Put your UW devotion into words . . . for $1,000

The University of Washington is offering $1,000 and a place in history to someone who can come up with a new school anthem.

The school has its fight song — "Bow Down to Washington" — but little else to evoke school spirit at commencements, on bus trips and, of course, at football games. While "Louie Louie" and "Tequila" are popular tunes at games, they say nothing about the Husky experience.

The current alma mater, or school song, has never proved popular since it was written in the early 1900s. It even contains a potentially offensive line: "You're the mother of a mighty race."

So now the UW is looking for someone to write the lyrics for a new alma mater, preferably a student, faculty member or alum. The words will be put to music by composer Bill Conti, who wrote one of the most recognized film scores ever: "Rocky."

"What we really want is a song that tugs at the heartstrings," said Brad McDavid, the director of Husky Athletic Bands. "We want something that's really grasped and understood and appreciated, not only by alumni but by current students."

The format is simple: two verses and one chorus. McDavid said he's not looking for another fight song — the UW already has more than one — but instead wants a chorale or hymn. Themes that evoke the UW, such as the cherry blossoms in spring or the shores of Lake Washington, will help.

The top three songs will be picked by a committee of about 20 faculty, staff, students and alumni. Conti will then get to choose which one inspires him the most. His final arrangement must be approved by the committee. The winning song will be unveiled at a gala in September.

Conti, speaking from his home in Los Angeles, said he was honored when McDavid asked him to write the music. A graduate of Louisiana State University, Conti said he's written a fight song before, for UCLA, but never an alma mater.

"I think it should be singable, unlike the national anthem, which I love, and it should be reverent," he said. "The word writer, as opposed to the music writer, should have a deeper understanding of being there."

An Oscar and five-time Emmy Award winner, Conti, 66, has a long list of film and television credits — from the James Bond theme "For Your Eyes Only" to the music for "World News Tonight." But he will always be remembered for "Rocky."

"It's a curse and a blessing," he said. "You can't manufacture a hit and make it stick. ... I think the timing was right. The story of the underdog, the fairy-tale story, stuck with the public at that time."

Conti said he is "grossly overpaid" for most of his work but is not doing this job for the money. Neither he nor the UW could say exactly how much he will be paid, other than it would likely be at least $10,000.

Conti said that when he gets the words, he will look for a particular phrase that stands out and build the music from there. Putting music to prearranged words has a tradition, he added.

"With the great operas, there was the libretto first. With most musicals, there is a book first," he said. "It has a heritage that goes back to the Greek plays."

At the UW, the idea of a new alma mater was first raised by Connie Kravas, the vice president for development and alumni relations.

"For years, people in the band and alumni groups have mentioned it would be nice to have a song that was inspirational," Kravas said. "Today's students will probably hate the term, but I think of schmaltzy — something that will stick in your mind for a long time."

McDavid said the only people at football games who know the words to the alma mater are the band members and the cheerleaders — and only because they are required to learn them. For everyone else, the lyrics are flashed up on the big screen.

Even the 1915 fight song, with its reference to the Dardanelles, a strait in Turkey that became pivotal in WWI battles, is a mystery to most fans.

"I think most people know the very beginning, 'Bow Down to Washington,' but after that it becomes a lot of 'Watermelon, watermelon, watermelon,' " McDavid said. "Most students today don't know what the Dardanelles are."

In fact, the UW hasn't come up with any new songs of note since 1936, when it added a second fight song, "Vict'ry for Washington." A competition for a new football song in the 1980s gave birth to "Spirit of Washington" — a song that was unpopular with students and was dropped completely after the Huskies lost several games after the song's debut, according to McDavid.

Nick Perry: 206-515-5639 or nperry@seattletimes.com