Dave Feit’s Top 10 Nebraska Fan Songs of All Time

Release of rapper Tech N9ne’s ‘R.K. Huskers’ inspires a Casey Kasem-style countdown

TheKilligans.com

There’s a new Husker song.

Kansas City rapper Tech N9ne released “R.K. Huskers” today, via the official Huskers Twitter account. “R.K. Huskers” is a spin-off of his “Red Kingdom” song, (an ode to the Kansas City Chiefs) with Husker-specific lyrics.

No word was given about how – or when – this song might be used as part of the Nebraska game day experience. I’m guessing fans attending the spring game will hear it, and it could likely replace AC/DC’s “Thunderstruck” as the music for the fire and light spectacular between the third and fourth quarters this fall.

As for the song itself? It’s okay*. I’m not going to rush out and buy/download/whatever we do with new music nowadays, but I don’t hate it. It is what it is.

*Quick aside to acknowledge that I – a white guy in my mid 40s – am obviously not the target audience for this song, or pretty much anything other piece of music that gets played in Memorial Stadium. Feel free to take my musical tastes with a gigantic grain of salt.

Instead, the release of this new piece of Husker-centric music has me nostalgic for some of the other Big Red-inspired tracks to come out over the years. Let’s do a Casey Kasem countdown of the Top 10* Husker Fan Songs of all time.

*I’m sure there are more than 10 out there. Heck, I found SEVENTEEN Nebraska-related tracks on Spotify from one guy. But, they’re so painfully bad, I can’t in good conscious include them …yet. We’ll discuss the musical genius of George Dare at the end.

I’m not talking about “Hail Varsity”, “There is No Place Like Nebraska”, or songs the Cornhusker Marching Band plays. I’m talking about songs written (or covered) by fans of the program.

Let’s start the countdown at #10:

10) “Magic Man (Husker Roll Call Mix)" - Franklin Thompson

Basically, this is a guy reciting the names of 70’s and 80’s Huskers via Auto-Tune over a generic R&B groove.

Sample lyrics:

Give me just a little bit of Steve Taylor

Give me just a little bit of Turner Gill

9) “Husker Power” – Lions Order

The backing track is pretty good. The vocals – especially the awkward “Husker Power” chant – are not.

Sample lyrics:

You heard us in the parking lot

They call it Husker Power

In the stands we shake the field

For three and half hours

8) “The Real Husker Anthem: Go Big Red (feat. Vino)” – Chiffy

No disrespect to Chiffy (or Vino), but is essentially the same as every other Husker-inspired rap song I found. Referencing random players who had unremarkable careers doesn’t help.

Sample lyrics:

Hit you so hard

Make you see bright lights

Jason Ankrah chase you down

Make you go night-night

7) “Cornhusker Strong” – Heidi Merrill

If you thought this countdown was just going to be bad rap songs, Aunt Heidi has you covered. She’s sassy, independent, and (according to her video) having a good time in the Railyard.

Sample lyrics:

Well the good Lord gave me wings to fly

So I packed my bag but never said goodbye

Wherever I am I'm forever where I come from

I'm Cornhusker strong

Down any road I'm on

6) “Nebraska Tunnel Walk Remix” – Mikey Bo

Remember Mikey Bo? Remember the outrage when this was released back in 2007?

Here’s the thing: This version has aged surprisingly well. As a traditionalist, I still prefer the original Alan Parsons Project version of “Sirius”, but this is a lot better than I remember it being.

***

Before we get into the top half of the countdown, let’s pause to recognize a few tracks that didn’t make the countdown. I’ve grouped them in into three categories:

BEST “IN MEMORIUM” TRIBUTE SONG:

• #1 Song: “The Nebraska Song” – Sawyer Brown
• Runner-up: “Dream Big, Work Hard, Stay Humble (Sam’s Song)” – Whiskey Bent

Sawyer Brown’s “Nebraska Song” was released following the tragic death of Brook Berringer, over 25 years ago. Yeah, it’s sappy and heavily influenced by Bob Dylan’s “Mr. Tambourine Man”, but it is still a beloved song about a beloved player.

Whiskey Bent’s tribute to Sam Foltz – named after a famous Foltz saying – follows the same model.

Here’s hoping we do not have a reason for another one of these songs.

BEST “WEIRD AL” STYLE HUSKERS PARODY SONG:

• #1 Song: “A Man Named Suh” – Josh Mlnarik
• Runner-up: “Scott Frost is the New Coach” – Jimmy Weber

The first 45 seconds of “A Man Named Suh” (a parody of Johnny Cash’s “A Boy Named Sue”) is pretty great summary of NU football from 2004 – 2009. The entire song is really well done, a time capsule of an amazing career.

“Scott Frost is the New Coach” (sung to the tune of “Frosty the Snowman”) is a cute little parody song, even if the lyrics have not yet come to fruition:

Scott Frost is the new coach

Start singing a happy tune

Big Red is back to stay

In the winning ways

We’ll be playing for a title soon

We’ll be thumping the Big Ten, thumping the Big Ten

Look at those Huskers go.

BEST HUSKER PLAYER RAP SONG:

• #1 Song: “Husker Hot Sauce, Part 1” – Terrell Farley (feat. T. Fraz)
• Runner up: Honestly, nothing even comes close.

Tommie Frazier rapping into a bottle of hot sauce is an all-time classic video. I love everything about it.

Now, back to the countdown!

5) “R.K. Huskers” – Tech N9ne

Is it better than the other rap songs we’ve heard so far? Yep. Is it the greatest Husker song ever? Nope.

4) “Husker Reggae” – Paul Phillips

In my early 20s, we would go to P.O. Pears (RIP) after games to drink beer and listen to Paul Phillips play cover songs. “Husker Reggae” was his lone original song: an ever-changing ode to Nebraska with puns and rhymes about Husker players and games.

Two things about this ranking: a) this video does not do the song justice, b) it’s my list so I’m going to put a sentimental favorite in the top 5.

Sample lyric:

I don't know which one was quick-ah

Older brother Jeff or Joel Makovicka, yo

3) “This is Nebraska (Big Red Anthem 2)” – Brown

This is the best of the Husker-centric rap songs. I think the usage of the Cornhusker Marching Band’s drumline, is what puts it over the top.

Sample lyric:

You got a good team

We got a better one.

You see them Blackshirts?

Dawg, you better run

N. E. B. R. A. S. K. A.

Yelling it all day

2) “Husker Fight” – Buffington (feat. Cornhusker Marching Band)

The basic premise (“What if we combined “Hail Varsity” and “There is No Place Like Nebraska” into a new song with its own lyrics?”) is one of those things that shouldn’t work…but it totally does.

This is one of the few songs on the countdown that has been played in Memorial Stadium. I really liked this song when it came out, and I still like it today. Bonus points for the video, and using the actual lyrics of “Hail Varsity” (and not the “we don’t know the words” version).

Sample lyric:

Huskers O Huskers

We'll fight to win the game

All salute old NU

Tonight, we win again

***

Okay…before we get to the #1 song, let’s circle back to somebody I mentioned at the top: George Dare.

Before I started putting this list together, I had never heard of George Dare, but he deserves special mention in this listing.

This Spotify playlist has 17 different Nebraska inspired songs – across a wide, wide range of genres.

I’ll be brutally honest: They’re not good.

Some are okay, but most are painfully, almost comically bad.

For example: Here are some lyrics to “Smooth Nebraska”

I got my red shirt

I got my hat

They got "Go Big Red"

Written front and back

Oh my Nebraska boxers

Makes me sexy and rad

Cuz I'm a smooth Nebraska fan

Or “Red Pond” (like “Sea of Red”, get it?!) a song that is heavily influenced by The Doors’ “Roadhouse Blues”.

Or the reggae classic, “Shakeityup Nebraska”

Bless his soul, George (born in Omaha, before his family moved to Vegas) loved him some Husker football. I appreciate and admire his desire to share his gifts.

***

And now, the number one song in Husker Nation:

1) “The Cornhusker (Come A Runnin’ Boys)” – The Killigans

Yes, I know that you don’t like this song. I know that in the NU fan survey, it tied for last in “Gameday Satisfaction” with the much-maligned balloon release.

I don’t care. I like it.

I like the song, the history, and that it is unique to Nebraska.

You should like it too. Here’s why:

The two most common complaints about the song are actually reasons to keep doing it.

1. "The song sucks. They should play _____ instead". Yes, the Killigans' Irish drinking song inspired version is not a head banger…. but that's kind of the point. Nebraska could play [insert your preferred heavy metal or hip-hop hogwash song here], but the odds are good that it would also fire up the opposing team. We want to avoid that.
2. "That song doesn't fire up the crowd or the team". You’re telling me the idea of 85,000 people singing a song that celebrates the history of Nebraska football doesn’t do anything for you? Now imagine standing on the opposing sideline while a capacity crowd sings a song you've never heard at the top of their lungs. I think that would be “what the ___ have I gotten myself into” moment.

Does “The Cornhusker” belong in the third-quarter gap? Probably not, especially for night games.

But is there a spot for it on game day? Yes, there should be.

Or maybe we could play George Dare’s Irish drinking song “Oh Nebraska” instead.

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