Don't Pass the Tequila

by Wyatt Newman

Not many songs become popular about alcohol, but "Tequila" by The Champs, lives on, year after year. I have to admit it's a catchy tune, nice beat, a bit different than the music of its era, but I have a deep irritation every time I hear it. It was adopted by the University of Washington Husky Marching Band when it came out, and they still play it. No football game is played in Husky Stadium without at least one rendition of it. The older alums love it, as older alums everywhere love things that bring back memories, but the students love it so much they cheer when they hear the first beats. Naturally, the whole Husky side of the stadium yells, "Tequila!" on the last note, just as the song so ends.

My irritation is not with the song itself, but being a Washington State University alum, it's become a "Fusky" tune. WSU band has its own nostalgia tunes that make the alum feels at home, and the students seem to put up with it. They play "Sing, Sing, Sing", the old Benny Goodman hit for the older alums and "Louie Louie" for us younger than older alums.

Please note that neither of the WSU tunes have anything to do with alcohol. WSU has a reputation for being a party-drinking university, but who really has a secondary theme song that salutes or celebrates alcohol? The Fuskies!

Tequila was a song of 1958. It doesn't bring back any high school memories, but it sure does memories of being a football stadium rooting for the Cougars when the Fuskies are on the other side. Darn it.