The Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles was built in memory of the fallen.
by Philip Barker
The Centenary of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum has been marked with a commemorative song. composed by the University of Southern California (USC).
“We Came to Bring the Fire,” composed by two former students of the University of Southern California (USC) Thornton Music school.
The song was chosen by officials of the Coliseum.
“We came to bring the fire. Hold it higher. We came to bring the fire. For the fighters, Victory!” runs the chorus of the song which is set for online release this week.
“We asked Thornton alumni to come back to their alma mater and to draw on the skills they honed here as music students to write and compose original songs in celebration of the Coliseum’s 100th anniversary,” USC Dean Jason King explained.
The winning entry was composed by Ella Collier and Sam Vendig.
“I would say the song is an empathetic fire starter to get people riled up about the legacy and the future of the Coliseum,” said songwriter Sam Vendig.
“I think the energy is victorious and, even though we don’t explicitly say it, it’s about unifying people and bringing people together in these huge moments where so many people get to share in this experience of being there and being entertained.”
Vendig wrote the song with Ella Collier who completed her studies last year.
“I feel like this is a family affair, and that none of us are doing this alone,” Collier said.
“All the song entries were inspiring, which made selecting a winner immensely challenging,” Coliseum General Manager Joe Furin said. “We Came to Bring the Fire’ stood out because it truly embodies the resiliency and enduring spirit that defines both the Coliseum and USC, and perfectly pays homage to our extensive history while looking ahead with fresh energy,”
The song had its premiere during the half time interval of the USC Trojans’ college match against the Utah Utes.
The first major sporting event at the Coliseum had been a Trojans match against the Pomona Sagehens 100 years ago.
The Trojans won 23-7 in 1923 but were unable to reproduce the victory a century later as Utah returned home with a win by 34-32.
The Coliseum had been built in order to commemorate those who had died in the first world war.
The stadium was the centrepiece for both the 1932 and 1984 Olympics and is set to stage events again at LA28.
Although it has also hosted shows by the likes of the Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, Bruce Springsteen and The Who, perhaps the most striking music performances came at the 1984 Olympics.
84 pianists performed George Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue” at the Opening Ceremony.
John Williams conducted his own Fanfare and theme and music by Philip Glass accompanied the lighting of the Flame by Rafer Johnson.
In October, ISOH’s Christian Wacker and Markus Osterwalder visited before our General Assembly and found some less publicised artefacts on the stadium approaches.
Their report is to feature in the next edition of the Journal of Olympic History.
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