ESPN drops Hank Williams Jr. song from ‘Monday Night Football,’ picks new song
By SDS Staff
Published:
In addition to a new crew in the broadcast booth, ESPN’s “Monday Night Football” will also have a new introduction song this year.
SBJ Daily reports that Hank Williams Jr.’s “All My Rowdy Friends Are Here on Monday Night” has been dropped for a new version of the Little Richard song “Rip It Up.” The new version of “Rip It Up” will have instrumentals from a Virginia-based band called Butcher Brown combined with vocals from the late rock ‘n’ roll pioneer who passed earlier this year.
According to the SBJ report, ESPN execs felt that “All My Rowdy Friends Are Here on Monday Night” would not resonate for games that will be contested in mainly empty stadiums.
ABC first used “All My Rowdy Friends Are Here on Monday Night” for “Monday Night Football” in 1989. ESPN dropped the song in 2011 over controversial comments made by Williams. The song returned to ESPN for “MNF” in 2017.
“Monday Night Football” returns on Sept. 14 with a double-header featuring the Pittsburgh Steelers and New York Giants at 7:10 p.m. ET followed by the Tennessee Titans and Denver Broncos at 10:20 p.m. ET.
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