Mr. Touchdown, U.S.A.
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| "Mr. Touchdown, U.S.A." | |
|---|---|
 Cover of the 1950 sheet music | |
| Song | |
| Written | 1950 |
| Composer | Ruth Roberts |
| Lyricists | Gene Piller, Bill Katz |
| Audio sample | |
An excerpt of Winterhalter's 1950 recording | |
"Mr. Touchdown, U.S.A." is a stadium anthem, novelty song, and jazz march by American songwriter Ruth Roberts. First recorded by Hugo Winterhalter in 1950, it became one of the most frequently heard songs on American radio during that year's college football season. It was later covered by a number of other artists, including Percy Faith and The Crew-Cuts. Lyrically associated with gridiron football, it is a staple in the repertoire of some college and high school marching bands and is particularly associated with the University of Nebraska–Lincoln.
Composition
"Mr. Touchdown, U.S.A." is an energetic jazz march composed in 1950 by Ruth Roberts with her husband Gene Piller and long-time collaborator William "Bill" Katz, who later collaborated to write the New York Mets tribute song "Meet the Mets."[1][2] It has been described as musically and thematically similar to the 1933 song "You Gotta Be a Football Hero".[2][1]
Lyrics
The song's lyrics are typical of those of American university fight songs, and communicate what Frank Hoffmann has described as "an adolescent manner of praising the power of the football team".[3] They tell of the athletic exploits of an eponymous, fictional character known by the moniker "Mr. Touchdown" who will unfailingly run touchdowns if given a pigskin. In the bridge, the lyrics recall Mr. Touchdown's triumphs over specific college football teams, such as describing "the day he murdered Minnesota", how he "took Wisconsin's white and red and made it black and blue instead", and declaring that "what he did to Arkansas should happen to your mother-in-law".[4]
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