On Monday, we met Bobby Kent, former San Diego Chargers musical director, and the man who claims he's responsible for 'da da da da da da... CHARGE!' However on Wednesday, Tony Fox, director of the USC Trojan Marching Band, told us that former USC student Tommy Walker came up with the stadium ditty way back in 1955. Not since Vanilla Ice ripped Queen/David Bowie's "Under Pressure" hook for "Ice, Ice, Baby" has there been this much discussion about musical composition.
Did Kent deliberately steal music from Walker's "Trojan Warriors, Charge!" for his "Sports Doo Dads", or is it coincidence the two songs sound alike? If Kent wins the lawsuit he filed against the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (NSCAP), will it silence the charge chant in stadiums 'round the world? All we know is that 'da da da da da da-gate has taught us to not take obscure melodies for granted. From musical ring tones, to computer start-up sounds, composers have sat behind a piano for hours working on getting the music just right, often receiving little or no fanfare for their contributions to pop culture.
Check out our list of everyday ditties we take for granted, and the people behind them.
Check out our list of everyday ditties we take for granted, and the people behind them.
As you see, there's more to this song than peanuts and Cracker Jack. "Take me out to the ball game" is about a woman, possibly the greatest woman ever, who'd rather spend afternoon at ball park than do whatever else women did in the early 1900s.
Kudos, Jack and Albert
2. "The Microsoft Sound" - Brian Eno
2. "The Microsoft Sound" - Brian Eno
Brian Eno, legendary composer, music theorist, sonic minimalist--the list goes on--was approached by Microsoft back in the 90s to write music for Windows 95 operating system. It had to be inspiring, universal, sexy, futuristic, yada, yada, yada. All that, but under four-seconds long. The result, an inspiring, sexy start-up jingle.
3. NBC Chimes - Richard Blanchard
3. NBC Chimes - Richard Blanchard
B-D-G, those are the notes that make up the NBC Chime, however, we're not sure if Robert Blanchard really came up with it. Richard H. Ranger, a radio engineer from the 1930s was the first to mechanize the chime with a contraption similar to a music box, but there's speculation the original chime was from a NBC affiliate in Atlanta.
4. The Addams Family Theme - Vic Mizzy
While The Addams Family theme isn't as popular as "Charge!", it has become a stadium favorite. 'da da da da, clap clap, da da da da, clap clap...
5. "Roundball Rock (NBA on NBC)" - John Tesh
Yes, the former host of Entertainment Tonight is also a New Age composer, and he wrote the NBA on NBC theme song on his answering machine. One hit wonder? Hardly, he also wrote this great jam.
Yes, the former host of Entertainment Tonight is also a New Age composer, and he wrote the NBA on NBC theme song on his answering machine. One hit wonder? Hardly, he also wrote this great jam.
John Tesh Bonus
