Best Chorus Contest Song Ever
December 1, 2009 -- For the past fifty years, the International chorus competition has displayed countless performances that we would consider monumental in the influence towards the artistic direction of our barbershop art form. Some of these songs helped choruses earn the title "International Champion" while others broadened our creativity to help bring more diversity to the contest stage. YouBarbershop has set out to decide which song has had the largest impact on our barbershop culture. There are dozens of performances that could be considered influential in our art form so YouBarbershop has decided to narrow the list of songs to just eight. However, you will have a voice in the final selection!
First, read about each nominated song and why we chose them as a quarterfinalist. At the bottom of the article there will be a link that will direct you to the four voting boothes that will pit two songs against each other. From there we will move on to the semifinal round for the remaining four songs which will lead to the final round.
Here are your eight nominated songs:
1. Seventy-six Trombones- Ambassadors of Harmony (2009-1st) Taking down the thirty year reigning champion Vocal Majority is no easy task to accomplish. However, the Ambassadors of Harmony armed themselve
s with a spectacular uptune (Arranged by homer, David Wright), showcasing over a hundred musical instruments, tear away uniforms, an International quartet champion cameo (Vocal Spectrum) and some clean singing to boot! Earlier in the day, the Vocal Majority had received the highest score ever given in a barbershop competition. A few hours later the Ambassadors broke the new record and it took three 100 scores in the Presentation category and another 100 score in Singing to do it!
2. Strike Up The Band- Westminster (2007-1st) Having come in second place to the Vocal Majority the previous year everyone was expecting something special from the youthful Westminster chorus. The reward to the audience was an energetic performance of "Strike Up The Band/Everybody Step Medley" arranged by Aaron Dale. The intro began with the chorus members forming into a giant "W" representing their chapter name. From there, the youthful, clean singing brought musical perfection and colorful choreography, Busby Berkley style. However, one of the coolest moments was when
the chorus simulated a twenty second drumline stomp using their hands and feet for percussion. The audience was enthralled by this unique performance. However, the judges did penalize the rhythmic choreo for being too long without singing and almost cost them the contest. Having tied for first place with the Ambassadors of Harmony, Westminster edged them out in the Singing category giving them the International championship. Their win has definitely inspired a new movement within our Society with more and more youth chapters forming around the world.
3. Song For The Little Guy- Toronto Northern Lights (2003-2nd) Toronto Northern Lights came on the scene back in 2000 as one of the successful small chorus clones to the Louisville Times. With only 46 men on stage, TNL was competing against choruses well over a hundred men with multiple 
gold medal championships. In Montreal, TNL competed against the Vocal Majority and decided to have some fun with the premise that "size doesn't matter." With clever lyrics and a fantastic arrangement by David Wright, TNL entertained the audience with humor and A+ singing. One of the funniest gags was when a twenty foot giant peeked his head over the riser shell, later getting taken down by David and a small pebble. Other "small in size" gags included making fun of Gas House Gang, goldfish starring at Sea World and Canada being "the leader of the free world." TNL proved comedians can make people laugh and be blown away by quality singing at the same time.
4. Here Comes The Showboat- Masters of Harmony (2002-1st) Having dealt with three director changes within a six year period, barbershoppers were not sure what to expect from the four time International Champions. What the MOH gave was perhaps one of the most complete performances on a contest stage with their rendition of "Here Comes The Showboat" by arranger David Wright. The song opened with a story about the "vessels of dreams" that brought shows and performers to your town. After the
boat arrives on shore the chorus showcased the many performers on the showboat which included banjo players, jugglers, dancers and hand-bone percussionists. But the biggest surprise came when a quartet (International champion Nightlife) stepped out front and sang a couple bars without the chorus. This is the first time a quartet has ever competed in a chorus competition! Immediately following the quartet was the chorus singing a loud and impactful "EVERYBODY HARMONIZE!" The wave of sound and volume knocked you out of your seat. The tag ended with the chorus mimicking a giant paddlewheel. A complete set from beginning to end, "Showboat" helped stabilize everyone's opinions that "The Masters" would continue to bring musical excellence to our contest stages.
5. Brother, Can You Spare A Dime- Toronto Northern Lights (2001-2nd) In 2001, Toronto Northern Lights took theatrics and character study to a whole new level when they performed the depression era song, "Brother, Can You Spare A Dime?" It wasn't just the polished, musical execution that helped them earn their first silver medal, but the emotional impact between audience and performer that raised the bar of musical excellence on the International stage. In order to achieve that emotional believability, the chorus members were asked by its leadership to dress in shabby clothes, go out on the
streets of Toronto and beg for money. The rule was they were not allowed to stop begging until someone would literally give them a dime. Many chorus members were surprised how difficult it was to receive just one dime from a stranger. One member in particular decided he would try and beg for enough money to feed his baby. It took him all day to finally raise six dollars so he could buy formula for his child. The members saved their dimes and had them pinned inside their costumes to serve as both a reminder and inspiration towards their performance.
6. Love Me And The World Is Mine- Masters of Harmony (1996-1st) Coming off two successive wins in 1990 and 1993, the Masters of Harmony still felt they had something to prove within the barbershop world. Their first win in 1990 resulted in a tie with the Louisville Thoroughbreds which was
broken in the (then) Sound Category by a mere six points. In 1993, they beat the emotional soldier performance of The New Tradition Chorus, however many convention attendees felt it could have gone either way. Between 1993 and 1996, the MOH worked hard at raising the talent level as well as higher musical expectations from its membership. There was also a lot of talk behind the scenes that this could be Dr. Greg Lyne's last competition as the musical director of the Masters. The song "Love Me And The World Is Mine" was arranged by (surprise!) David Wright and is the epitome of "power ballads." With the potential loss of their beloved director, rallying the troops for the Salt Lake City convention was not a difficult task. The focus and efforts put forth at the weekly rehearsals was no doubt intense. However the hard work paid off. Earlier in the competition, The New Tradition chorus had displayed an electric and heart-warming performance doing a Toy Soldiers package which many believed would be unbeatable. When the curtained opened and the MOH sang the first few chords to the ballad, the contest winner was already decided. Members of TNT commented, "When the Masters sang their first line "I wander on as in a dream..." their sound was so full, clean and musical we knew they had won." The ballad became one of the highest scoring songs ever in International competition and solidified a third championship for the Masters of Harmony. A month later, Dr. Lyne did indeed step down as director of the chorus.
7. Just A Baby's Prayer At Twilight- The New Tradition (1993-2nd) Between 1988 and 1992, The New Tradition had been floating anywhere from 3rd to 5th place in the International competitions. While their musical quality was good, they had yet to break into the level of "elite chorus." Not until 1993 when they introduced their Soldier's package in Calgary, Alberta were they sudde
nly looked upon as a real challenger for the gold. The first song was a hair-raising arrangement of "There's Something About A Soldier" with waving flags, trumpets and precision military stage presence. The biggest surprise came when the front row turned into a drill rifle unit, spinning and tossing their rifles into the air with perfect execution. Having grabbed the audience's attention with this impactful uptune, the chorus suddenly switched gears in their storytelling. On stage walks a little boy who greets his military father. The father takes a moment to speak with his son, gives him a hug, then walks offstage, presumably to fight in a war. The son bows his head and prays as the chorus sings "Just A Baby's Prayer At Twilight." During the song, the boy plays soldier and imitates his dad marching and aiming his rifle "longing to be a man" just like his daddy. The boy prays again, "Oh tell my daddy, "PLEASE take care." The emotion on stage becomes tragic when a lone soldier comes out to meet the boy. The boy runs to the man thinking it's his father, however he is surprised to see that it's a stranger who is holding a folded American flag in his hands. The soldier presents the flag to the boy and salutes him with the most powerful military stare ever seen. The boy cries for a moment, composes himself and at the end of the song stands tall, slowly raising his hand, saluting in honor of his father. This set was the beginning of many theatrical performances TNT would bring to the contest stage.
8. Waiting For The Robert E. Lee- The Vocal Majority (1988-1st) Many would consider this song to be the birth of the "power uptune" in barbershop competitions. At the International Convention in San Antonio, TX, the Society was celebrating its 50th Anniversary. It was also finishing out the second year of an experimental exercise in what was called the Super Finals of chorus competition. Attempting to mimic the Sweet Adeline competition format, the Society created a finals round which allowed the top six choruses from the semifinals to compete again on Saturday evening. The year prior, the West Towns Chorus put the new format to the test by winning the International competition while never placing higher than
second in both rounds. The convention attendees expected the Vocal Majority to romp through the competitions. However a stubborn opponent in the seven time International chamption, Louisville Thoroughbreds had other plans in mind about handing over this contest to the VM. After the first round there was only a ten point spread between the two choruses. Disappointed in their semifinal performance, rumor has it VM director Jim Clancy called a late night rehearsal which lasted FIVE hours! The work paid off as the Vocal Majority slammed the competition with "Girl of My Dreams" and finished with the epic "Waitin' For The Robert E. Lee." The apex of the uptune was when the chorus did a slow motion wave that oozed energy and creativity. With a driving tag, the chorus nailed the coffin door shut and won their fifth International championship. The uptune also paid dividends to its arranger. After this performance, David Wright became a household name in the barbershop world. Over twenty years later, Robert E. Lee still holds itself up to current day competitions and the arrangement is virtually never performed by other music groups. Why fool around with perfection?
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