Seven Tracks for Tailgating

Well zim-zam hot damn it's time for some football! Yes, dear readers, in case you've been living underneath your Skullcandys since August, Americans are well into the throes and throws of the season. Break out your favorite, cheap beer, brats and that weird beanbag toss game!

The food, friends, and refreshments are all well and good, but the music you blast from your post has a pivotal effect on your tailgating experience. The songs must be bad ass while not mom-drops-the-potato-salad offensive. Dad and uncle Bob want to hear some heartland rock n' roll tracks from their own glory days tossin' the pigskin. Friends want to feel cool enough at your tailgate, period.

Seems like a ton of pressure, but not to worry. Here are seven songs to get your tailgate mix started - consider it the first bag of Lays chips or the first chugs to kick off Miller Time (but if you're like the robust warrior in the above photo, I'd keep the consumption to a few sips).


1. Norman Greenbaum - Spirit in the Sky
---You want the big man upstairs to have your team's back. The guitar riff screams "Amuuurrica!," and it's from Remember the Titans, a personal favorite among sports movies.

2. The Hives - Tick, Tick, Boom
----Enough Brit-rock energy to keep you amped up for the game. There are plenty of "YEEEAAAHHHSS" to get your voice warmed up for booing refs and cheering for touchdowns.

3. Missy Elliott - Jump On It (Remix)
----Take a Sir Mix-a-Lot classic and throw in Missy Elliott - you can't go wrong. Play this one when the relatives are in line for the Porta Potty's so they won't have to pretend to other parents that they know you.

4. The Beastie Boys - Fight For Your Right
----Um, hello? The Beastie Boys are every Dude-Man-Bro's favorite white punk hip-hoppers. And the chorus speaks for itself in intimidating "don't mess with me man, I'm CRAZY!" lyrics.

5. Rock and Roll Part 1 - Gary Glitter
----I know, you've never heard of this song in your life. But you have - to put it simply, it's the one that goes "da-da-daaaa-da HEY! da da da..." repeat. People get up and clap for this one as if a string was pulled on their backs. Who knew a band with the word "Glitter" in it could write something so commanding and disgustingly simple?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bH5zsYZbANE

6. Guns n' Roses - Welcome to the Jungle
----Rock and roll and football are as harmonius as ketchup and mustard. While GNR is a little more 80's hair metal, there is no way you won't hear this before, during or after the game.

7. Sweet Caroline - Neil Diamond
-----This song wonderfully pollutes every halftime, seventh-inning stretch, and tailgate. It's one of those come-together-y kind of songs, so everyone at your tailgate will feel a sappy, sentimental bond right before you walk through the gates.