Songs We Want the Notre Dame Band to Play

The Notre Dame Band is one of the best in the country. Over the years, they’ve dazzled audiences, but these songs might dazzle people even more.

If you are a Notre Dame fan that loves tradition, go ahead and hit that small “x” in the top corner of your browser.

In terms of continuous existence, the Notre Dame Marching Band is the oldest college band in the country. The band was created a few short years after the university was founded back in 1842, and they have played at every Notre Dame home football game since the 1887 season.

The Notre Dame Marching Band does a solid job of finding new songs to play during media breaks and halftime performances. Their rendition of Bon Jovi’s Livin’ On A Prayer is always a crowd pleaser. The same goes for Taio Cruz’s Dynamite, which became even more of a fan-favorite when the student section changed the lyrics to, “I throw my hands up in the air sometimes. Saying, Ayo! Manti Te’o!”

Don’t get the wrong idea from the headline of this article. I love the Notre Dame Victory March. I love Rakes of Mallow. I tolerate the Celtic Chant. I love the Alma Mater. And I would say I love most of the other songs the band has played over the years.

Like everything else in this world, the Notre Dame Marching Band is constantly changing. They learn a handful of new songs each year that they play throughout the season. As an expert in attending Notre Dame football games and listening to the band, I thought I would give some suggestions of songs they could play in the future.

Tear It Up by Yung Wun

Man, if you are a fan who loves tradition and you didn’t exit out of your browser when I first suggested it, you are probably loving my first suggestion. My main reasoning for choosing this song–other than the fact that it is a banger–is the instrumentals are largely made up of marching band instruments.

Mr Brightside by The Killers

I feel like the Notre Dame Marching Band may have played this song at some point in the past, but I was unable to confirm or deny that. Even if the band has played it before, I don’t care. Play it again. Play it a thousand more times. Play it ad infinitum. This song is awesome, and everyone knows the words. It’s guaranteed to get Notre Dame Stadium rocking.

Halftime by the Ying Yang Twins

Apologies to any tradition-loving fans who have not heeded any of my previous warnings. My reasoning for choosing this work of art by the Ying Yang Twins (fun fact: they’re not actually twins) is almost identical to what I said for Tear It Up. Even though the song is called Halftime, I would not require that the band play it during the halftime performance.

The Sound of Silence by Simon and Garfunkel

…hello darkness my old friend…

Have you ever been watching a Notre Dame football game and experienced extreme disappointment or heartbreak? Me too. This song is perfect for that inevitable scenario. Of course, I’m joking about this being a serious suggestion, but how funny would that be? I know it would put a smile on my face if I was not expecting it.

My Heart Will Go On by Celine Dion

If I was forced to choose only one song from this list, I would not hesitate in selecting this one. Yes, the song loses some of its panache without the amazing vocals of Celine Dion, but that does not matter. There is a reason why people edit clips of game-winning plays with this song dubbed over. They know the greatness of this song perfectly encapsulates those great sports moments. This song would be a perfect addition to the Notre Dame Marching Band’s repertoire.

At any rate, the Notre Dame band has never lacked creativity. Let’s hope those creative juices inspire the Band of the Fighting Irish to bust out one of these songs on game day.