Home Sweet Home To Me

It's football time in Tennessee! Actually, the game is currently under a weather delay. But as soon as the storm passes, it will be football time in Tennessee. Technically it's football time everywhere in America. But let's talk about what's important - UT football. This importance comes not from high pre-season rankings or from a previous successful bowl season. I don't think anyone is anticipating a great season for UT. We've got a young team and are in a rebuilding period, so my husband says. Regardless, I am NOT a fair weather fan. I love to watch Tennessee football no matter what.

I love all the orange. As garish as it would be on any other day, all that orange is fun and festive on game day.

My hubby and I have been spontaneously singing Rocky Top all week long. We have burst into song at the most unexpected times. We don't actually sing it though; we only know the words to the chorus. So it's more of a vocal rendering of a trumpet sound....dadada da da da da dada da da da daa da dada da daaa....followed by "Rocky Top you'll always be home sweet home to me!"

My mouth was getting tired of faking the trumpet and it occurred to me that it was high time I learned all the words to Rocky Top. I did know a few choice words from the song: moonshine, corn from a jar, sodie pop. I won't reprint all the song lyrics here. If you're interested, go here. It's a fun song about missing the simple life in the hills of Tennessee. I can relate.

What I found most interesting about Rocky Top was that it was written by a husband and wife songwriting team in 1967. I love their names: Boudleaux and Felice Bryant. In case you have to ask, Boudleax is the man. Even more interesting to me is that Boudleaux and his lovely wife Felice are responsible for such other great songs as "Love Hurts" and "All I Have to Do is Dream". Any Everly Brothers fans out there? No? You prefer Nazareth's version? Either way, you can thank Boudleaux and Felice for easing your teenage broken heart with their poignant words.

Oh...but I was talking about football, right? I'd like to thank Boudleaux and Felice for making UT football a sing-along event since 1972. The University of Tennessee Pride of the Southland Band has a perpetual license to play Rocky Top as often as its success on the field allows. If you've ever been to a UT game, you know the band takes full advantage of this legal arrangement.

Each time the band plays the song, the crowd joins in only on the chorus of course. Because like me, most UT fans only know the chorus. It is quite a sing-along.

I can't take credit for this video but this is a good sample of the Rocky Top experience. I especially like the guy singing the loudest. There are lots of these guys in the crowd on game day.

Good ole Rocky Top! Rocky Top Tennessee!