Wiktionary
n. A sports team's anthem, sung by fans to cheer the team.
Wikipedia
In American and Canadian sports, a fight song is a song associated with a team. In both professional and amateur sports, fight songs are a popular way for fans to cheer for their team. Although the term "fight song" is primarily used in America, the use of fight songs is commonplace around the world, but they may be referred to as team anthems, team songs or games songs in other countries, such as Australia, Mexico and New Zealand. Fight songs differ from stadium anthems, used for similar purposes, in that they are usually written specifically for the purposes of the team, whereas stadium anthems are not.
Hundreds of colleges have fight songs, some of which are over a century old. The oldest collegiate fight song in the United States is Boston College's "For Boston", composed by T.J. Hurley in 1885.
One of the oldest games songs in Australia is Melbourne Grammar's 'Play Together, Dark Blue Twenty', which is sung to the tune of ' The March of the Men of Harlech'. The Melbourne Grammar games song comprises verses from the school's three main sports at the time, Australian rules football, cricket and rowing. For example the Australian rules verse is:
'Play together, Dark Blue Twenty,
Long and little marks in plenty;
Get your kick, let none prevent ye,
Make the leather roll.
Mark your men, keen effort straining,
On the ball and show your training;
Still though short the time remaining,
Get another goal.'
The chorus between each verse is:
'None our ranks shall sunder.
Who will shirk or blunder?
If all are true
To our Dark Blue,
Our foemen must go under.
Honour ye the old School’s story,
Those who played and won before ye,
Bear the Dark Blue flag to glory,
Grammar to the fore.'
The cricket verse:
Bat with patience unremitting,
Yorker, shooter, break outwitting,
All the loose ones freely hitting,
That’s the game to play.
Skill the bat and ball in wielding,
Smartness, judgement in the fielding,
Iron nerve and pluck unyielding,
Scarce can lose the day.
The rowing verse:
Row the race, boys swing together,
Sinews tough as cords of leather,
Strong, yet light upon the feather,
Lift her, make her go!
Get the catch at the beginning,
Churn the tide in eddies spinning,
Now a spurt, you gain! you’re winning!
Melbourne Grammar, row!
A fourth verse with its own chorus was added in the early 20th century with imperial connotations:
'Some, in strife of sterner omen,
Faced the Empire’s stubborn foemen;
Fought, as erst their sires - her yeomen;
Won the deathless name.
Praise ye these who stood for Britain,
These by foreign marksmen smitten;
Praise them, for their names are written
High in storied fame.
None their ranks could sunder;
Who could shirk or blunder?
So stood they true
To the old Dark Blue,
And all their foes went under.
Honour ye the old School’s story,
Heroes who - her sons before ye -
Died or lived, but fought for glory,
Honoured evermore.'
While it is not officially discontinued, this addition is no longer sung. It was composed by Ambrose John Wilson who was principal of the school from 1885-1893. This is not to be confused with the school hymn 'Ora et Labora' which is now sung to the tune of ' Jerusalem'.
"Fight Song" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter Rachel Platten, released as a single by Columbia Records on February 19, 2015. It appears on her 2015 EP of the same name and on her major label debut studio album, and third overall, Wildfire (2016). Platten co-wrote the song with Dave Bassett.
The song peaked at number six on the Billboard Hot 100 and also reached number one of the Adult Contemporary and Adult Pop Songs airplay charts. Outside the United States, "Fight Song" topped the charts in the United Kingdom and also peaked within the top ten of the singles charts in Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the Republic of Ireland and the top twenty of the charts in Slovakia. It has sold two million copies in the United States, earning a double platinum certification from the RIAA.
' Fight Song 'is the debut extended play released by American singer-songwriter Rachel Platten on May 12, 2015 through Columbia Records, her first release for the label. The EP includes the top-10 single of the same name, " Fight Song", and was released in promotion of Platten's debut major-label album, Wildfire (2016). Fight Song peaked at number 20 the Billboard 200, and has sold 26,000 copies in the US as of December 2015. It is Also Hillary Clinton 2016 Campaign Theme.