Hang On Sloopy (3:52)

Hang On Sloopy” is a song which briefly made #1 in America in October 1965. It was written by Wes Farrell and Bert Russell and is named for singer Dorothy Sloop (1913-1998), who used the name “Sloopy” on stage.

The song has become a mainstay in the State of Ohio, and with The Ohio State University. OSU’s Marching Band played it in the fall of 1965, after a student begged the director to try it. After hearing the crowd’s reaction, the band began playing it at every OSU home football game, as well as other sporting and campus events, a tradition that continues to this day.

In 1985, Hang on Sloopy was designated by the Ohio General Assembly as the official “State Rock Song” for the state of Ohio.