Thu 21 Aug 2008
The JAs for the class of 2012 will be arriving in Williamstown soon. Do they plan to learn “The Mountains” and teach it to their first years? I am here to help! Thanks to Chris Winters for passing along the sheet music (pdf) and this recording (mp3) from an Octet alumni concert with Warren Hunke ‘42 conducting.
Chris also writes:
Just FYI, and relevant to your ephblog discussion of music, is that the Williams Octet, and in particular, the Octet Alumni, perform the “Songs of Williams” nearly annually at our homecoming weekend reunion concert. Yard by Yard is always a crowd pleaser and The Mountains is traditionally our closer where we ask all the alumni to stand and sing with us.
A particularly moving Williams musical moment came last Fall during the Octet Alumni’s post-concert celebration down at the Log. A young member of the football team, who had contributed to beating Amherst handily in the homecoming game that afternoon, came into the Log accompanied by his proud parents. The Octet Alumni burst into an impromptu round of Yard by Yard to honor the young man who stood, beaming, with his folks. By the end the player’s mother was in tears.
Great stuff.
10 Responses to “ The Mountains ”
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Pingback from I still know the words to my high school song, so “The Mountains” is definitely stuck in my head « Unterekless Thoughts
August 21st, 2008 at 12:10 pm[...] I still know the words to my high school song, so “The Mountains” is definitely stuck in my head Ephblog continues its quest to make “The Mountains” (school song) more relevant. [...]
August 21st, 2008 at 7:46 am
I really wish Triumph the insult comic dog had a virtual presence that could “comment” on your ongoing Mountains quest … for someone with teenage kids, you seem a little, ummm, out of touch with what 18 year olds do and do not enjoy — were your plan implemented, The Daily Show generation might just explode with snark. Plus, I don’t know if this is sacriligious, but am I the only one who thinks that the song (in both lyrics and music) is not only incredibly dated, but was never all that good in the first place, and is actually kind of annoying? If students were subjected to routine spontaneous renditions around campus (no chance) I think at least 20 would transfer to Amherst. Personally, I believe the current level of Mountains-osity on campus is more than sufficient.
August 21st, 2008 at 10:20 am
JeffZ:
The revulsion towards The Mountains is hardly generational. Trust me, there were plenty of Ephmen men and Ephmen women 35 years ago who thought sing that song was the silliest thing ever, conjuring up images of hale and hearty prepsters bedecked in Ascot ties and scarfs with little Santa Clauses at Christmastiime.
August 21st, 2008 at 11:16 am
If HWC and I agree, David, you know you’re in trouble …
August 21st, 2008 at 1:10 pm
Listen to the MP3. If that’s not the worst college song ever, I can’t imagine what would be. It’s even more nauseating than I remembered.
August 21st, 2008 at 1:20 pm
And I always thought it was that 12th can of Bud which was doing that to me.
August 21st, 2008 at 1:25 pm
Which is at least what you would have to drink to even listen to both verses, let alone sing them.
Maybe the Deans could appoint a special CUL subcommittee to design a follow the bouncing ball version to play on video monitors in the dining halls.
August 21st, 2008 at 1:38 pm
You know, I never put 2 and 2 together until just now. I bet that psychological scarring from forced singing of The Mountains during First Days is the root of the binge drinking at Williams.
Now, that I reflect back. Everytime I went skiing at Brodie with a hip flask of Jack, I couldn’t get that damn song out of my head.
August 21st, 2008 at 2:35 pm
I don’t know that the Mountains is the worst college song ever…most college songs I’ve heard kind of stink. It’s their nature. They are a tradition that, at this point, is somewhat left over from another era.
A few schools sing theirs more often and have students that get into it, but many of the “famous” ones really involve a lot of people humming along w/out words (and have large marching bands that play them incessantly).
August 22nd, 2008 at 2:48 am
The song is rather corny and we shirk to recite its lyrics. Yet we want and need to express the ritual as tradition and remembrance of heritage and history.
How can we endure “The Mountains” and render our traditions true?
Suggestions?