Rocky Top
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Rocky Top is an official state song of the state of Tennessee, as well as a popular fight song for the University of Tennessee Volunteers.
The song was written by a married couple, Felice and Boudleaux Bryant. "Rocky Top" was written in only ten minutes by the songwriters in 1967. The Bryants were working in Gatlinburg on a collection of slow-tempo songs for a project for Archie Campbell and Chet Atkins. Writing the fast-paced "Rocky Top" served as a temporary diversion for them. Recorded by The Osborne Brothers in 1967, the song was a top 40 hit on the country music charts in early 1968. Although a staple of their concerts, the song did not achieve wider popularity until after 1972 when the "Pride of the Southland" University of Tennessee marching band used it for one of their drills. The song was very popular and was officially adopted as a state song in 1982. The unofficial official version of the song is the original performance by The Osborne Brothers. In the 1970s, the song achieved such popularity among inebriated bar crowds, that the Chapel Hill, N.C., old-time band The Red Clay Ramblers [1] national tours included a crowd-pleasing satire informally titled "Play 'Rocky Top' (or I'll Punch Your Lights Out.)"[2]
The original "Rocky Top" song describes a place called Rocky Top, Tennessee, which is one of the three peaks of Thunderhead Mountain in Tennessee (located in the Smoky Mountains) in the eastern part of the state. Despite its fast and upbeat tempo, the song's first verse is actually a lament over a lost love and lifestyle. The song's second verse is an ode to two apparent murders and the illegal production of alcoholic beverages by moonshining, with references to "looking for a moonshine still" and "corn in a jar". These are all common country music themes. With its good-natured regional references to a carefree lifestyle, singing of Rocky Top by Tennessee college students and alumni at sports venues such as Neyland Stadium is well established.
Contrary to popular belief, "Rocky Top" is not UT's official fight song, although it is so closely identified with the university that many believe this to be the case. UT's official fight song is a radically different piece called "Down the Field".
"Operation Rocky Top" was the FBI's code name for a public corruption investigation into the Tennessee state government in the late 1980s which resulted in the eventual suicide of the Tennessee Secretary of State, Gentry Crowell, and the incarceration of several other individuals, most notably state House Majority Leader Tommy Burnette. The focus of the investigation was the illegal sale of bingo licenses.
The legendary jam band Phish played Rocky Top regularly from 1987 to 2003.
