Academy Fight Song
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2023}}
{{Infobox song
| name = Academy Fight Song
| cover = Mission of Burma Academy Fight Song single art.jpg
| alt =
| type = single
| artist = Mission of Burma
| album =
| B-side = Max Ernst
| released = {{Start date|1980|06}}
| recorded =
| studio =
| venue =
| genre = {{hlist|Post-punk{{cite web|last=Masters|first=Marc|date=March 24, 2008|title=Mission of Burma: Signals, Calls, and Marches / Vs. / The Horrible Truth About Burma|url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/11662-signals-calls-and-marchesvsthe-horrible-truth-about-burma/|access-date=January 8, 2023|website=Pitchfork}}|punk rock{{cite web|last=Dougan|first=John|title=Mission of Burma Biography, Songs, & Albums|url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/mission-of-burma-mn0000423305/biography|access-date=January 8, 2023|publisher=AllMusic}}}}
| length = 3:05
| label = Ace of Hearts
| writer = Clint Conley
| producer = Richard W. Harte{{cite web |title=Record Details |url=https://www.45cat.com/record/ahs104 |website=45cat.com |access-date=January 2, 2023}}
}}
"Academy Fight Song" is a song written by Clint Conley and originally recorded by Mission of Burma.{{cite book |last=Reynolds |first=Simon |title=Rip It Up and Start Again: Postpunk 1978-1984 |date=2006 |publisher=Penguin |location=New York |isbn=1101201053 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=r-fIaJWI79IC&pg=PA322|access-date=June 23, 2014}} It is also known for having been performed and recorded by R.E.M.{{cite book |last=Ogg |first=Alex |editor-last=Buckley |editor-first=Peter |title=The Rough Guide to Rock |date=2003 |publisher=Rough Guides |location=London |isbn=1858284570 |page=681 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Fie47qSuTsoC&pg=RA1-PA1774 |chapter=Mission of Burma |access-date=June 23, 2014}}{{cite book |last=Fletcher |first=Tony |title=Perfect Circle: The Story of REM |date=2013 |publisher=Omnibus Press |location=London |isbn=978-0857128539 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Ljv_AgAAQBAJ |access-date=June 23, 2014}}
The song has been described as one of Mission of Burma's "more melodic, shout-along tunes". Conley has declined to elaborate on the meaning of the lyrics, and according to author Michael Azerrad, was "typically evasive when asked if the song was angry. 'Yeah, pretty angry,' Conley said. 'It's just a big conceit. A metaphor. ... I find the whole notion of talking about lyrics very embarrassing.'"
"Academy Fight Song" was released as a single in June 1980{{cite book |last=Azerrad |first=Michael |title=Our Band Could Be Your Life: Scenes from the American Indie Underground, 1981-1991 |date=2012 |publisher=Little, Brown |isbn=978-0-316-24718-4 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=o7CZRPZ27TQC&pg=PT87 |access-date=January 29, 2021}} by Ace of Hearts Records with "Max Ernst" as the B-side. "Academy Fight Song" received significant airplay on Boston's WBCN (FM) and sold out its initial pressing of 7,500 copies within weeks.
Reception
New York Rocker named "Academy Fight Song" one of the ten best singles of 1980. In 1981, The Michigan Daily wrote that it had "been called one of the best singles of 1980 by several new wave magazines and polls."{{cite news |title=Pick Hits |url=http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ld9JAAAAIBAJ&sjid=5x0NAAAAIBAJ&pg=2293%2C2526586 |access-date=June 23, 2014 |work=The Michigan Daily |date=June 11, 1981 |page=7}}
George Gimarc wrote in Post Punk Diary: 1980-1982 that Mission of Burma were "on their way to becoming a Boston legend with their single 'Academy Fight Song' and 'Max Ernst'."{{cite book |last=Gimarc |first=George |title=Post Punk Diary: 1980-1982 |date=1997 |publisher=St. Martin's Press |location=New York |isbn=031216968X |page=52 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-I0g4VDwtzgC|access-date=June 23, 2014}} Robert Christgau has described "Academy Fight Song" as a "one-hook wonder" and "great".{{cite web |last=Christgau |first=Robert |title=Mission of Burma |author-link=Robert Christgau |url=http://www.robertchristgau.com/get_artist.php?name=Mission%20of%20Burma |website=RobertChristgau.com |access-date=January 31, 2021}}
Alex Ogg, writing in The Rough Guide to Rock, described "Academy Fight Song" as "pure sonic confrontation .... [I]t should be a primary source for all rock historians."
In 2020, Rolling Stone ranked the song at number 64 on its list of "The 100 Greatest Debut Singles of All Time", describing it as "a blast of guitar rage, full of punk menace, but without any posturing. ... The single was just a taste of Burma’s sound — ignored at the time, yet influential ever since."{{cite magazine |last=Sheffield |first=Rob |title=The 100 Greatest Debut Singles of All Time |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/greatest-debut-songs-singles-990470/mission-of-burma-academy-fight-song-994494/ |magazine=Rolling Stone |access-date=January 2, 2023 |date=May 19, 2020}}
Other versions
Miracle Legion recorded "Academy Fight Song" for their 1987 album Surprise Surprise Surprise; the band often used it as an encore at their live performances.{{cite news |last=Aston |first=Martin |title=Cult heroes: Miracle Legion – the band Thom Yorke loved, who could have been REM |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/musicblog/2016/may/17/cult-heroes-miracle-legion-the-band-thom-yorke-loved-who-could-have-been-rem |access-date=February 11, 2021 |work=The Guardian |date=May 17, 2016}}
R.E.M. released a recording of "Academy Fight Song" in 1989 on the annual Christmas single for their fan club members, as the B-side of "Good King Wenceslas", a 7" single in a limited edition of 4,500 copies.{{cite news |last1=Drozdowski |first1=Ted |title=Burmese days |url=https://bostonphoenix.com/boston/music/other_stories/documents/02101086.htm |access-date=2023-01-22 |work=The Boston Phoenix |date=10 January 2002}}{{cite web |title=The absolute best of R.E.M.: All 282 songs ranked by Slicing Up Eyeballs' readers |url=http://www.slicingupeyeballs.com/2017/07/31/best-rem-songs-ranked/ |website=Slicing Up Eyeballs |access-date=2023-01-22 |date=31 July 2017}}{{cite web |last1=Reilly |first1=Dan |title=R.E.M. Plan Fan-Club Singles Box Set For The People |url=https://www.spin.com/2013/08/rem-fan-club-singles-box-set-vinyl/ |website=Spin |access-date=2023-01-22 |date=13 August 2013}} In 1990, Spin listed R.E.M.'s recording of the song as one of the 35 "worst cover songs of the last 35 years".{{cite news |title=A Tragic Waste of Vinyl |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=otG9qgDiY1cC&pg=PA62 |access-date=July 23, 2014 |work=Spin |date=August 1990 |page=62}} However, a writer for Salon.com wrote that R.E.M.'s "clanging version" of "Academy Fight Song" was one of the cover versions that "make perfect sense" as a selection for the band.{{cite web |last=Zaleski |first=Annie |title=The most surprising R.E.M. covers |url=https://www.salon.com/2014/09/26/the_most_surprising_r_e_m_covers/ |website=Salon.com |access-date=January 2, 2023 |date=September 26, 2014}}