyes, I think I would die of a heart attack.

And the worst is the South Carolina Gamecocks. Instead of go cats go, you'd have to say go cocks go! And I'd be EvanstonCock, Glades would be GladesCock, DaCat would be DaCock, and you'd be HawkCock and Smelly would be SmellyCock. And Shakes would be Whacks and Felis would be Penis. So much for unique.

And "Rise Northwestern" might take on a whole new meaning.

 

[Bwm57]

Is there a poster named BigCat?

 

[Gladeskat]

What's wrong with the Terps (short for Terrapins) as a nickname?! Fear the Turtle! Anyone who doesn't like that nickname "Terps" just doesn't know much about turtles.

Full disclosure: I've had a variety of turtles (8 different species) as pets for 28 years since high school so I love turtles. I'm also a former University of Maryland. employee.

 

[Fitz51]

What's wrong with the Terps (short for Terrapins) as a nickname?! Fear the Turtle! Anyone who doesn't like that nickname "Terps" just doesn't know much about turtles.

Full disclosure: I've had a variety of turtles (8 different species) as pets for 28 years since high school so I love turtles. I'm also a former University of Maryland. employee.

Testudo Forever!

 

[Deeringfish]

What's wrong with the Terps (short for Terrapins) as a nickname?! Fear the Turtle! Anyone who doesn't like that nickname "Terps" just doesn't know much about turtles.

Full disclosure: I've had a variety of turtles (8 different species) as pets for 28 years since high school so I love turtles. I'm also a former University of Maryland. employee.

My son had a pet snapper named Tobit. He was the size of a quarter when we found him was way over fed and was the fattest turtle I ever saw. Got to hard to handle after a few years so we released it. It was really fun to feed life guppies to.

 

[pawildcat]

No it's not just about a unique brand. UC Santa Cruz has a unique name, as unique as any: the Banana Slugs. I'm glad we are the Wildcats if that's the alternative.

And there is one team I can think of that has a gopher for a mascot. It's unique. I for damn sure am glad we aren't the Northwestern Gophers. Don't get me started with the mother effing Turtle or those worthless nuts. If we were the Northwestern Buckeyes, I think I would die of a heart attack.

And the worst is the South Carolina Gamecocks. Instead of go cats go, you'd have to say go cocks go! And I'd be EvanstonCock, Glades would be GladesCock, DaCat would be DaCock, and you'd be HawkCock and Smelly would be SmellyCock. And Shakes would be Whacks and Felis would be Penis. So much for unique.

Let's not forget the Cal-Irvine Anteaters.

 

[Gladeskat]

My son had a pet snapper named Tobit. He was the size of a quarter when we found him was way over fed and was the fattest turtle I ever saw. Got to hard to handle after a few years so we released it. It was really fun to feed life guppies to.

I had a common snapper for awhile. I also collected a hatchling Alligator snapper (along with two hatchling Barbour's map turtles) while working in Georgia. Alligator snappers have a worm-like appendage at the base of their tongue that they wiggle to lure fish into their mouths. Sunfish fell for it every time. Anyway, she also got too big for me to deal with (they get to over 200 pounds and can literally snap a broomstick in half - see Youtube) so I released her.

The BEST turtles I ever had for entertainment value were common red-eared sliders and painted turtles that dime stores used to carry until they were banned for harboring Salmonella. They are amazingly fast swimmers when they are chasing food like fish. At NU, we would feed my two red-ears in a 150-gallon tank. People would come over to watch the feeding, talking about their Piranhas and Oscars, and then get blown away by the fury they'd see while Big Mamma (a red-ear) would catch a dozen goldfish in a minute or two and ask where they could buy one. Big Mamma got so fat she couldn't pull her head and legs in at the same time.

 

[Secho99]

I've felt this way for two-plus decades. It feels good to admit it.

Plodding pacing for a fight song. Improperly ordered words (we're not the University of Northwestern, are we?) "U Rah Rah", really?

Mostly, it's the pacing. And "actually, it's 'hit 'em *hard*, hit 'em low', if you really paid attention." Even "Go Northwestern Go" feels arrhythmic.

Seriously, a song with two distinct areas for 'shouting unaccompanied lyrics' should have better unaccompanied lyrics.

Meanwhile, "Push On, Northwestern", or whatever it's called, is catchy and ends with a great, natural crescendo. It's not a great fight song, but it'd be a better one. (Maybe the dude from Arcade Fire could write a new one. I'm not sure he graduated. I doubt it.)

I'm sure there are worse fight songs - I haven't researched to confirm, but I believe UVa prominently steals from "Auld Lang Syne" - but ours is near the bottom. At least we don't hear it after every play.

(Note: I'll delete repost after signing day if this might affect decisions.)

Go U is actually a pretty popular choice as a high school fight song. I cover HS sports in Oregon and I've heard several schools out here use it. I would consider it a pretty classic fight song, even if it's not as notable as some others. It's funny because the school I went to uses On Wisconsin and a school we didn't like much in my HS days uses Go U so my stance on these two songs changed a lot when I went to college!

 

[Alaskawildkat]

My favorite turtle story was as related by a friend who moved here to Alaska from New York. Her pet turtle was entrusted to the airport baggage handlers. However, instead of sharing space in the warmed airplane bay it got relegated to the unheated cargo location.

She was in tears when she saw her lifeless pet at baggage claim. A sympathetic companion (probably worried more about her well being than that of Donatello or whatever the turtle's name was) stuffed the animal under his coat and after sharing several hours of body heat it came back to life.

That was over a dozen years ago and when I recently asked, I was told that the turtle continues to thrive here in its Alaskan home.

 

[NUCat320]

This thread is great. Thanks for your responses.

I grew up on two great fight songs: most notably Notre Dame; and less notably DePaul. When DePaul was still clinging to good in the late 80s, the D-E-M-O-N-S break was great. Maybe I was just easily impressed.

In the case of NU's song, it's the tempo that gets me - ND's and DePaul's are significantly quicker - and the 'shouting' breaks that take up too large a percentage - in any crowd of more than six, it's just a jumbled mess. (Not 'Go Cats' at the end 'Rise', though - everyone can do that.)

Of course, I sentimentally love the song, and love the sore throats that resulted from screaming just a bit too loudly, but, objectively, it wouldn't top my list. ( Illinois' is the worst, of course.)

Alaska is definitely right - the alma mater is a thing of beauty. I always liked it more post-hoops than post-football, mostly because it was a badge of honor to stick around for the terrible interview after watching those terrible teams. The solo horn with the additional brass blending in towards the end is a thing of beauty. (My instinct was to always sing along 'Hail to thee, Northwestern' as a grand conclusion, though that would of course violate the lyrics.)

I doubt this thread puts any signings at risk, though it would be nice to hear if any recruits include 'cooler fight song' when weighing their options.

 

[Gladeskat]

My favorite turtle story was as related by a friend who moved here to Alaska from New York. Her pet turtle was entrusted to the airport baggage handlers. However, instead of sharing space in the warmed airplane bay it got relegated to the unheated cargo location.

She was in tears when she saw her lifeless pet at baggage claim. A sympathetic companion (probably worried more about her well being than that of Donatello or whatever the turtle's name was) stuffed the animal under his coat and after sharing several hours of body heat it came back to life.

That was over a dozen years ago and when I recently asked, I was told that the turtle continues to thrive here in its Alaskan home.

That's one nice thing about turtles...they're hardly and cold-blooded. Going away on a long vacation? Just stick your turtles in your refrigerator and they'll be fine until you get home. At Wheaton College, they had a refrigerator in the biology department filled with a dozen turtles chillin' until they were to be used for some sort of physiology experiment. The cabin I lived in in Maryland had no way to safely heat the house when I left, so the turtle tank would often have a sheet of ice on it when I returned from Pitt. Once I got the stove going for a few hours, the cabin would warm up, the tank would thaw and Spike would eventually start moving around again.

Watching the Air Force vs NU game was odd because my HS fight song is the same as the Air Force Academy.

Sorry, but my favorite fight song other than Push On NU is The ND fight song.

 

[EvanstonCat]

That's one nice thing about turtles...they're hardly and cold-blooded. Going away on a long vacation? Just stick your turtles in your refrigerator and they'll be fine until you get home. At Wheaton College, they had a refrigerator in the biology department filled with a dozen turtles chillin' until they were to be used for some sort of physiology experiment. The cabin I lived in in Maryland had no way to safely heat the house when I left, so the turtle tank would often have a sheet of ice on it when I returned from Pitt. Once I got the stove going for a few hours, the cabin would warm up, the tank would thaw and Spike would eventually start moving around again.

Watching the Air Force vs NU game was odd because my HS fight song is the same as the Air Force Academy.

Sorry, but my favorite fight song other than Push On NU is The ND fight song.

We had a little turtle that we kept in a bowl outside. There was an unexpected freeze (we lived at that time in a temperate environment) and found the turtle frozen in ice. Flushed him down the toilet, but I wonder if he actually was just sleeping.

 

[phatcat]

I've felt this way for two-plus decades. It feels good to admit it.

Plodding pacing for a fight song. Improperly ordered words (we're not the University of Northwestern, are we?) "U Rah Rah", really?

Mostly, it's the pacing. And "actually, it's 'hit 'em *hard*, hit 'em low', if you really paid attention." Even "Go Northwestern Go" feels arrhythmic.

Seriously, a song with two distinct areas for 'shouting unaccompanied lyrics' should have better unaccompanied lyrics.

Meanwhile, "Push On, Northwestern", or whatever it's called, is catchy and ends with a great, natural crescendo. It's not a great fight song, but it'd be a better one. (Maybe the dude from Arcade Fire could write a new one. I'm not sure he graduated. I doubt it.)

I'm sure there are worse fight songs - I haven't researched to confirm, but I believe UVa prominently steals from "Auld Lang Syne" - but ours is near the bottom. At least we don't hear it after every play.

(Note: I'll delete repost after signing day if this might affect decisions.)

Disagree. Go U Northwestern rocks. And so does the alma mater

 

[Cat In The Cradle]

No it's not just about a unique brand. UC Santa Cruz has a unique name, as unique as any: the Banana Slugs. I'm glad we are the Wildcats if that's the alternative.

I suppose Northwestern could do worse, such as maintaining the moniker predating Wildcats: the Fighting Methodists. With due respect to that denomination, had we kept that name, one could imagine a bible thumping preacher on the sidelines serving as the mascot, the sound of church bells gonging whenever NU scored a touchdown, and players wearing uniforms bearing the labarum.

 

[Gladeskat]

We had a little turtle that we kept in a bowl outside. There was an unexpected freeze (we lived at that time in a temperate environment) and found the turtle frozen in ice. Flushed him down the toilet, but I wonder if he actually was just sleeping.

Turtle took a nap
Wound up in a bowl of ice
Then the toilet bowl

 

[pawildcat]

That's one nice thing about turtles...they're hardly and cold-blooded. Going away on a long vacation? Just stick your turtles in your refrigerator and they'll be fine until you get home. At Wheaton College, they had a refrigerator in the biology department filled with a dozen turtles chillin' until they were to be used for some sort of physiology experiment. The cabin I lived in in Maryland had no way to safely heat the house when I left, so the turtle tank would often have a sheet of ice on it when I returned from Pitt. Once I got the stove going for a few hours, the cabin would warm up, the tank would thaw and Spike would eventually start moving around again.

Watching the Air Force vs NU game was odd because my HS fight song is the same as the Air Force Academy.

Sorry, but my favorite fight song other than Push On NU is The ND fight song.

Gotta admit hearing the Notre Dame fight song a couple of years ago at South Bend was cool (made a lot cooler by the snow in the visitors' section seats that the university employees didn't get around to cleaning off). It was even better to hear it after we beat them.

 

[Alaskawildkat]

I suppose Northwestern could do worse, such as maintaining the moniker predating Wildcats: the Fighting Methodists. With due respect to that denomination, had we kept that name, one could imagine a bible thumping preacher on the sidelines serving as the mascot, the sound of church bells gonging whenever NU scored a touchdown, and players wearing uniforms bearing the labarum.

Actually, I could go for a tolling of the bells as we get ready to put away our opponent as the fourth quarter comes to an end.

 

[Alaskawildkat]

We had a little turtle that we kept in a bowl outside. There was an unexpected freeze (we lived at that time in a temperate environment) and found the turtle frozen in ice. Flushed him down the toilet, but I wonder if he actually was just sleeping.

You do know that the original Ninja Turtles were rescued from a sewer? Now we know the "rest of the story."

"The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' origin story paid homage to the first issue of Daredevil from 1963, in which young Matt Murdock is blinded by a radioactive isotope while pushing an old blind man from the path of an oncoming truck. Eastman and Laird extrapolated that after the canister containing that isotope struck Murdock, it collided with a bystander who was carrying a fishbowl containing his pets — four baby turtles. The turtles and the canister, which bore the initials T.C.R.I., fell down a grate into the sewer below, where they were discovered by an inquisitive rat, Splinter. Splinter had been the pet of the exiled ninja warrior Hamato Yoshi, who was slain along with his lover, Tang Shen, by the treacherous Oroku Saki, who blamed Yoshi for the death of his brother, Oroku Nagi."

Link to the full history of the origin of The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles:

http://theweek.com/captured/446321/fascinating-origin-story-teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles

 

[StreamCat]

My favorite part is "Hit 'em High, Hit 'em Low, Go Northwestern, Go!" and my kids love it too.

I thought it was hit ‘em hard, hit ‘em low, hit ‘em where the cherries grow.
I’m not immature; I’m maturity impaired

 

[Alaskawildkat]

Wow, they don't make threads like they used to.

This one evolved from a commentary on fight songs to the history of the Ninja Turtles. The scary part though is that even my own posts were new to me.

As a footnote, I must have missed the post regarding Northwestern's Arcade Fire member. He was a friend of my sons who attended Northwestern. Here is a link to an article about Will Butler's time here at Northwestern as the Indie Band was being discovered.

https://www.northwestern.edu/magazine/winter2012/feature/all-fired-up.html

 

[willycat]

I like it. Two M grad friends of mine say it's #2. That's high praise.

Who did they say was #1? Oh that one.

 

[GOUNUII]

I always liked "Rise Northwestern" more than "Go U NU", though I like both. Is that a part of "Push On, Northwestern"? I notice that they play my fave at the start and just before the National anthem. I have to admit that that was the only comforting thing about giving up a TD, i.e., that you could hear "Rise Up, NU" before kickoff.

GO U NU is the best!

GOUNUII

 

[NCPurplecat]

The song the Purple N and Willy are ours. Keep them as they are benign and surprisingly well known. When asked about Northwestern just say it was when it was founded.

 

[AZCat]

The song the Purple N and Willy are ours. Keep them as they are benign and surprisingly well known. When asked about Northwestern just say it was when it was founded.

Brings to mind a funny story. In 1974, NU played UNL in Lincoln. My good friend Rex was from Alliance & his folks had 'Husker season tickets. So we road tripped to Lincoln.

Rex knew the ins & outs. We stayed at The Cornhusker Motel, primarily to get on the coach's radio show which took place there every Saturday morning. The show took place in the motel restaurant. Eat breakfast & listen to the show. We were sporting our purple & stood out in the room & got on the radio show. "Where is Northwestern? Seatle? Portland?" Too funny! Even after we explained about the Northwest Territory they didn't quite get it.

We lost the game 7-49, but the experience was a blast. We barhopped Friday night in downtown Lincoln. Didn't have to buy too many of our own drinks, and people were amazed we were there. Great bands as well. One band saw us sitting there & stopped their rock & roll set & welcomed us. And then said "Here is a song you'll be hearing a lot tomorrow" & they broke into the 'Husker fight song (which we learned by heart as it was played a lot on Saturday).

Saturday, after the Coach's show we went downtown. In addition to the tickets, Rex's folks also had passes to The N Club - on the top floor of that highrise that looks down into the stadium. Lots of great food & trays & trays of Bloody Marys. Then a short walk to the stadium & our seats.

I believe we scored first which really silenced the crowd. Then the rout began and by repetition learned the fight song.

Oh well, more bar hopping after the game. We did not buy a single drink. People were amazed we weren't back in our motel room moping.

They love their football to excess, but what nice people! Fantastic gameday experience!

 

[Smolmania]

My favorite part is "Hit 'em High, Hit 'em Low, Go Northwestern, Go!" and my kids love it too.

Perhaps you should be teaching your kids the correct lyric? I believe that it is "Hit 'em hard. Hit 'em low." Just sayin'

 

[Frabjous]

’Wildcats’ it is and ‘Wildcats’ it will always be, as ‘Banana Slugs’ is taken!

 

[RevCat]

To these tired ears, "Rise Northwestern" always sounds like the better of our two fight songs.

Could we get Mo Greene to write a timeless version of his go_u_nu anthem? I'm sure it would be easy to sing along with.

I hear Mo was forced out at the Trop.

I like "Rise" better, and there have been times (not recently) when it has been on par with "Go U" as our fight song. Most people only hear the reprise of "Rise", but the whole song is great.

The dreaded OSU has two fight songs. "Across the Field" was the more popular of the two in the Hayes era. It has all but disappeared for "Buckeye Battle Cry", which I had never heard before moving to Ohio.