No, the Badgers' Rose Bowl berth is not yet a foregone conclusion. The BCS could still conspire to propel the Buckeyes ahead of us in the standings and reduce us to the likes of a credit-card-sponsored bowl. But with all of campus smelling like roses, as well as plane tickets to Pasadena, we've put together a collection of rosy songs to get you in the mood.
""Every Rose Has Its Thorn"" - Poison
One of the best segments from the sadly short-lived ""Chappelle's Show"" features Dave Chappelle and John Mayer walking throughout a city using racially stereotypical music to get different ethnic groups to dance. For white people, it was anything involving the electric guitar--particularly Poison's 1988 ballad ""Every Rose Has It's Thorn.""
Chappelle's methods of baiting people into slinging off their tops and rocking out on a restaurant table probably won't have the same effect on UW students. But it would do many Badgers some good to give Poison's biggest hit a listen, because it offers the lesson that it's not enough to simply get to the Rose Bowl - it's still going to suck if Wisconsin walks into Pasadena and loses.
Indeed, even the Rose Bowl has a thorn--or in this case, a horn, as in Horned Frog (as gag-inducing as that play on words may be). Barring a last-minute choke job from Auburn or Oregon, Wisconsin will still have to beat the TCU Horned Frogs in order for this season to be worth a damn. So get excited, but temper it a bit with an '80s slow jam.
--Todd Stevens
""Desert Rose"" - Sting
If the best kind of rose is one clenched in the teeth of a Badger football player, then the next best type might just be a ""Desert Rose."" Sting's chart-topping hit (No. 17 on the Billboard top 100) debuted in 1999—the last time Wisconsin secured a Big Ten title.
Although far from a high-tempo head-banger, this song only gets better the louder you pump up the volume. Celebrate a potential Wisconsin Rose Bowl berth by enjoying this Algerian-fused,
yodeling-filled, lyrically challenged artistic wonder. And remember, just like Sting's romantic fantasies, the Badgers dreams are, likewise, tied to a horse that will never tire.
--Mark Bennett
""Kiss from a Rose"" - Seal
Like our football team, Seal knows how to capture a woman's heart. His hit, ‘‘Kiss From a Rose,'' emits a sensual sound woven together by sentiments capable of stopping any girl in her tracks. Promoting love in dark times, Seal delivers a theme song for inspiration by comparing a woman's love to a kiss from a rose on a grave.
To Seal, love is a bright light in times of despair. He passionately declares that the woman tugging at his heartstrings is his power, his pleasure, his pain.
Throughout the song, Seal continually asks, ""Did you know that when it snows, my eyes become larger and the light that you shine can be seen?"" If the Badgers do win the upcoming Rose Bowl, the light that Seal continually mentions will become an inspiring reality—which should be motivation enough for the Badgers to come out on top.
--Sam Witthuhn
""Lida Rose"" - The Music Man
The classic song ""Lida Rose,"" while not typically a celebratory song, speaks to what the Badgers should be feeling headed into the Rose Bowl. This catchy little ditty tells the story of a man who is searching for his woman, appropriately named Lida Rose. Hopefully, the Badgers won't be scanning the stands for babes, but striving to become Rose Bowl champions.
""Lida Rose I'm home again, Rose"" the Badgers ought to be singing as they enter the stadium. Having won their past three appearances there, Pasadena has certainly become a home away from home for the football team. With images of the Badgers putting the sun back in the sky and warming up this chilly little town for all of us coming back to school, ""Lida Rose"" is a perfect fit for students' Rose Bowl playlist.
--Jeremy Gartzke
