Rites of Fall: Hit song and video captures Tennessee high school football

By Jan Jorgenson

Chilling temperatures and changing leaves are signs of fall.  This year one of the number one country songs on the radio is a sign of fall as well.  Kenny Chesney’s “Boys of Fall” is a nostalgic song about the royalty of fall, aka football players.  A subtly patriotic piece which connects with a wide audience with its ability to almost allow you to put the names of your high school football stars names in the appropriate places while inspiring current players and anyone interested in sports.

Released on July 12, the song was written by Nashville, Tennessee songwriters Dave Turnbull and Casey Beathard, The Boot Magazine online reports that the song came from a common passion for football.

http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=20264

A Tennessee native, singer Kenny Chesney‘s ‘The Boys of Fall‘ climed to the top of the charts, acording to Air Check Magazine’s October 10 issue.

A visit to http://www.kennychesney.com/ revealed that before the song was ever released, Kenny felt that ‘The Boys of Fall’ would immediately connect with his fans, even if they have never stepped onto a football field a day in their life.  Chesney stated “When I first heard this song, I knew that there was gonna be a lot of people that heard the lyrics to this song and really be able, not just to relate to it, but they live with it because there are so many lessons that, in life, that you learn on the football field that are very parallel with what happens in everyday life,” he says on his website.

The Tennessee native’s new album, ‘Hemingway’s Whiskey,’ hits stores September 28. Chesney performed the show on NBC’s ‘Tonight Show With Jay Leno‘ (10.1.10) and Ellen DeGeneres Show (10.4.10)

http://www.theboot.com/2010/09/28/kenny-chesneys-boys-of-fall-chart/

Several of the football teams featured in the video are Tennessee schools. Battle Ground Academy, Franklin TN, Montgomery Bell Academy, Nashville TN, and Greenbrier High, Greenbrier TN.

There are also several Tennessee Youth Football teams shown including the   Franklin Cowboys and Goodlettsville,  Trojans.

Singer, Chesney, visited the local high schools who were featured in the video and he told the students football is good training for life.  In the longer, documentary version Coach Payton from Naperville Central High School in Illinois just outside of Chicago inspires the team with lessons such as working as a team and having fun.

The CMT video begins with Coach Sean Payton, the coach of the New Orleans Saints, delivering an inspiring motivational speech reminding the young men that “these are the times of our lives.”

Chesney played a couple of years of football in high school.  His own alma matter, Gibbs High, is featured in the video as well.  Chesney played wide receiver on the team from Luttrell. The documentary film of the same name, is a hall of fame of high school, college and professional football players.  Young men and old will relate to the life lessons kids learn when playing high school football.

According to a newspaper article in song writer Casey Beathard’s home town (Williamson Hearld – http://www.battlegroundacademy.org/podium/default.aspx?t=18122), the song centers around a football theme, with video clips of local high schools including Battle Ground Academy where is own child attends.

The Battle Ground Academy (BGA) web page reports that the BGA football team and some cheerleaders were in a music video.  This is live footage filmed during regular season play.  BGA won the game with Montgomery Bell Academy.

An August 8 Parade Magazine interview with Chesney discussed how this song brought him to “center.”  Center with family, life, balance.

Scenes from the video highlight Coach Tim Johnson, seen in a locker room focusing on leadership on and off the field.  Johnson left BGA in 2010 with a 59-35 eight-year record as a head coach

The documentary ends with quotes such as “Life is a team game, the big game” –Joe Nammath

http://www.williamsonherald.com/sports?id=71732

Jan L. Jorgenson is a geneographer, historian and observer of life.  She lives in Yakima, Washington.

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SONG LYRIC:

Well I feel that chill, smell that fresh cut grass
I’m back in my helmet, cleats and shoulder pads
Standin’ in the huddle, listenin’ to the call
Fans going crazy for the boys of fall

They didn’t let just anybody in that club
Took every ounce of heart and sweat and blood
To get to wear those game day jerseys down the hall
Kings of the school man, we’re the boys of fall

Well it’s turn and face the stars and stripes,
It’s fightin’ back them butterflies
It’s call it in the air alright
Yes sir, we want the ball
And it’s knockin’ heads and talkin’ trash
It’s slingin’ mud and dirt and grass
It’s I got your number, I got your back, when your back’s against the wall
You mess with one man, you got us all,
The boys of fall

In little towns like mine, that’s all they got
Newspaper clippings fill the coffee shops,
The old men will always think they know it all
Young girls will dream about the boys of fall

Well it’s turn and face the stars and stripes,
It’s fightin’ back them butterflies
It’s call it in the air alright
Yes sir, we want the ball
And it’s knockin’ heads and talkin’ trash
It’s slingin’ mud and dirt and grass
It’s I got your number, I got your back, when your back’s against the wall
You mess with one man, you got us all,
The boys of fall

Well it’s turn and face the stars and stripes,
It’s fightin’ back them butterflies
It’s call it in the air alright,
Yes sir, we want the ball
And it’s knockin’ heads and talkin’ trash
It’s slingin mud and dirt and grass
It’s I got your number, I got your back, when your back’s against the wall
You mess with one man, you got us all,
The boys of fall

We’re the boys of fall