Debbie Schlussel: From Hank to . . . Pink?: NFL Sunday Night Adds Unneeded Girl Power


By Debbie Schlussel

Hank Williams, Jr.'s (a/k/a "Bocephus") rendition of "All My Rowdy Friends Are Coming Over Tonight (Are You Ready for Some Football?)" was so popular that the one season ABC tried to replace it with popular acts like Aerosmith and KISS, it didn't work.

But now, ABC's Monday Night Football is gone (to ESPN). So the premiere prime-time football event on broadcast TV is NBC's new Sunday Night Football. You'd think that NBC would pick something on the level of Hank, Jr.'s legendary theme song. But you would be wrong.

Instead, NBC--in a bad attempt to attract more female fans (and a good attempt to turn off the majority male fans)--has recruited pop star Pink to sing the Sunday Night Football theme. Worse, Pink is remaking '80s has-been Joan Jett's "I Hate Myself for Loving You" in to "Waiting All Day for Sunday Night." (Memo to NBC: Actually, real football fans are not waiting all day. They're watching games all Sunday afternoon on FOX and CBS.)

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Pink: The New Hank Williams, Jr.?

And you won't just have to hear Pink every Sunday Night, you'll have to watch her, too. Says a press release:

As Pink's voice serves as the signature welcome to viewers each Sunday Night, the accompanying video features Pink.

Pink as the new Hank Williams, Jr.? What's next: frosted-hair Ryan Secrest as drooling NFL sideline reporter-babe?

We predict her theme song fails and only lasts the season . . . if she's lucky. A better choice would have been someone male and masculine, like Toby Keith or Sammy Hagar, to sing some sort of football theme updated from "All My Rowdy Friends Are Coming Over Tonight (Are You Ready For Some Football?)"

You be the judge. Here are the lyrics to Pink's new Sunday Night Football theme:

"Waiting All Day For Sunday Night"

All right Sunday Night where are you?
Just kicking back from the things that you do
You want the Big Game, we want it too!

Hey Jack it's a fact, the best show in town,
Sunday Night Football we ain't messing around
Al and John will make you crank up the sound ...

The NFL's best have come to play
For every fan there's just one thing left to say, ay, ay, ay ...

I've been waiting all day for Sunday Night
The tough get rough in a primetime fight
The last one standing gets to turn out the lights
Cause I been waiting all day for Sunday Night

Sunday Night Football on NBC
The only game that you have to see
Don't need a ticket, all you need's a TV
Cause the NFL rocks on NBC


Posted by Debbie on August 30, 2006 12:32 PM to Debbie Schlussel