OT: DePaul, Devo and the "We Are [School Name]" Chant...

[billyjack]

In a little break from game analysis here, because I notice this a lot and started thinking back over the years:
So here in 2014, in almost every game I watch, college basketball fans at some point start chanting:
"WE ARE... [INSERT SCHOOL NAME]...!"

A bunch of schools print signs with this chant on it and wave them in the crowd. Some, like Missouri, practically use it as their athletic motto, and have websites like wearemizzou-dot-com, and a zillion others have t-shirts and other related items.

Examples:
SOUTHERN CAL:


KENTUCKY:


What's my point...?
Ok, from my memory, which may be a little screwed up:
The originators of this chant were the fans of our compadres, the DePaul Blue Demons, from back in 1978 or 1979, around their Final Four year.

The original use of it by DePaul made sense, because it's a play on the album by new-wave band "Devo" from around 1978.
COVER OF ORIGINAL ALBUM FROM 1978:


The band had a running theme of the "de-evolution" of man, which led to them calling themselves "Devo" (best known for their song "Whip It" in 1980). They were a new-wave alternative electronica band with some funky, cutting edge, confusing sounds and messages. Funky plastic hats and yellow hazmat suits or metallic jackets like something out of "Metropolis". Actually pretty brilliant stuff that could take 89 pages to explain, and I don't even understand it myself exactly. But their main question was "Q: Are We Not Men...? A: We Are Devo...!"

See---> DE-vo. DE-paul. And as Devo sang: "We Are... DE-vo...!" And as Blue Demon fans chanted: "We Are... DE-paul...!"



The point is, the cool fanbase of DePaul back then had the creativity to link "Devo" with "DePaul". The rhythm used when chanted matches the old Devo style. The chant was stolen by other schools soon after DePaul used it, because those other schools must not have understood the original reference. It's continually been used over the years so that Kentucky and other use it and have no clue that it makes no sense. Actually, the only schools that could use it with any meaning would be DePaul, DePauw and Detroit Mercy.

So next time you hear a bunch of drunk college kids from Columbia, Missouri, chanting this, you now have the opportunity to turn to people at the bar and smugly say, "you know, DePaul invented that chant... they got it from Devo...!"

A LATER DEVO ALBUM:

[Demon22]

And as such, every school in the country should now be writing us royalty checks.

Make them payable to:

DePaul University Athletic Department
Sullivan Athletics Center
2323 N. Sheffield Ave
Chicago, IL 60614

Note: Money Orders only from AAC schools.

[DeltaV]

I think Nova must be one of the few schools that doesn't.

I do know that Penn State also lays claim to it; apparently back during the civil rights era (60's?), PSU was going to play a football game (forget if it was a bowl or not) against a southern, segregated school. PSU had black players, and I think the southern school was threatening to not let them play, or to not play the game. When asked if the black players would be making the trip, someone said 'We Are Penn State', implying that the whole team would be coming no matter what.

[DeltaV]

I'm a bit off, but here's the story:

http://sportsfountainhead.blogspot.com/ ... state.html

[TBC Alum]

Oh, how I miss my energy dome

[billyjack]

I'm a bit off, but here's the story:

http://sportsfountainhead.blogspot.com/ ... state.html

Wait, does that mean that my Devo story is messed up...? We gotta get to the bottom of this. The Penn State story is much better than the Devo one. Maybe DePaul fans were making a pun on top of a Devo pun, on top of Penn State standing up against segregation.

[DeltaV]

I'm a bit off, but here's the story:

http://sportsfountainhead.blogspot.com/ ... state.html

Wait, does that mean that my Devo story is messed up...? We gotta get to the bottom of this. The Penn State story is much better than the Devo one. Maybe DePaul fans were making a pun on top of a Devo pun, on top of Penn State standing up against segregation.

Could also be that both developed it independently. Back in the 70's (and earlier), its not like you every game imaginable could be seen on the 'Ocho, and DePaul and PSU probably didn't meet a lot in athletics.

[BigMac]

Interesting thread! What about "Let's Go Hoyas," Clap Clap... Clap clap clap ? That's Georgetown's, right, or was it started by St. Johns, which used it when they were the RedMen? Aaahhh, the 1984 Final Four... what a great year for the Big East.

[NJRedman]

March of '83

[XUFan09]

I feel like the recent increase in the frequency of this chant came after We Are Marshall debuted.