# In which Ohio becomes awesome, for a moment, in the mid 1980s. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 15, 2006, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-ohio-becomes-awesome-for-a-moment-in-the-mid-1980s/356781 "2006-05-15T01:34:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Hostile\_Dialect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e495f1/32.png) [@Hostile\_Dialect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hostile_Dialect)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2006, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-ohio-becomes-awesome-for-a-moment-in-the-mid-1980s/356781/1 "2006-05-15T01:34:28Z")
Whilst writing about the Yardbirds hit single “For Your Love” for my rock history class, I stumbled upon a track listing for the album of the same name, where the last track was a cover of “My Girl Sloopy” (aka “Hang On Sloopy”). I clicked on same, and was taken to [this page](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Girl_Sloopy) where I did find The Most Awesome Piece of Legislature Ever: > [@Wikipedia](#): > > In April 1985, a columnist for the Columbus Citizen-Journal, Joe Dirck, saw a wire service story about a proposal to designate “Louie, Louie” the state rock song of Washington and wrote a column about it. This goaded the 116th Ohio General Assembly into action and it designated “Hang on Sloopy” the state rock song by House Concurrent Resolution 16 on November 20, 1985. The General Assembly did not enact the measure into law—unlike “Beautiful Ohio” when it was made the state song—or even take it seriously, e.g., certain clauses read, > > ``` > "WHEREAS, "Hang On Sloopy" is of particular relevance to members of the Baby Boom Generation, who were once dismissed as a bunch of long-haired, crazy kids, but who now are old enough and vote in sufficient numbers to be taken quite seriously" > > ``` > > and > > ``` > "WHEREAS, Adoption of this resolution will not take too long, cost the state anything, or affect the quality of life in this state to any appreciable degree, and if we in the legislature just go ahead and pass the darn thing, we can get on with more important stuff". > > ``` > > Ohio is the only state to have an official state rock song. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2006, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-ohio-becomes-awesome-for-a-moment-in-the-mid-1980s/356781/2 "2006-05-15T02:18:56Z")
A much better choice would be “Whip It” by Devo. ---
**Author:** ![E.Thorp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@E.Thorp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E.Thorp)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2006, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-ohio-becomes-awesome-for-a-moment-in-the-mid-1980s/356781/3 "2006-05-15T02:24:40Z")
It may also help to know that “Hang On Sloopy” is/was frequently covered by marching and/or pep bands at Ohio State University, and therefore also at many Ohio high schools (including mine). ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2006, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-ohio-becomes-awesome-for-a-moment-in-the-mid-1980s/356781/4 "2006-05-15T02:31:35Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > A much better choice would be “Whip It” by Devo. Funk 49 by the James Gang. ---
**Author:** ![hawksgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ed655f/32.png) [@hawksgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hawksgirl)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2006, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-ohio-becomes-awesome-for-a-moment-in-the-mid-1980s/356781/5 "2006-05-15T02:34:44Z")
> [@E. Thorp](#): > > It may also help to know that “Hang On Sloopy” is/was frequently covered by marching and/or pep bands at Ohio State University, and therefore also at many Ohio high schools (including mine). EVERY high school pep band I have ever heard plays Hang on Sloopy. And I’m in California, so I doubt that there is that much reasoning behind that. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2006, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-ohio-becomes-awesome-for-a-moment-in-the-mid-1980s/356781/6 "2006-05-15T03:26:54Z")
> [@hawksgirl](#): > > EVERY high school pep band I have ever heard plays Hang on Sloopy. And I’m in California, so I doubt that there is that much reasoning behind that. Yeah, but I bet that in California they don’t go O!-H!-I!-O! in the middle of the song. ---
**Author:** ![hawksgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ed655f/32.png) [@hawksgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hawksgirl)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2006, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-ohio-becomes-awesome-for-a-moment-in-the-mid-1980s/356781/7 "2006-05-15T03:30:50Z")
> [@Frank](#): > > Yeah, but I bet that in California they don’t go O!-H!-I!-O! in the middle of the song. Point granted. ---
**Author:** ![E.Thorp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@E.Thorp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E.Thorp)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2006, 5:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-ohio-becomes-awesome-for-a-moment-in-the-mid-1980s/356781/8 "2006-05-15T05:32:19Z")
> [@hawksgirl](#): > > EVERY high school pep band I have ever heard plays Hang on Sloopy. And I’m in California, so I doubt that there is that much reasoning behind that. I didn’t know it was that universal. Ohioans do tend to claim it as their own, anyway, which may have been some of the reasoning for the legislature. ---
**Author:** ![panamajack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/47e85d/32.png) [@panamajack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panamajack)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2006, 6:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-ohio-becomes-awesome-for-a-moment-in-the-mid-1980s/356781/9 "2006-05-15T06:28:32Z")
Not to take anything away from Ohio, but I think Idaho’s resolution on [Napoleon Dynamite](http://www3.state.id.us/oasis/2005/HCR029.html) is some pretty sweet legislation. It includes the famous clause : > [@](#): > > WHEREAS, any members of the House of Representatives or the Senate of the Legislature of the State of Idaho who choose to vote “Nay” on this concurrent resolution are “FREAKIN’ IDIOTS!” and run the risk of having the “Worst Day of Their Lives!” ---
**Author:** ![Lightray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightray/32/391_2.png) [@Lightray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightray)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2006, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-ohio-becomes-awesome-for-a-moment-in-the-mid-1980s/356781/10 "2006-05-15T15:02:45Z")
They’ve still got a way to go before the match the awesome coolness of Kentucky’s legislature and [HR256](http://www.lrc.state.ky.us/recarch/02rs/HR256.htm) > [@](#): > > A RESOLUTION encouraging the purchase and vigorous use of the USS Louisville 688 VLS Class submarine. > WHEREAS, in the past few years the scourge of the casino riverboat has been an increasingly significant presence on the Ohio River; and > WHEREAS, the Ohio River borders the Commonwealth of Kentucky; and > WHEREAS, the siren song of payola issuing from the discordant calliopes of these gambling vessels has led thousands of Kentucky citizens to vast disappointment and woe; and > WHEREAS, no good can come to the citizens of Kentucky hypnotized from the siren song issuing from these casino riverboats, the engines of which are fired by the hard-earned dollars lost from Kentucky citizens; > NOW, THEREFORE … They even included a provision to notify the Casinos of their impending whoopin’! 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![Crotalus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crotalus/32/41_2.png) [@Crotalus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crotalus)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2006, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-which-ohio-becomes-awesome-for-a-moment-in-the-mid-1980s/356781/11 "2006-05-15T16:06:18Z")
It’s amazing to me that this fun fact was posted to two different threads in the same day (once by me). [Link](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=7395199&postcount=11)