What a Celebration!
It’s Championship Game Day! What a great experience for the guys at Alabama and Texas. A day neither will ever forget, although only one team will look back fondly on tonight’s result. It makes me wonder how Notre Dame’s players reflect on the 1981 Sugar Bowl. They are probably still wondering how in the world they lost to the Georgia Bulldogs.
The other night, the halftime show of the Orange Bowl featured Kool and the Gang, one of my favorite groups from back in the day. One of the songs they played was Celebration, one of their biggest hits. I am sure their sales have spiked since Tuesday night.
From Wikipedia: “Celebration” is a song released in 1980 by Kool & the Gang from their album Celebrate!. It reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100chart on February 7, 1981 and held that position until February 20, 1981. Late in 1980, the song had also reached number one on both the Billboard Dance and R&B charts.
I was listening to the tape during pregame in the locker room.
I was focused on the portion of the song that said these these words:
We’re gonna have a good time tonight
Let’s celebrate, it’s all right
We’re gonna have a good time tonight
Let’s celebrate, it’s all right
Needless to say, we did have a good time that night.
Oh yeah, 2010 marks the 30 year anniversary of The Championship. Wow.
Rex,
Love the site. Great memories are always good to reflect back on. I’m Jax born and raised(bulldawg bred)Dad started getting season tix in ’76. Been going to the classic city ever since. Being a grad of HS in’81, “celebrate” was our song on the Sr. cruise..wow Memories. Good Stuff.
01/07/2010 at 5:37 PM
rex, btw, a friend and i along with our girlfriends had the pleasure of sitting down at the table for a bbq lunch with your parents prior to the 1977 wlocp in jax…they were obviously very proud of their freshman kicker. real nice down-to-earth folk, as best as i can recall.
01/07/2010 at 4:43 PM
Hello Rex,
I enjoyed reading your “Celebration” blog and it’s interesting you also associate that incredible moment with a certain song. I was at the game and it was the only time in my life I ever ran on a field after the game. Of course, we celebrated well into the night in the French Quarter.
As we were leaving New Orleans very early the next morning, i’ll never forget the radio was playing Diana Ross singing….
It’s my turn
To see what I can see
I hope you’ll understand
This time’s just for me
But now it’s my turn
To reach and touch the sky
No one’s gonna say
At least I didn’t try
It sure seemed appropriate for all us delirious Georgia fans..
Thanks for your blog and for your part in making 1980 such an incredible memory for us all.
01/07/2010 at 2:27 PM
Rex,
I remember standing in front of Pat O’Briens with a big ol’ Hurricane in my hand after that game (one of several it turned out), in a Sea of Red and “Celebration” was blaring on the outdoor speaker system. I’m a Rocker, but that song has got to be my most favorite pop song only because of the memories attached.
Here’s hoping we’ll be having a retro-”Celebration” really soon. 30 years is way too long.
01/07/2010 at 11:27 AM