Auburn University is giving fans the chance to vote on the team's 2010 intro video. There are a whopping 17 choices. After a fan vote, the choices will be pared down to a final eight. Here's the official ballot for Round 1.
The intro song is one of those things that never seems to make anyone happy, so kudos to Auburn for wading into what is always controversial territory.
As a guide to voting, Let's go through all the songs and try to determine their relative crunkness -- the most important factor in a good intro song.
Vox Populi --- 30 Seconds to Mars
Crunk Level: 5 out of 10. The intro to the song is a bit interesting, and I could see fans getting excited as it starts to play. Beyond that, I'm not sure there's enough to carry the intro video. Put this in the maybe pile. Extra credit for the tiger on the album.
Fun facts from Wikipedia: Actor Jared Leto is a singer in 30 Seconds to Mars. "This is War" album came out after group was sued by Virgin Records.
Roscoe Dash -- All the Way Turnt Up
Crunk Level: 7 of 10. This would get the kids fired up, but there might be some grumblings from the pricier seats. The big risk is that by August everyone will be sick of hearing this song a million times over the summer.
Fun facts from Wikipedia: Roscoe's real name is Jeffery Johnson Jr.
One more concern? Would put this Auburn University squarely in the middle of Dash-Roscoe Dash-ATL-Travis Porter feud. Wikipedia tried to explain it thusly: "The original version was named, "Turnt Up", and produced by Vybe Beatz and features Atlanta rap group Travis Porter & rapper YT. This version started the feud of Travis Porter & Roscoe Dash because Travis Porter made Dash (ATL was Dash's stage name at the time) a featured artist of the song on one of the group's mixtapes in 2009, after finding this out Dash removed the group from the song & re-recorded it with Soulja Boy."
That explains everything, right?
Welcome to the Jungle -- Guns 'n' Roses
Initial reaction: "Please. God. No." Jordan-Hare Stadium is not the Jungle anymore. That was a Terry Bowden thing, right? Or maybe it was Tommy Tuberville? In any case, the nickname has long since been retired, and Gene Chizik is about Family, not Jungles.
And while we love and respect the many contributions that Guns 'n' Roses has made to American rock, it's not 1987 anymore. Auburn's intro needs something fresher.
Oh yeah, crunk level = 1 for 10.
Fun fact from Wikipedia: In 2009, the readers of Rolling Stone magazine rated Welcome to the Jungle the greatest sports anthem.
Welcome to the Show -- Saliva
This one got good feedback from fans when it has been used in past years. It's got a nice hard-rock edge with just a bit of Southern flavor. Saliva -- the band, not the spit -- was formed in Memphis and originally signed with Def Jam records, so they've got street cred.
Crunk level: 6 out of 10.
Fun facts from Wikipedia: World Wresting Entertainment has used a number of songs from Saliva for its events.
Eye of the Tiger -- Survivor
Much like Welcome to the Jungle, this just screams 1980s. (Great decade, but most of Auburn's current football players weren't alive for it).
Fun fact from Wikipedia: It was written at the request of Sylvester Stallone for the film Rocky III, as a replacement for Queen's "Another One Bites the Dust" for which Stallone was unable to obtain permission.
All I do is Win - DJ Kahled
Crunk Level: 8 out of 10.
Great song, good hype factor. The only concern is if Auburn gets off to a bad start, this song is a bit, uh, boastful for a bad team. Otherwise, it just adds to the swagger.
Extra points for crowd participation with the "hands up" part. One of Auburn's baseball players (Trent Mummey, I think) has this as his at-bat music, and even the white-bread baseball crowd gets into it.
This single from DJ Kaled features an all-start cast of T-Pain, Ludacris, Snoop Dogg and Rick Ross. It hit No. 39 on the Billboard Hot 100 this year.
Fun fact from Wikipedia: DJ Kaled's real name is Khaled Bin Abdul Khaled. He was born in New Orleans, La., and is of Palestinian descent. He was appointed president of Def Jam South in 2009.
Tiger Walk --- Travis Williams
Crunk Level: 7 of 10.
Former Auburn linebacker Travis Williams is currently a defensive GA on the Tigers. He also is an aspiring hip-hop artist in his spare time.
The nice part of this song is that it is 100 percent Auburn-themed. Selecting it would be keeping the choice "in the family," so to speak, and would certainly give a nice boost to Williams' career. Plus, there are shout-outs to all the coaches and various Auburn historic figures (including Pat Dye).
Williams is a super-nice guy and was a great player, so I can certainly see the sentiment in choosing him. At the same time, some fans have said they don't want such a big stage to be amateur hour. Maybe Auburn could take the track to someone in the ATL and clean up the beats a little bit. Does anyone have T.I.'s cell?
Street Fighter (War) --- Sick Puppies
Crunk Level: 4 of 10.
I was wondering how this song even made the cut, but then I heard the line, "This is war and it's on tonight, so get up and fight..." So that's sort of football-ish. Not a bad song, but the verdict: A little too angry, and just not crunk enough.
Fun Facts: The Sick Puppies are from Australia.
Thunderstruck --- AC/DC
Crunk Level: 8 of 10.
OK, I know this is an oldie, but I have a soft spot in my heart for this one. It's a great sports anthem, great pump-up music, great intro.
This was actually released in 1990, so it avoids the 80s stigma. But is it fresh enough for the coveted intro-music spot? You decide.
Fun fact from Wikipedia: "The song is said to be inspired by lead guitarist Angus Young's hair-raising experience when a plane he was on was struck bylightning. Another theory states that the song was conceived when the band watched a Combined Arms Livefire EXercise (CALFEX) at Ft. Hood. The band was so impressed by the M1A1 tank that they wrote a song about it."
Cochise --- Audioslave
Crunk Level: 2 of 10.
Great song, but crunk music? Really? Sorry, if fans picks this and then Auburn loses to Arkansas State, they will have no one to blame but themselves.
Fun fact from Wikipedia: Cochise (or "Cheis") was one of the most famous Apache leaders (along with Geronimo) to resist intrusions by Americans during the 19th century. He was described as a large man (for the time), with a muscular frame, classical features, and long black hair which he wore in traditional Apache style. He was about 5'10" tall and weighed about 175 lbs. In his own language, his name "Cheis" meant "having the quality or strength of oak."
OK, the video above isn't even the right song. The song above would be acceptable, even though it's been out for a minute. You'll have to trust me that "I Made It" is not going to work. Maybe as a montage video, but not as intro music. Believe me.
Crunk level: 3 of 10.
Fun fact from Wikipedia: "I Made it" was the official song of WrestleMania XXVI.
Hero --- Skillet
I actually like this song. Has it been played at Jordan-Hare before? Or maybe it's just coming up in my Pandora a lot? (Update: It's apparently been used a lot in NFL previews and professional wrestling, so maybe that's where I've heard it).
Skillet is actually a Christian rock band and the "Hero" we all need is Aubie.
No, just kidding, it's J.C.
Weighty topic for crunk music, don't you think?
Lead singer John Cooper describes it thusly: "When you boil it all down, Christ is the one who gives us a reason to live and He's our "Hero" who's fighting for all of this oppression and injustice."
My vote: It's a football game, not a church. Thumbs-down.
Shoot to Thrill --- AC/DC
This song came out a couple months after I was born, and although I'm not Andy Bitter-old, I am pretty old compared to most of the kids on Auburn's team.
So it loses points for that.
My thought: If you're going with AC/DC, stick with Thunderstruck.
You're Going Down --- Sick Puppies
Auburn's marketing department has a thing for the Sick Puppies. Either that or the selection committee was stacked with Aussies. (Brett Hawke, I'm looking at you).
The song title plays into the swagger-y, football-y theme of the intro music, but the rest of the song doesn't carry it enough.
Crunk Level: 3 of 10.
Let's Go --- Trick Daddy
This one may actually win. Why? It has street cred via Trick Daddy, yet it is based on a cover (Crazy Train) that is relatively non-threatening to older white people!
It's from his sixth album, Thug Matrimony: Married to the Streets (don't tell that to the alumni section) and was the most successful single of Trick Daddy's career.
I'll be honest, though. It just doesn't do it for me. It's better than many on this list, but still lacking the freshness that is demanded in an intro video.
Crunk level: 6 of 10.
Until the End --- Breaking Benjamin
I'm not going to spend too much time on this. This on must have made the list accidentally. There is no possible way this would be a successful intro song.
Family Reunion --- Saliva
This has been used at Jordan-Hare Stadium to relatively positive feedback. But let's be honest, without the title "Family Reunion," this probably wouldn't have made the cut. I know Auburn's all about Family under Gene and Troop, but that shouldn't affect something as important as the intro video.
Crunk level: 5 of 10.
Synopsis: There's no clear-cut favorite, but as you can see, I like some better than others. But the choice is yours, and the ballot-box is secret, so vote your conscience.
Any songs not make the list that you think are deserving? Let me know.