"Hail! Minnesota" (also simply called "Minnesota" in early years) is the

regional anthem An anthem is a musical composition of celebration, usually used as a symbol for a distinct group, particularly the national anthems of countries. Originally, and in music theory and religious contexts, it also refers more particularly to short s ...

(or "

state song Forty-eight of the fifty U.S. states have one or more state songs, a type of regional anthem, which are selected by each state legislature as a symbol (or emblem) of that particular U.S. state. Some U.S. states have more than one official state ...

") of the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sov ...

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

. A variation is used as a

school song A school song, alma mater, school hymn or school anthem is the patronal song of a school. In England, this tradition is particularly strong in public schools and grammar schools. Australia * The Glennie School – '' Now Thank We All Our Go ...

of the

University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota, formally the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, (UMN Twin Cities, the U of M, or Minnesota) is a public land-grant research university in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States. T ...

. It originated at the university in the early 20th century when some students decided to honor their graduating class with a new song. In 1945, the

Minnesota State Legislature The Minnesota Legislature is the bicameral legislature of the U.S. state of Minnesota consisting of two houses: the Senate and the House of Representatives. Senators are elected from 67 single-member districts. In order to account for decenni ...

approved the tune as the state song.

History

The song was first composed by Truman Rickard in 1904 and was performed on May 28, Class Day. The song's second verse originally honored the school's president,

Cyrus Northrop Cyrus Northrop (September 30, 1834 – April 3, 1922) was an American university president. Early life Cyrus Northrop, Sr. was born in Ridgefield, Connecticut. He graduated from Yale University in 1857 where he was a member of both Alpha Sigma Ph ...

, who went by the nickname "Prexy". Northrop appreciated the gesture but preferred to have the song reflect the school and state rather than himself. A new second verse was written by Arthur Upson, an editor at the campus newspaper, the ''

Minnesota Daily The ''Minnesota Daily'' is the campus newspaper of the University of Minnesota, published Monday and Thursday while school is in session, and published weekly on Wednesdays during summer sessions. Published since 1900, the paper is currently the la ...

''. In the next few years, the song gained popularity and was even sung at

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly ca ...

games whenever there was a

touchdown A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone. In Ameri ...

. However, the slow ballad proved to be incongruous with the atmosphere at an athletic event like that, so it was eventually succeeded in that role by The " Minnesota Rouser." Rickard also went on to write another school song, " Minnesota Fight." The

University of Minnesota Marching Band The University of Minnesota Marching Band (also known as UMMB, Minnesota Marching Band, and The Pride of Minnesota) is the marching band of the University of Minnesota and the flagship university band for the state of Minnesota. The Pride of Minne ...

sings the song at the end of every practice and performance, so Golden Gopher football fans who stay for the band's post-game performance can hear the song. On "Senior Day" (final hockey home game of the season) the Gopher Hockey Pep Band serenades departing seniors after the game. Older generations of Minnesotan children were taught the song in school, but this practice has waned. However, the song was promoted again as part of the state sesquicentennial celebration in 2008, with the Mahtomedi High School Chamber Singers making an official recording of it in 2006 for the Secretary of State.

Lyrics

State version

University version

(''Currently, the second verse is same as the state version, although it originally honored the school's president'')

References

* * *

External links

with sheet music and recording.
Hail! Minnesota
by the University of Minnesota Marching Band
MP3 recording
) {{authority control Minnesota culture Symbols of Minnesota

University of Minnesota 1904 songs Music of Minnesota Songs about Minnesota