Since there were *10* postings to day and almost as many yesterday about
that infamous beer jingle, I thought I'd do what I could to straighten
things up as best I could.  The information comes from among many sources
the offical Wisconsin Band history and is filtered through my long term
memory.
 
 
**The song was orginally a country and western tune by Steve Karmen(who?)
called 'When You Say Love, You've Said It All', copywrite 1970.(from hear
on out, YSIA)
 
**Like many a tune it was appropriated by the advertising agencies and in
this case used to sell beer.
 
**It was arranged for bands and copywrite 1972.
 
**many bands across the nation undoubtably play it, and canned versions
play at some professional arenas (especially those owned by A-B)
 
The next bit is conjecture but based on several important facts:
 
Since royalties are paid to the writer/composer/publisher for preformances
on TV and radio as well as paid concerts, the publishers often send copies
of new arrangements to bands that might be heard on TV or radio to try.
Each year we try out several of these stock arrangements to use before and
during intermissions at bb and hockey games.  Some of them are never played
more than the first read thru in practice.
 
 
**Back to our story....
 
During the hockey season '72-'73 a group of fans sitting near the band were
begging for another polka.  The closest thing available was YSIA.  (UW Band
director Mike) Leckrone changed some of the lower voices on the spot to
make it sound more like a polka and then played the song.  Being the
beer-swilling galoots that so many here are, the fans in question started
singing the Budwieser beer commerical (and probably others :-)).  Feeling
that this was inappropriate advertising, Leckrone played the song again.
This time the band turned around and shouted those famous words at the
appropriate time "when you say Wisconsin, you've said it all!". Undoubtably
the song must have been played throughout the remainder of the season,
gaining favor with the hockey fans.  Most likely the event that secured it
as a musical fixture of the UW Band was the 1973 NCAA Hockey Championships
held that year at the Boston Garden.  When the Badgers won their first
National Hockey Title (first Nat. Title period??) the thousands of Badger
fans in Boston that St. Patrick's Day the song gave the fans a chance shout
out their pride for all to hear as they went about the streets of Boston.
 
***********
 
In four years I've played YSIA at:
 
* Football games
* Hockey games
* Basketball games
* Pep Rallies
* Tournament of Roses Parade
* Volleyball games
* Concerts
* Soccer games (not yet, but tommorrow, of course!)
* Homecoming pardae
* COMMENCEMENT (yes, really! after everything else is done with someone
        with a fresh degree will invariably scream out 'We want bud')
 
** On Wisconsin and other UW songs are also played at these and usually
more regularly.
 
*******
 
Overplayed? a reply to 'they play it every 2 min'
 
* At hockey games it is played first in the second intermission right
before the alma mater 'Varsity'.  It is played if either team uses its time
out and sometimes right before face off to get the crowd roaring.  (which
means that during the NCAA tourney and other *very* important games often
before every period)
 
* During stoppages of play drum cheers are usually used.
 
* At bb games it will appear in one or more of the second half TO's in an
inexact rotation with 'On Wisconsin' and 'If You Want to be a Badger'
 
* We *never* practice YSIA, OTOH today we played On Wis eleven times while
marching at practice.
 
* At football games we are not permitted (by law) to play YSIA until 5 min
after the final gun.  Then we play it several times mixed in with other
tunes.
 
* It tends to get played more when we're outside Madison.
 
I hope this clears up some of the confusion on the subject of YSIA. (and
cuts down on the net traffic ;-).  Clearly other bands (HS and college)
have and do play YSIA, though i've never heard of a big 10 band playing it.
 
--eric
Wisconsin Band since '91