History behind the abomination of "Step to the rear"

[18IsTheMan]

I know we all know the background, but this article from the P&C just popped up on my news feed. I think I start a thread each year about how much I dislike "Step to the rear" compared to the old fight song (you know...the one that was actually a college fight song?). I guess it's fitting that we let a coach with a losing record re-write our fight song. And we let him do it after he'd gone 1-9 in his first season. Who does that??? Brilliant.

What genius would listen to THIS and think, "Now THAT'S a college football fight song!"? It was the 60s, though. Was Dietzel on acid or something? It's downright comical that THIS is the source of a FIGHT song.


Particularly when we already had this going for us:


That song, in my opinion, holds up well with what are considered the better, classic fight songs in college football (Michigan, ND, SoCal, etc). At the bare minimum, it's at least the same genre.

If you took someone who had never seen or heard of college football and played 9 classic college football fight songs and then played "step to the rear" and asked them which one doesn't fit, they'd pick "step to the rear" every time.

Unpopular opinion, I know, since all most fans know at this point is "step to the rear" as our main fight song, but I just don't like it. It doesn't sound anything like a fight song.

Gamecocks' fight song carries unique history into its 55th season

A show tune, a coach with showmanship and a tradition born: The Gamecocks' memorable fight song will celebrate its 55th anniversary this year.

www.postandcourier.com

 

[Carolina Doc]

I consider it "A" fight song, and not "THE" fight song for us.

 

[18IsTheMan]

I consider it "A" fight song, and not "THE" fight song for us.

I wonder what the meeting was like where your coach who was 1-9 in his first season comes in and says "Listen, fellas, I know we have a fight song that we've had for decades. But, hear me out...I was listening this Broadway play....."

 

[Deleted11512]

I know we all know the background, but this article from the P&C just popped up on my news feed. I think I start a thread each year about how much I dislike "Step to the rear" compared to the old fight song (you know...the one that was actually a college fight song?). I guess it's fitting that we let a coach with a losing record re-write our fight song. And we let him do it after he'd gone 1-9 in his first season. Who does that??? Brilliant.

What genius would listen to THIS and think, "Now THAT'S a college football fight song!"? It was the 60s, though. Was Dietzel on acid or something? It's downright comical that THIS is the source of a FIGHT song.


Particularly when we already had this going for us:


That song, in my opinion, holds up well with what are considered the better, classic fight songs in college football (Michigan, ND, SoCal, etc). At the bare minimum, it's at least the same genre.

If you took someone who had never seen or heard of college football and played 9 classic college football fight songs and then played "step to the rear" and asked them which one doesn't fit, they'd pick "step to the rear" every time.

Unpopular opinion, I know, since all most fans know at this point is "step to the rear" as our main fight song, but I just don't like it. It doesn't sound anything like a fight song.

I don't think it's unpopular at all!! You're spot on. The song sucks. Freakin Deitzel. "If we just had a broadway show tune as our fight song I could win some games!!" **Proceeds to go 42-53 in his career**.

We should start a petition. Who's with me??!!!

 

[Deleted11512]

I wonder what the meeting was like where your coach who was 1-9 in his first season comes in and says "Listen, fellas, I know we have a fight song that we've had for decades. But, hear me out...I was listening this Broadway play....."

As the story goes, he heard our band playing the tune and fell in love with it. Then he himself, sat down and wrote the lyrics to go with it. Probably would have been better served trying to figure out a way to win some damn football games.

 

[18IsTheMan]

I don't think it's unpopular at all!! You're spot on. The song sucks. Freakin Deitzel. "If we just had a broadway show tune as our fight song I could win some games!!" **Proceeds to go 42-53 in his career**.

We should start a petition. Who's with me??!!!

haha, I have been roasted in the past for daring to besmirch "step to the rear"

I'd sign that petition and then create 10,000 aliases to sign it.

 

[18IsTheMan]

As the story goes, he heard our band playing the tune and fell in love with it. Then he himself, sat down and wrote the lyrics to go with it. Probably would have been better served trying to figure out a way to win some damn football games.

Ha, yup. I mean, it'd be one thing if it was a legendary coach who had a couple titles under his belt at your program. Even if the song sucked, you'd say "well, i guess he earned the right." But Dietzel was a bum.

 

[Deleted11512]

Ha, yup. I mean, it'd be one thing if it was a legendary coach who had a couple titles under his belt at your program. Even if the song sucked, you'd say "well, i guess he earned the right." But Dietzel was a bum.

Apparently they were enamored enough with his NC at LSU to just let him do whatever the hell the wanted. Sucks.

 

[will110]

I know we all know the background, but this article from the P&C just popped up on my news feed. I think I start a thread each year about how much I dislike "Step to the rear" compared to the old fight song (you know...the one that was actually a college fight song?). I guess it's fitting that we let a coach with a losing record re-write our fight song. And we let him do it after he'd gone 1-9 in his first season. Who does that??? Brilliant.

What genius would listen to THIS and think, "Now THAT'S a college football fight song!"? It was the 60s, though. Was Dietzel on acid or something? It's downright comical that THIS is the source of a FIGHT song.


Particularly when we already had this going for us:


That song, in my opinion, holds up well with what are considered the better, classic fight songs in college football (Michigan, ND, SoCal, etc). At the bare minimum, it's at least the same genre.

If you took someone who had never seen or heard of college football and played 9 classic college football fight songs and then played "step to the rear" and asked them which one doesn't fit, they'd pick "step to the rear" every time.

Unpopular opinion, I know, since all most fans know at this point is "step to the rear" as our main fight song, but I just don't like it. It doesn't sound anything like a fight song.

Gamecocks' fight song carries unique history into its 55th season

A show tune, a coach with showmanship and a tradition born: The Gamecocks' memorable fight song will celebrate its 55th anniversary this year.

www.postandcourier.com

I guess there's a reason the band still plays both!

 

[uscfan1981]

Ha, yup. I mean, it'd be one thing if it was a legendary coach who had a couple titles under his belt at your program. Even if the song sucked, you'd say "well, i guess he earned the right." But Dietzel was a bum.

Are you actually that ignorant? He won a national championship at LSU. He finished in the top 3 three times. He was SEC and National Coach of the year. He wrote their famous "Hey fighting Tiger". He started their tradition of white jerseys at home and had the famous Chinese bandits defense.

He was responsible for the expansion of Williams-Brice. He designed a drew the block C logo. And led us the our only claimed conference championship. He was ACC coach of the Years. He also beat Clemson 4 times. Only rex enright and SOS have done more.

That is a bum in your eyes?

 

[athenscock3]

Ha, yup. I mean, it'd be one thing if it was a legendary coach who had a couple titles under his belt at your program. Even if the song sucked, you'd say "well, i guess he earned the right." But Dietzel was a bum.

Dietzel was a lot of things but he was not a bum. He did a lot of good things for USC. What sucked at USC was our facilities and a lot of other things he inherited. Trying to be coach and ad was too much. He had a right hand man who helped run the day to day things at Army and LSU. Unfortunately he died fo cancer(can't think of his name) and Dietzel tried to do too much with both jobs. As noted above he started with facilities and solicited the money to improve the sorry stadium, built the Roost, built a state of the art baseball stadium way ahead of most other programs, talked Bobby Richardson into the head coaching job which was the beginning of our run in college baseball. So to call him a bum is not called for. So with all due respect I beg to differ.

 

[18IsTheMan]

Are you actually that ignorant? He won a national championship at LSU. He finished in the top 3 three times. He was SEC and National Coach of the year. He wrote their famous "Hey fighting Tiger". He started their tradition of white jerseys at home and had the famous Chinese bandits defense.

He was responsible for the expansion of Williams-Brice. He designed a drew the block C logo. And led us the our only claimed conference championship. He was ACC coach of the Years. He also beat Clemson 4 times. Only rex enright and SOS have done more.

That is a bum in your eyes?

I don't give a rat's patoot what he did at LSU. That's for their fans to worry about.

Only our fans would talk up a coach with a 42-53 record.

Anyway, he wrote a stupid song.

 

[Fried Chicken]

The old fight song is good, but not great. It’s missing something. Just kind of bland. Almost like white noise.

I get how some may not like Step to the Read, but it is unique and for some reason it does kind of fit our mascot. I can tell you it sounds really good after a huge TD in a big game!

Step to the Rear isn’t near my biggest concern. Making a techno song from the early 2000’s one of our “traditions” is far more redneck / small time in my opinion. I just can’t see us playing Sandstorm 50 years from now. At least I hope we aren’t. I can’t imagine fans of any other school seeing why Sandstorm, a song played in basically every stadium in America, is a South Carolina tradition. It all made perfect sense when I read the article about the guy who planned it was from Vanderbilt. I swear I’ve always said the Sandstorm stuff feels like a Wake Forest or Vanderbilt trend. In fact, I’m fairly certain Wake Forest tried to make it a thing before we did. Maybe there’s was with Zombie Nation (another embarrassment). We know Vandy tried with Sandstorm, because we got their guy. Even Vandy wouldn’t do it.

Ok, now bring on the comments. I know this isn’t popular. Just like my thoughts on how we ruined our entrance (2001) by playing it again before the 4th quarter. It’s no longer our entrance…it’s a song we play. Clemson doesn’t run down the hill after halftime. Why did we ruin a good thing?

 

[IOPGCock]

Well we got 2001 and Sandstorm right. 2 outta 3 ain’t bad.

 

[Ruffledfeathers]

BLASPHEMY!! Shut your mouth you masquerading tater!

 

[Prestonyte]

haha, I have been roasted in the past for daring to besmirch "step to the rear"

I'd sign that petition and then create 10,000 aliases to sign it.

Democrat operatives could get those signatures over night! lol

 

[Prestonyte]

I wonder what the meeting was like where your coach who was 1-9 in his first season comes in and says "Listen, fellas, I know we have a fight song that we've had for decades. But, hear me out...I was listening this Broadway play....."

Was there a vote on the change to that piece of crap? Surely not!

 

[PerchedOnRings]

Well we got 2001 and Sandstorm right. 2 outta 3 ain’t bad.

Ready for Sandstorm to be retired for night games right after entrance only and Maybe at the end of the game if the place is already bananas.

 

[KOTR]

"But it's part of our tradition. We need to keep it." This is the same flawed thinking that makes people want to keep the current logo on the helmets.

 

[PerchedOnRings]

"But it's part of our tradition. We need to keep it." This is the same flawed thinking that makes people want to keep the current logo on the helmets.

So is doo doo ice.

 

[CockofEarle…]

I guess there's a reason the band still plays both!

Ah, bet u wish u were hearing it more tonight?