There is a tune (I don’t know the name of it) that they often play at
basketball games in which the fans yell “hey!” with the beat. Yesterday
I mentioned to a co-worker that I thought of that tune as the “Dr. Who”
tune because I remember such a song being played on the radio in the
early '80s. He quickly scoffed me saying that the tune is an old
composition called “Rock & Roll” and the reason it is popular is because
nobody owns the rights to it. The popular version of today certainly
sounds more like the “Dr. Who” version than any band arrangement. What
is the straight dope on this popular tune?
Don’t recall the name, but I think it’s a Gary Glitter song – definitely not Dr. Who.
The original tune to which you refer is Rock and Roll Part Two by 60s British glam-rock icon Gary Glitter.
Several years ago (late 80s or early 90s) another band did a cover of the song, substituting “Dr. Who” in the places where “Rock ‘n’ Roll” were chanted, and similar changes like that – mentions of the TARDIS, voice samples from angry Daleks, etc.
Somebody should help you out by searching for .WAVs of both songs. I would, but I’m at work and I’ve already done my part for your enlightenment. 
–Da Cap’n
“Playin’ solitaire 'til dawn
With a deck of fifty-one.”
I have to suspect that your username was chosen carefully for this question, because…
Teams are playing a little less of this song following recent controversy in Glitter’s life. Late last year Glitter plead guilty to 54 charges of downloading child pornography in the UK, having been acquitted of even more serious charges involving sexual assault on an underage girl. He served two months in prison.
Livin’ on Tums, vitamin E and Rogaine
the one you hear at sports events is called, Rock and Roll Part II, or Rock N Roll Pt 2, or a variation thereof, by Gary Glitter, as previously stated, and he does own the copywrite, and he did get into trouble with child pornography (and this recent run in wasn’t his first), and he just got out of jail.
the dr. who version is called “doctorin’ the tardis” by “the timelords” who were actually KLF in disguise. so if you wanna try to find it, look under KLF, or maybe the timelords. i found my copy (as a single…don’t think it’s on any KLF album) at best buy a few years back. it’s distributed on TVT records here in the states, or at least was. it’s got 4 songs on it, IIRC, and really isn’t that bad of a song.
The original Dr. Who theme was released on a CD produced by the Sci-Fi channel & (I think) Rhino Records. I think the title was “Final Frontiers”. Lots more sci-fi themes on this, too.
With magic, you can turn a frog into a prince. With science, you can turn a frog into a Ph.D, and you still have the frog you started with.
Yes, the Dr. Who version was arranged by the KLF (aka The K Foundation, aka The Timelords, aka The Jamms (Justified Ancients of Mu Mu), etc etc) who were/are a sort of performance art/ prank group. They wrote a book about the writing of that song, which they put together as a sort of formulaic hit single to see whather a hit could be “planned” (it worked in Britain, apparently). They are also known for the “Burn a Million Quid” Britains worst-recording artist stunt.
You know there are actually full lyrics to this song?
I think that on “Rock and Roll Part I”, Glitter actually sings along and “Part II” is the instrumental version sans words that you hear at virtually every sporting event in the U.S. Certainly before Glitter’s unfortunate revelations.
I also recall that on the chorus, Glitter is singing “rock and ro-o-oll, rock and roll”.
I only heard a snippet of the song and it sounded totally retarded.
Has anyone heard the song in its entirety?
Part I, I mean.
Maybe could share all of the lyrics as well.
I’d love to be able to impress my fellow fans by singing along the actual words to this song next time I’m in the stands.