Tusk

Personal Background:

My mom works in admissions for a university. She grew up in Palos Verdes, California where her father was a dentist known throughout her entire community. She now lives in Huntington Beach with her family.

University Traditions:

When my mom was a junior at the University of Southern California, the band Fleetwood Mac came out with the song Tusk. What made this song so important for the university was that it was played with the Trojan marching band. The students who were there were able to see Fleetwood Mac perform this song during one of the many football games the university has. The marching band has been playing it ever since. It has become such a big part of the campus life that there is almost no sporting event where the band does not play it. What makes it so popular is the part in the middle where the students get to yell, “UCLA SUCKS!” With UCLA being the main rival of USC, it gives the team a lot of school spirit as they cheer for their team.

What makes this song so special to my mom is the fact that it was done by a band she absolutely loved at the time, and she loves that it is still being done today. When she goes to a USC football game nowadays, she is brought back to a time when she was watching the game with her sorority sisters as a student. She loves being able to see the new students keeping some of the old traditions the same as she remembers.

Analysis:

This is a tradition that has been around for about 30 years now, and it does not look like it will be ending anytime soon. USC has become its own culture, and each football game has  a festival like feeling. There are so many different traditions that are going on during game days, it seems as if USC is its own city.

To me, this song is a way to bring the alumni and students together. Most students do not listen to Fleetwood Mac, but they do listen to this song. It is a way to connect the two different generations.