It is the start of the fourth quarter at Ohio Stadium. The air is crisp, maybe a little damp, and the energy in the "Shoe" is buzzing with that specific brand of anxiety only 100,000 college football fans can produce. Then, you hear it. The percussion starts a rhythmic, driving beat that every soul in the state of Ohio recognizes within two notes. It’s not the national anthem. It’s not even the university’s fight song, "Across the Field." It is a three-chord rock song from 1965 that somehow became the unofficial anthem of an entire population.
Hang On Sloopy and the Ohio State marching band are inseparable.
If you aren't from the Midwest, you might think it's just a catchy tune. You’d be wrong. It’s a cultural phenomenon that bridges the gap between a 1960s garage band and the most prestigious marching band in the country, often referred to as TBDBITL (The Best Damn Band In The Land). This isn't just about music. It’s about a specific kind of communal joy that happens when a brass section hits that first major chord and an entire stadium spells out "O-H-I-O" with their arms.
The Day Rock and Roll Met the Horseshoe
The story of how a rock song about a girl from the "wrong side of the tracks" became a Buckeye staple is actually pretty funny. Back in 1965, John Tatgenhorst was a student arranger for the band. He had this wild idea to take "Hang On Sloopy," which was a massive hit for The McCoys at the time, and flip it into a marching band chart.
He had to beg the director, Jack Evans, to let them play it. Evans wasn't sold. This was a prestigious marching organization, after all. They did John Philip Sousa. They did precision. They didn't do "pop" music. But Tatgenhorst persisted, and Evans finally relented, thinking it would be a one-time thing for the Oct. 9, 1965, game against Illinois.
The crowd went absolutely nuclear.
They didn't just like it. They demanded it. It was loud, it was brassy, and it felt like Ohio. By the time the 1966 season rolled around, the song was a permanent fixture. It’s been played at every single home game since that day in '65. Honestly, if the band tried to skip it now, there would probably be a peaceful but very loud insurrection in the stands.
Why a Garage Band Hit Stuck for 60 Years
There is a technical reason why Hang On Sloopy and the Ohio State marching band work so well together. The song is built on a simple, driving I-IV-V chord progression. In layman's terms? It’s built for power. When you have over 200 world-class brass players and a percussion section that hits like a freight train, that progression creates a wall of sound that vibrates your ribs.
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But the real magic isn't in the music theory. It’s in the "O-H-I-O" chant.
Nobody really knows exactly when the arm movements started, but by the mid-70s, it was the law. During the chorus, the band holds the notes while the fans spell out the state’s name. It’s a rhythmic, visual, and auditory loop that connects the players on the field to the grandmother in the nosebleed seats.
The McCoys and the Rick Derringer Connection
You can’t talk about this without mentioning Rick Derringer. He was the lead singer of The McCoys, a band from Union City, Indiana (right on the Ohio border). He was only 17 when "Hang On Sloopy" topped the charts.
Derringer has shown up at Ohio Stadium more than a few times to perform the song live with the band. It’s a surreal sight: a legendary rock guitarist shredding next to a line of sousaphones. In 1985, the Ohio General Assembly actually passed a resolution making "Hang On Sloopy" the official state rock song. They literally debated this in the statehouse.
Proponents argued it was a piece of Ohio's musical heritage. Opponents probably thought it was undignified. The "pro-Sloopy" camp won, making Ohio the only state (at the time) with an official rock song. Take that, every other state.
The Technical Brilliance of TBDBITL
We need to get real about the Ohio State University Marching Band for a second. These aren't just kids who like football. To make this band, you have to be an elite athlete and a master musician.
- Tryouts: The process is grueling. It’s a multi-day audition that tests physical endurance, "high-step" technique, and memorization.
- The Ramp Entry: If you ever see them live, watch the "Ramp Entry." They run onto the field at 180 beats per minute while playing. Most people would pass out; they do it while staying in perfect intervals.
- Instrumentation: They are an all-brass and percussion band. No woodwinds. That is why they sound so much "fatter" and more powerful than a standard university band.
When they play Sloopy, they don't just stand there. They move. They swing their instruments in a synchronized "sway" that creates a visual wave across the field. It’s a masterclass in coordination.
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Misconceptions About the Lyrics
Is the song actually about Ohio? Not really. It was written by Wes Farrell and Bert Berns. Rumor has it the "Sloopy" in question was Dorothy Sloop, a jazz singer from Steubenville, Ohio, who performed under the name "Sloopy." While the songwriters were inspired by her name, the lyrics themselves are pretty standard 60s rock fare about a girl living in a bad neighborhood.
"Sloopy lives in a very bad part of town, and everybody, yeah, tries to put my Sloopy down."
It doesn't matter. To a Buckeye, Sloopy is a resident of Columbus. She’s a student. She’s a fan. She’s whoever we want her to be as long as we get to scream the chorus at the top of our lungs.
The Impact Beyond the Stadium
The relationship between Hang On Sloopy and the Ohio State marching band has leaked into every corner of Ohio life. It’s played at weddings. It’s played at funerals (yes, really). It’s the song that plays in every local bar in Dayton, Cleveland, and Cincinnati when the clock hits zero on a Saturday afternoon.
It represents a specific kind of Midwestern resilience. The song is about hanging on when things are tough. For a fan base that lives and breathes every play of a football season, that sentiment hits home.
The Famous "Vocal" Breaks
One of the best parts of the live performance is the breakdown. The band drops the volume, the percussion keeps a steady pulse, and the drum major or a guest conductor leads the crowd in a whisper-to-a-scream buildup.
"Sloopy, as I live and breathe..."
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The tension builds. The brass players start to crouch low. Then, the trumpets scream out the high notes, and the stadium explodes. It’s a dynamic shift that you just don't get with recorded music. It’s raw. It’s loud. It’s perfect.
How to Experience it Properly
If you ever find yourself in Columbus on a Saturday, you can’t just show up at kickoff and expect the full experience. You have to go to "Skull Session" at St. John Arena.
This happens about two hours before the game. The band performs a pep rally for thousands of fans. It’s free. It’s indoors. And when they play Sloopy in that acoustic environment, the sound is actually enough to make your hair stand up. It’s arguably better than the version in the stadium because you’re only a few feet away from the sousaphones.
A Living Tradition
In a world where college sports are changing—with NIL deals, conference realignments, and constant turnover—Sloopy is a constant. The uniforms haven't changed much. The high-step hasn't changed. The song definitely hasn't changed.
It’s a bridge between the 1960s and the 2020s. It’s a way for a grandfather to connect with his grandson because they both know exactly when to put their hands in the air for the "O."
The Ohio State University Marching Band isn't just playing a cover song. They are maintaining a piece of the state's soul. It’s noisy, it’s a little bit cheesy, and it’s absolutely beautiful.
How to Take Part in the Tradition
If you want to truly appreciate the history and impact of this anthem, here are the next steps for any fan or music lover:
- Watch the 1965 Original: Look up the video of The McCoys performing on "Shindig!" to hear the garage-rock roots of the track. It helps you appreciate how much the band transformed the arrangement.
- Attend a Skull Session: If you go to a game, do not skip this. St. John Arena provides an acoustic power that the open-air stadium can’t match.
- Learn the "Sway": Watch the sousaphone line (the tubas) specifically. They have a choreographed side-to-side tilt during the chorus that is much harder to do than it looks while carrying a 30-pound instrument.
- Support the Music: Many of these band members are on grueling schedules with limited scholarship funding compared to the football players. Look into the 100% TBDBITL endowment if you want to help keep the brass loud for another 60 years.
There is no Ohio State football without the band, and there is no band without Sloopy. It’s as simple as that. Next time you hear those three chords, just remember: you aren't just listening to a song; you're hearing the heartbeat of an entire state.