<p>As a mom of a freshman I was introduced to the song build me up buttercup while at orientation. Does anyone know the significance of this song and why it is special to Boston college?</p>
<p>Well I know when I was a student there 30 years ago they played it every Thursday night in the RAT – Lower level of Lyons Hall, don’t know the significance particular to BC though. It’s a great song, my 15 year old and I sing it together all the time – he just “discovered” it last year:)</p>
<p>I think it’s just a marching band tradition over the years. Maybe because both Boston College and Buttercup have the same abbreviation: “BC”.</p>
<p>Dear OTTMOM : jshain eludes to the marching band tradition which is mostly seen at the home football games and jshain is correct. During the fourth quarter of as many games as I can remember, the student section will start singing specific songs struck-up by the the band. “Buttercup” has become one of those standards.</p>
<p>Dear All : This whole question forced me to search for “Buttercup” on BC’s web site.</p>
<p>[What’s</a> up, Buttercup? - BCM - Fall 2002](<a href=“http://bcm.bc.edu/issues/fall_2002/ll_buttercup.html]What’s”>What's up, Buttercup? - BCM - Fall 2002)</p>
<p>The article, from BC Magazine in Fall 2002, describes the “Buttercup” tradition as follows.</p>
<p>As the crowd calms somewhat and the competition wages on, the band breaks into “Build Me Up Buttercup,” a song BC students have come to interpret as alluding to the Super Fan Zone’s brilliant hue. The entire student section sings along, swaying, snapping, pointing, miming the lyrics to one another. Since the band typically only has time to perform two-minute-plus tunes like this one—and another fan favorite, “Hey Baby”—during TV time-outs, it’s a moment driven by external circumstance, but if the crowd response is any sign, it is perfectly timed.</p>
<p>scottj, Thanks for researching this. The fan section, all decked out in those bright gold t-shirts… makes sense perfect sense. I’ll have to ask my D (BC’12, CSOM) if she is aware of this tradition.</p>
<p>Thanks All! The song is quickly becoming one my favorites - again! Made me feel great to hear the upper classman singing to the incoming freshmen as orientation concluded.</p>
<p>scottj - Thanks for the article. I think they have dropped “Hey Baby” from their playlist. I don’t think I have ever heard it played at a football game. Do you recall hearing it? I have heard it at the Verizon Center in DC for Georgetown home basketball games. My younger D always gets a kick out of her NJ/NY BC roommates and friends (and Yankees fans) singing “Sweet Caroline” during games - especially since it has become a Red Sox song. It really is interesting why/how some colleges adopt some of the songs played at games and how the songs become part of the identity/culture of the school. D made us a CD to play as we drive to the football games - full of the songs her group “must” hear before the game, some standard BC band songs and then some of the popular music the band plays during the games.</p>