In an irregular football season this year with fewer fans in the stands and more on the couch, ESPN is trying to add a breath of fresh air to Monday Night Football (MNF). The first Monday night games of the season will feature a new version of Little Richard’s hit “Rip It Up”, featuring the Virginia-based group Butcher Brown.
What We Know:
- This song will finally retire the longstanding “All My Rowdy Friends Are Coming Over Tonight” by Hank Williams Jr which was remade with new lyrics and named “All my rowdy friends are here for Monday night”. Williams’ song ran on the MNF broadcast every week during the NFL season from 1989 to 2011, had a six-year gap, and resumed until now.
- Hank Williams Jr. went under fire earlier in the decade for his questionable comments about the former President Barrack Obama on an interview. As a response to that blunder, the tune was removed in 2011 before it starting airing 6 years later once more.
- On a press release by ESPN on Friday, it was said that Little Richard’s song will also get the Hank Williams Jr. Treatment and be repurposed to the new theme of MNF. The song, originally released in 1956, ended up being number 1 R&B hit for the time. The father of Rock and Roll and Hall of Famer, unfortunately, passed away earlier this year at the age of 87 in Tennessee.
Butcher Brown stated in the press release that they are “truly excited to have teamed up with ESPN for this project, and are honored to have had the opportunity to work with the music of the King of Rock N’ Roll, Little Richard.”
- The new version pays homage to the late Rock and Roll star while featuring a contemporary group for a fresh take on the classic. The infectious theme premiered online on Friday and one can already hear the heart Butcher Brown put into making this tune. The track features new instrumentals and backup vocals from Butcher Brown to accommodate football.
- Talk of the song replacement broke out recently. According to The Washington Post, sources from ESPN stated that they wanted to introduce a much-needed change to the hype that is missed due to empty stadiums. Butcher Brown member Tennishu noted they did just that and felt that by “doing this project is a positive force in itself”.
Monday Night Football will kick off on September 14th, 2020 with a doubleheader featuring the Pittsburgh Steelers playing the New York Giants and the Tennessee Titans visiting the Denver Broncos.
