Sunday morning, ASU head coach Kenny Dillingham posed a simple question: What should Arizona State’s end of third quarter song be?

End of 3rd quarter song?

— Coach Dillingham (@KennyDillingham) July 14, 2024

 

When done right, the fourth quarter song can set the tone for the end of the game, catapult the crowd into a new echelon of raucousness and get that homefield advantage cranked up to 11. 

See Wisconsin with “Jump Around”:

Goosebumps. 

It’s a simple request: Jump around. It doesn’t matter how the game is going or how many current students know who House of Payne is, it’s going to be an incredible environment.

Example 2: 

Easy song to follow and they tie in notable alums in the video like Ty Burrell and Marcus Marriota. A+ execution. 

The best songs in this setting are high-energy, easy to follow and don’t shoehorn themselves into being “on brand.” Virginia Tech and Enter Sandman have nothing to do with each other, and no one is hankering to replace that song with something that references a Hokie.

You need to register on the Will Ferrell “Gets the people going” scale to make this memorable (in a good way).

 

Arizona missed the mark for the 2021 season using Kenny Chesney’s “Happy Does.” It’s slow, mainly acoustic and was only used for this line:

Some find it in the scripture or a Polaroid picture
Or flip a coin, heads, you’re goin’ to Tucson, Arizona

 

As someone who heard it many times during Arizona’s 2021 season, I can promised you it was a worse L for Jedd Fisch than their loss to NAU that year. It flat-out did not work. 

So let’s look at potential candidates:

Dillingham included three options:

Van Halen’s Running with the Devil
Jerry Lee Lewis’ Great Balls Of Fire
Johnny Cash’s Ring of Fire

Let’s get to Van Halen first.

Running with the Devil(s) – Van Halen

It’s a fine song that plays in the stadium on a regular basis. Fans throw out the pitchforks, typically on kick-off. It’s a cool moment, but I wouldn’t call it raucous. The chorus is easy to follow. It’s a touch slow. If not for the Devils reference, no one even thinks to play this.

GTPG rating: 5/10

Great Balls of Fire – Jerry Lee Lewis

Are the lyrics easy to follow? Not really. But it’s a great first line and easy chorus. People can fake it until they get to the chorus. It’s upbeat. Can the AV pump through the piano to make it loud enough to amp up the energy beyond the crowd noise? Players or notable alums pretending to play the piano would make for good video-board fodder. 

GTPG rating: 7/10

Ring of Fire – Johnny Cash

I’m a Johnny Cash guy. The man in black is a legend, but does this give enough energy to either close the door on an opponent or help turn the tide on the game if the Devils are behind at that point? I think it may be a little too slow. If they went more upbeat with the Social Distortion cover, is that recognizable enough for fans young and old?

GTPG rating: 6.5/10

Across the board, these could work OK, but there’s no need to force a theme if the objective is just to make the fans go crazy.

Now to the “Other” Section:

Twist and Shout – The Beatles

This is a cousin of Oregon’s “Shout,” but it works. Highly recognizable and singalong-able. Just a fun song that would lift the energy in a tough game and maintain the energy in one in which they’re winning. Maybe Dillingham can stand in for Ferris Bueller and recreate the famous scene from his day off? Could be a way to get the band involved, too.

 

GTPG rating: 9/10

Rock Show – Blink 182

The 2022 Avalanche won a Stanley Cup fueled by “All The Small Things,” and this group makes songs built for stadiums. I just went to their show in Glendale a few weeks ago and I know the millennial and Gen Xer fans in the crowd would go crazy for this. I would think the other fans would catch on, too, if they’re not familiar.

This isn’t Blink’s biggest song, but it could be unique to the Sun Devils and create an awesome back-and=fo

 

GTPG rating: 8.5/10

The Middle – Jimmy Eat World

The singalong factor is through the roof for a local band. They performed this live during the Suns’ playoff run and it translates very well. If CKD wants to continue the local trend, Jimmy Eat World may be the choice.

 

GTPG rating: 8.75/10

Faint – Linkin Park

This one is particularly effective with Chester Bennington’s breakdown to opposing offenses:

Hear me out now
You’re gonna listen to me like it or not right now.

It goes hard. It may not be the most popular song from this group, but if you want the hard-hitting atmosphere to reach a breaking point, this may be the song for you.

GTPG rating: 8/10

Fireball – Pitbull

This is a must at every wedding I attend. It would work in a sports setting, too. I can see it now: Sparky comes up with a tux and a pencil thin mustache and leads the crowd to a new level at the most crucial time of the game. Haters will make fun of Pitbull, but get a drink or two in them and they are ready to move. They could play off the Sun Devils and Fireballs and have a cool, weird TCU “Hypnotoad” type of deal. 

 

GTPG rating: 10/10

Paradise City – Guns N’ Roses

CKD preaches that Tempe is a paradise. This idea doubles down on that. The song cranks up a notch 90 seconds in. You could have a notable alum dress up as Axl and help amp up the crowd even more.

 

GTPG rating: 9/10

Mr. Brightside – The Killers

Does it make sense to play a song about a man worried that his significant other is with another man at this current moment? No. But it makes even less sense to play that song at a wedding. I’ve been to multiple weddings where this is played, and people don’t care about the lyrical context, just the vibes. 

With this song, we have vibes.

They also know how to read a moment. While touring in England, they threw the English national team’s win in Euros on their video screen and started playing this song. 

 

GTPG rating: 8.5/10

Blow the Whistle – Too $hort

People may hurt themselves with how much they get into this song. Have Too $hort come out first game of the year and rework a line or two to make it “That’s Tempe Baby” and the GTPG rating would skyrocket even higher.

 

GTPG rating: 9/10

Bring Em Out – T.I. featuring Jay-Z

13-year-old Jordan would get hyped to hear this at a football game. 21 years later, and current-day Jordan would still get hyped. Could be another cool mix with the band to do the horns with the lyrics playing through the P.A. system.

GTPG rating: 9.5/10

Can’t Stop – Red Hot Chili Peppers

There’s some build-up but it doesn’t take too long to get to the point of max pump up. It’s an easy follow and gives the message that the Sun Devils not only won’t stop, but they can’t stop. It slows down at the 2.5-minute mark, but maybe some editing can bring the upbeat portions straight into a great guitar riff.

GTPG rating: 8.5/10

It’s the perfect time to revamp the in-stadium experience at Mountain America Stadium, and these songs and moments could help lead the way.

Let’s get weird.