Friday, February 2, 2018

Unknown Song #23 (POINTS WAR!!!!) - Theighs Mon

Song - Theighs Mon
Artist(s) - John Colby
Released - N.A.
Primetime Usage - 1991-05
Contained on - N.A.
Featured Highlight - Points War, 1999 (Cardinals @ Packers/Saints @ Panthers)


*SONG IDENTIFIED* - 6/12/20

So it's come to this:  the holy grail of NFL Primetime music.  International Statement is the most famous Primetime track, but it was identified long ago (well before I started this project).  Unknown Song #23 is, instead, the piece I've received by far the most requests to ID.  I'm also pretty sure it's Primetime's most often used song that hasn't been identified—it was used quite regularly for the last 15 years of the show.  I wouldn't say it's my favorite Primetime piece, but its strong hard-rock edge makes its appeal obvious for football highlights.

I don't have much idea where to look for US #23.  The only clue was when some follower on youtube sent me a message that he had contacted John Colby and that Colby replied that he thinks he did it but he's not sure and doesn't know the name.  Maybe it's in that mythical place that also contains the full-length versions of Gothic, Terminator, and Gelman.  Regardless, it's not on Colby's website.

Accompanying this holy grail of NFL Primetime music is what may be the most well-known highlight in the history of the show.  In 1999, a murky tiebreaker scenario emerged during the final week of the season involving 4 teams fighting for one 8-8 playoff spot (the Lions also finished 8-8, but had already clinched a berth).  The Cowboys just needed to beat the Giants, the Giants were basically screwed (barring, like, a 100-point win or something), and the Panthers & Packers had to win the scoring-margin tiebreaker in order to break a 3-way tie with the Giants should the Giants beat Dallas.  This points war didn't ultimately matter since the Cowboys won, but it was still—as Chris Berman says—"unbelievable football."

Since the NFL season is about to end, my updates will be less frequent for a while.  I plan on being a little more active than the last couple offseasons, though—probably 2 posts a month.  There are still quite a few unidentified tracks left to post.  Thanks for reading/watching!



5 comments:

  1. https://youtu.be/yjw9N9GUneo

    Cleaned up version. Been looking for years also.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Does anyone know how to rip sound from a youtube video?

      Delete
    2. You can rip the video and then convert it to a sound file. There's also this site: https://yt5s.com/en15
      I'm not sure of a good method for high quality audio.

      Delete