"On, Wisconsin!" is the

fight song A fight song is a rousing short song associated with a sports team. The term is most common in the United States and Canada. In Australia, Mexico, and New Zealand these songs are called the team anthem, team song, or games song. First associated ...

of the

Wisconsin Badgers The Wisconsin Badgers are the athletic teams representing the University of Wisconsin–Madison (University of Wisconsin). They compete as a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level ( Football Bowl Subdivis ...

at the

University of Wisconsin–Madison A university () is an educational institution, institution of higher education, higher (or Tertiary education, tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. Universities ty ...

. A version with modified lyrics is the official state song of

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

. "On, Wisconsin!" was also the cry that

Arthur MacArthur Jr. Arthur MacArthur Jr. (June 2, 1845 – September 5, 1912) was a lieutenant general of the United States Army. He became the military Governor-General of the American-occupied Philippines in 1900; his term ended a year later due to clashes w ...

used in the Battle of Chattanooga at

Missionary Ridge Missionary Ridge is a geographic feature in Chattanooga, Tennessee, site of the Battle of Missionary Ridge, a battle in the American Civil War, fought on November 25, 1863. Union forces under Maj. Gens. Ulysses S. Grant, William T. Sherman, a ...

, in the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

History

The tune was composed in 1909 by William T. Purdy as "Minnesota, Minnesota," with the intention of entering it into a competition for a new fight song at 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 university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Tw ...

. Carl Beck, a former Wisconsin student, convinced him to withdraw it from the contest at the last minute and allow his alma mater to use it instead. Beck then wrote the original, football-oriented lyrics, changing the words "Minnesota, Minnesota" to "On, Wisconsin! On, Wisconsin!" (The eventual winner of the competition became known as the

Minnesota Rouser The "Minnesota Rouser" is the fight song of the University of Minnesota. It is played at all Minnesota Golden Gophers games. Lyrics The phrase 'Ski-U-Mah' was part of an early cheer for the U of M. Gopher fans traditionally thrust their fists ...

.) The

lyrics Lyrics are words that make up a song, usually consisting of verses and choruses. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist. The words to an extended musical composition such as an opera are, however, usually known as a "libretto" and their writer, a ...

were rewritten for the state song in 1913 by Judge

Charles D. Rosa Charles D. Rosa (September 15, 1870 – August 3, 1959) was an American jurist and politician. Born in the town of Center, Rock County, Wisconsin, Rosa worked on a farm and on the railroad. He went to Evansville Seminary and Beloit Academy. H ...

and J. S. Hubbard. The song was widely recognized as the state song at that time but was never officially designated. Finally in 1959, "On, Wisconsin!" was codified in Chapter 170, Laws of 1959, and is incorporated in Section 1.10 of the

statute A statute is a formal written enactment of a legislative authority that governs the legal entities of a city, state, or country by way of consent. Typically, statutes command or prohibit something, or declare policy. Statutes are rules made by le ...

s. "On, Wisconsin!" was regarded by

John Philip Sousa John Philip Sousa ( ; November 6, 1854 – March 6, 1932) was an American composer and conductor of the late Romantic era known primarily for American military marches. He is known as "The March King" or the "American March King", to dis ...

as "the finest of college marching songs". It has become one of the most popular fight songs in the country, with some 2,500 schools using some variation of it as their school song. There have been persistent rumors that the rights to the song are owned by

Paul McCartney Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained worldwide fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John Lennon. One ...

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...

. The song is actually in the

public domain The public domain (PD) consists of all the creative work A creative work is a manifestation of creative effort including fine artwork (sculpture, paintings, drawing, sketching, performance art), dance, writing (literature), filmmaking, ...

in the United States.Jenny Price.
Fight on for Her Fame
. ''On Wisconsin'', Winter 2009. The international rights are unclear.

Lyrics

Modified lyrics for the state song:

Battle cry

"On, Wisconsin!" was the cry that

used in the Battle of Chattanooga at

during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

. He seized the regimental colors, and rallied his regiment with "On, Wisconsin!", for which he was awarded the

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor. ...

Ownership

In the early 1980s, subsequent to the purchase of Edwin H. Morris & Company, lawyers working for

attempted to claim copyrights for several well known songs, including ''On, Wisconsin!'' The entire catalogue was later sold to Michael Jackson. When the copyright claim was initially made, public outcry demanded that the copyright be deeded over to the State of Wisconsin as the copyright holders were demanding royalties for performance. The matter was resolved quietly; however, rumors persist that McCartney or Jackson's estate holds the claim. The song remains in the public domain.Albin Krebs and Robert McG. Thomas Jr.
NOTES ON PEOPLE; McCartney Keeping Rights to Wisconsin's State Song
. ''New York Times'', February 20, 1981.

References

External links

MP3 file of "On, Wisconsin!" played by the University of Wisconsin Marching Band
- original sheet music at UW Mills Music Library's Wisconsin Sheet Music Database
One Hundred Years of "On, Wisconsin!"
(from the UW-Madison Libraries system)

from the Telegraph Herald, article by Meg Jones,

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. newspa ...

, November 15, 2009
Celebrating 100 years of ‘On, Wisconsin!’
by Gwen Evans, University of Wisconsin News, October 14, 2009
The Liberation of "On Wisconsin"
by Elmer F. Cox, January 1, 1981
"On Wisconsin" copyright explained
(letter to the editor), Elmer F. Cox, Wisconsin State Journal, p. 9, February 12, 1994 {{Authority control 1909 songs