Crazy Train… of agony

NCS Football Tradition76

In 1980, Ozzy Osborne released his first solo single called, it was titled Crazy Train. It’ is now one of the most recognizable riffs in rock history. Today the ringtone based on the song has reached double platinum with over 1,750,000 downloads. Hell, it’s even used by the New England Patriots when they enter the field before a game and played for Chipper Jones when he comes to the plate for the Atlanta Braves.

More importantly, to us, it’s played as the Wolfpack take the field for home football games… and I hate it. Every game this year my friends and I made fun of the song, then put our heads down in embarrassment as the disco bass riff rang out through The Carter. And one can only imagine what a 17 year-old recruit born in 1993 would be thinking as the Soul-Train-like graphic steams across the video screen.

I am 33 (I imagine I am in the median or mean of the ages of Wolfpack fans) and Crazy Train is old and outdated to ME! We’ve had such good intro songs in the past, why did we switch directions and go with Crazy Train?

“Here comes the BOOM!”  POD exudes getting hype, you can’t help but feel an adrenaline rush when you hear that song. It even has the line “Here comes the boys from the South”.

Then there is “The Slam“  by Toby Mac. Not as hype, but still a good song. Hell, I thought Tank Tyler’s song “Welcome to the Carter” would have been great! I mean, it’s made in house practically and specifically about our stadium!

Anyways, given the lack of news lately and this coming to my mind this morning I thought I’d see what others think about this. When commenting, post your age with your comment and if you attend home games regularly just to see if demographic matters in this discussion. Also, if you can remember the year and song intro from other years I would like to compile an accurate list.

Intro songs through the years (thanks to WV Wolf):

Welcome to the Jungle by GnR / Van Halen’s Right Now (Big Plays Big Days) / Aerosmith’s Back in the Saddle /  Bodies by Drowning Pool / P.O.D.’s Boom /  Meaning of Life by Disturbed /  Bring the Pain by Abstraxt / combo of The Battle from the Gladiator soundtrack and Blind by Korn

About BAM

I grew up on Jones Franklin Rd with a Wolfpack banner hanging over my bed. UNCW class of 2001.

NCS Football Tradition

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  • 12/10/2010 at 12:52 PM #85478
    BAM
    Participant

    I’d much rather have the band play than Ozzy. How about the band… but add an electric guitar or something? A band backed by The band. Just an idea. I’ve seen marching bands with electric bass and elec guitar on the high school level. Or, like at basketball games, with the drum kit.

    12/10/2010 at 12:56 PM #85479
    LifeLongWolf
    Participant

    Personally I am firmly in the “let the band play” camp. I also agree with the poster who said that some seem to favor a very raw, edgy sound that is grating to many. When you’re picking music, or food, or anything for a large group of people, it’s best to stick to the middle ground. Many of group may like their food really spicy, but that’s not really appropriate for everyone.

    The only thing that would sway me is if they literally let the team pick the music.

    And I think there are some damn good country songs that would make for a great intro. Almost anything by Toby Keith gets me pumped up. But I acknowledge that most wouldn’t like it. As intros go, Crazy Train ain’t that bad.

    41

    12/10/2010 at 1:04 PM #85480
    BAM
    Participant

    Consensus seems to be (not in order): 1) BOOM! 2) Marching band 3) let team choose. I could get behind any of those in a heartbeat.

    p.s. I wonder if any older folks at VT have a problem with ‘Enter Sandman’? I’m guessing given their on-the-field product they don’t care. Kinda like, if we were talking about NCSU playing in a BCS bowl right now I would not care about ‘Crazy Train’

    12/10/2010 at 1:16 PM #85481
    nitewolf
    Participant

    I’d be willing to bet some of the older folks do have a problem with it, but, yeah, on the field product does come into play, sometimes. I was in my early 20’s when Enter Sandman was released, and, in the beginning it was a very intense song. However, it was quickly overplayed, and overused by wussy-types that felt like they couldn’t get ‘pumped up’ without it. I associate that song with nothing more than false motivation these days.

    12/10/2010 at 1:23 PM #85482
    greatballsoffire
    Member

    “Blow Me Away” from Breaking Benjamin would be an AWESOME intro song. It’s from the Halo soundtrack, so would resonate with our gamers.

    12/10/2010 at 1:39 PM #85483
    Alex_01
    Participant

    The Wake game drove me crazy. We’re locked in a tight game in the first half, its a timeout break prior to 3rd down for Wake. Then the stupid video screen and speakers burst to life.

    No WOLF > PACK, no chearleaders, no band (aren’t they supposed to be the “Power Sound of the South”, why do they just sit like the old ladys in the deandome) NOTHING!! This situation was repeated throughout the game.

    C-F should be deafeningly loud to intimidate the oppostition in critical (and all) situations, but instead we’re watching some video. Why even play home games?! Let us support the Pack!!!

    12/10/2010 at 2:00 PM #85484
    willbigcatjones
    Member

    This is the real “Welcome to the Carter”

    Its better than the new version, but I think its more of a warm-up song.

    12/10/2010 at 2:11 PM #85485
    PackMan97
    Participant

    ““Blow Me Away” from Breaking Benjamin would be an AWESOME intro song. It’s from the Halo soundtrack, so would resonate with our gamers.”

    +1

    12/10/2010 at 2:20 PM #85486
    grandeshady
    Member

    Crazy Train rocks. One of the best entrance themes of all time. We should play it every time there is a break in the action . . . timeouts, end of quarter, change of possession, etc.

    12/10/2010 at 2:22 PM #85487
    SMD
    Keymaster

    WHICH song we use is very subjective, as evidenced by the many opinions on this thread.

    My main beef is that we change the entrance every freakin’ year. Here’s the thing – college football has the most pageantry and production of any sport. People go ape**** when the USC band plays the theme from 2001, VT comes into Sandman, whatever it is.

    Why? Because a lot of that is tradition. They’ve done the same thing for years! My whole life, Clemson has touched the rock and run down the hill.

    Let’s find whatever our unique piece of theater is and stick with it. I don’t care what it is. Bring back the helmet cart, bring back the drum. Hell, research some sort of Indian ritual related to wolves. But let’s establish some tradition and not stray from it.

    12/10/2010 at 2:23 PM #85488
    willbigcatjones
    Member

    I like Let’s Go by Trick Daddy, its got the music from Crazy Train but it’s a lot better pump up song. It would also relate better with the football team and younger crowd.

    12/10/2010 at 2:35 PM #85489
    fullmoon1
    Participant

    I like crazy train but I could be ok with another song but nothing from Van Hagar. I think Crazy Train’s opening riff really gets attention and the song is a classic. If we go with another tune it has to have that classic appeal. I think the classic nature of the song keeps it from seeming dated. If we choose a song that hasn’t stood the test of time we come off looking trendy. Anything zeplinish would work.

    12/10/2010 at 2:58 PM #85490
    StatePhan4life
    Participant

    I would love to see us use Tank Tyler’s song. I really like it and I think its a pretty accurate vision of who we want to be. Its great and would be just another great lil drop for recruiting when you say.. oh yah, Tank, we put him in the league. This is his song. You could be that guy too.

    While that probably wouldnt work on me, I imagine that would score points with the average high school kid who wants to be a NFL player and rock/rap star. Hell you could even spin our school of Comms in the pitch. Heh.

    But from all the ones we had, PoD was the best. It made the best highlight vids. Perhaps we could show a vid with huge hits to that song, then Follow it with Tank’s as the boys come out to see them get fired up to a song about them and their house.

    Honestly tho, no matter what song we use, the best thing we could do is get rid of the speakers used at CF at the moment. I think they dug em out of an old AMC Gremlin or something. They are awful.

    And per instructions im 36 and have had season tickets for the last 7 years

    12/10/2010 at 3:03 PM #85491
    LifeLongWolf
    Participant

    On a tangential note, I want some enterprising young hackers to change the UNC intro song LMFAO’s “I’m in Miami, B1tch!”

    12/10/2010 at 4:37 PM #85492
    wolfpack95
    Member

    StatePhan4Life,
    The jumbotron speakers were replaced before this season.
    So they are new, and there was a noticeable difference in sound quality over the past several years.

    12/10/2010 at 4:40 PM #85493
    TheCOWDOG
    Moderator

    “Ask the players…”
    We used to come out to the fight song and 45,000 of you screaming meemies. Always worked for us.

    A hundred Celtic war drums and pipes would be better. It scared the **** out of the Romans.

    12/10/2010 at 4:48 PM #85494
    Moose Hunter
    Member

    Anyone know the name of the song the basketball team used for intros last year?

    12/10/2010 at 5:00 PM #85495
    bandgeek51891
    Member

    For the record, the marching band does play when the team comes out. The video is played and then right after that we are given a signal as the fireworks are going off. That is probably the reason for people not knowing about it, the fireworks drown out the first half of the fight song. And as for what happened during the Wake game, we don’t get to play whenever we want, we have someone who tells us when we can play and how much time we can play based on what they have to do for the sponsors. On a good note though, when Debbie Yow came and talked to us earlier in the semester she told us that just from the first few games she was tired of seeing so many Jiffy Lube plugs on the jumbotron and was going to try and work it out to where we could play more and the cheerleaders could cheer more.

    12/10/2010 at 5:49 PM #85496
    tmb81
    Participant

    It has to be the band. The band has been growing in size and reputation the last few years and it is about time we recognize this and give them this honor.

    There are plenty of opportunities to play the canned music throughout the course of the game. The band however should be the ones delivering the sound at this significant moment.

    12/10/2010 at 6:31 PM #85497
    wolfonthehill
    Participant

    Boom! and Bodies are, by far, the winners here. Nothing else is a remote contestant.

    I’m 39 in 15 days. 🙂

    12/10/2010 at 7:19 PM #85498
    MrPlywood
    Participant

    True story: In early 1984, as a fairly recent design grad, I travelled to Manhattan to look for work. After a couple of weeks I had to head back to NC to do a little work and make some money for a return trip. While I was in La Guardia airport waiting for my flight, I looked up and noticed a small group of people coming my way and they were led by… Ozzy Osbourne. I wasn’t sure it was really him until he sat down right across from me and I saw the OZZY tattooed on his fingers. I wasn’t really a fan but I wasn’t about to miss the opportunity, so I struck up a conversation. We talked for about a half-hour covering all sorts of subjects from my design work to Lyndon LaRouche’s presidential campaign (there was an info table set up near us). Right before my flight, I asked for an autograph for my younger brother. I happened to have an 8 x 10 bw photo of my brother in my portfolio (which was was suitably off-kilter composition) and Ozzy signed it to him writing “Keep on that Crazy Train”. 🙂

    12/10/2010 at 7:58 PM #85499
    HowlinWolfDog
    Member

    I don’t know about the song getting people or players pumped up, but I’ve always thought at some point (maybe during a timeout) that we should play Bad Company’s “Running with the Pack”. Age 30.

    12/10/2010 at 9:29 PM #85500
    Radman
    Participant

    Age 52. Yes I’m old. Favorite by far was Bodies although I also like Boom.

    How about “Bark at the moon”. Seems appropriate.

    12/10/2010 at 9:40 PM #85501
    MrPlywood
    Participant

    Once again I’ll put in a plug for X and “Hungry Wolf”. Do not confuse with the Duran Duran tripe. Age 51. I’m not old.

    12/10/2010 at 10:17 PM #85502
    choppack1
    Participant

    40 years old here.

    Ozzy sucks – but even worse is the music during the breaks. This year I went to Clemson and UNC and in the past I’ve been to FSU, VaTech, both UTs, tOSU, BC, GaTech, UVa and USC – and this year’s entry and ongoing muscic is by far the worst.

    We should have stuck w/ Bodies or Boom. If we were going to drop Bodies, we should have dropped it in the middle of 2001 (it just didn’t seem right the first game after 9-11 to play “let the bodies hit the floor”.) Overall, it just shows me that those making this decision are pretty much braindead. They’ve gotten it right 2 out 11 years.

    As for the band – that’s just not realistic. Our band is definitely bigger, but I just don’t see everyone going crazy for it. I started going to UT games in 1981 -this was before teams entered the field to anything other than a band -and it was really cool to have them run through the T as the announcer said, “It’s football time in Tennesee!”

    That stuff works in the right atmosphere. But that’s “old money” – and no matter how hard “new money” tries, it can’t be “old money”. Coming out to the marching band is special when you’ve got 90K plus (as you do at UT, ‘Bama and tOSU)…for the rest of us, we need a good song, and if we like it, we need to stick w/ it. And quite frankly, since Boom, I haven’t heard a song I’d want to keep.

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