Spring Break
The Daily OrangeBest of Traditions
Best Nostalgia: The Hey Song
By Dan Hubsher
Posted: 4/17/07, 10:37 PM EST Section: Best of SU
Campus Inside Joke - Nancy Cantor's Wall
The Berlin Wall separated West and East Germany, the Great Wall of China kept enemies out of China and Nancy Cantor's wall keeps fun-loving students from sledding down the hill beside Crouse. Tuition keeps rising, yet Nancy Cantor can afford to build an essentially pointless wall on Crouse Hill.
Tradition - #44
The number 44 is synonymous with SU. It was a number worn by many SU football greats. The jersey was retired last year, and the number is the first two digits of all campus phone numbers and the last two digits of academic building zip codes.
Syracuse Shirt - Real Men Wear Orange
The University bookstore has an entire rack dedicated to the "Real (insert word) Wear Orange" shirts. They are prominent around campus and at any SU athletic event. There should be one that says, "Real Students Wear Orange," because around here, it's definitely true.
Reason to Attend SU - The People
Everyone attended SU for their own reasons, but there is usually one common reason: the people on campus. Whether it's the students walking across the Quad dressed as zombies for their horror film class, or a member of Greek life, one can never meet the same type of student twice.
Statue - Saltine Warrior
Modeled after an Onondaga Chief, the Saltine Warrior was SU's original mascot until almost 1980, when members of the Native American Student Association staged a protest against the Saltine Warrior, saying it was derogatory. Now a statue in front of Carnegie, the Warrior continues to have a place on campus.
-Kristen J. Putch
Best of Traditions … The "Hey" Song.
If you're a fan of Otto, Jim Boeheim and everything Orange, there's no doubt you know the SU "Hey Song" by heart and are an active and participating member in its large choir.
Sung to the tune of Gary Glitter's "Rock and Roll, Pt. 2," the song is arguably the greatest unifying musical force in Onondaga County. It's much easier to remember than the alma mater, and it has been suggested that the frequency with which it is sung is directly proportional to the amount of alcohol consumed by a given student body, though no scientific studies have been conducted as of yet.
As the moment draws near, you can feel it coming; the football team just marched downfield and scored that elusive touchdown. Suddenly you're caught in a sea of hands stretching up toward the canvas ceiling of the Dome, waving back and forth to the rhythm. Your 'Cuse instinct takes over, and without hesitation or thought, you join in as the chorus rocks Carrier's mighty walls.
"HEY YOU SUCK! HEY YOU SUCK! HEY YOU SUCK! F*CK EM UP! F*CK EM UP! GO SU! WE'RE GONNA KICK THE SH*T OUTTA YOU!"
Infamous for its admitted vulgarity, the song, nonetheless, holds a special place in the hearts of SU fans, and is one of the many highlights of attending Orange football and basketball games. For the longest time, the song was accompanied by the instrumentals of the SU Marching Band and the Sour Sitrus Society, but not anymore.
Now the "Hey Song" is just a legend for diehard Syracuse fans to keep alive as the years go by.
"I think it was just a cool opportunity, because it wasn't a band song," said Chris Kanaley, an SU alumnus from the class of 2006 with a major in marketing and finance. "It was one of those songs that everyone knew, because it was played in like every concert ever, and then we just put the college twist on it."
Is the "Hey Song" a key to victory on the court? Consider the fact that the glorious basketball season of '02-'03 was the last one in which the band was permitted to take part in its performance.
"I think that directly related to the fact that they were undefeated at home that season," said Dan George, a civil engineering graduate student. "The players could hear what was going on and they responded."
SU's spectacular season in the national spotlight ultimately proved to be the undoing of the "Hey Song." The song's lyrics didn't sit well with the NCAA. So in response to league officials' complaints, Chancellor Kenneth A. Shaw outlawed its playing.
Naturally, this did little for Shaw's popularity among the student body, as it remains a much-bemoaned decision today. Its banning hasn't really contributed to stopping the song's occurrence, though, as the crowd simply provides their own form of vocal instrumentals these days. And any SU fan who can proudly say they took part in the Feb. 26 post-victory court rush, against Georgetown, knows Shaw's edict held little weight. The band pulled the "Hey Song" out of retirement for the first time in four years in a celebratory performance after SU's stunning defeat of the Hoyas.
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