"On, Wisconsin!" is the fight song 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 institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United Stat ...

. 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. used in the Battle of Chattanooga at Missionary Ridge, in the Civil War.

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 land-grant research university in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States. ...

. 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 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 statutes. "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 ...

or Michael Jackson. The song is actually in the

public domain The public domain (PD) consists of all the creative work to which no exclusive intellectual property rights apply. Those rights may have expired, been forfeited, expressly waived, or may be inapplicable. Because those rights have expired, ...

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 Arthur MacArthur Jr. used in the Battle of Chattanooga at Missionary Ridge 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 ...

. 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 valo ...

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. ne ...

, 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