Fan is short for fanatic, and to be a true fan you have to go above and beyond for your team. Sometimes this means painting yourself, or your car—or your infant. In the South Bay, there is much variety in expressing that fanatical passion; our fire engines have shark fins, for example. For a group of talented 49ers fans, this fanaticism turned into a rally song now on YouTube.
Produced by Ben Araiza, and featuring his vocal talents, alongside Marcus “Lel” Daniels, “Back in the Bay/49ers Faithful Anthem” harks back to the team’s prior glory days as it looks forward to hopes for this year’s Super Bowl. The video has been picking up quite a bit of steam and has been recognized by Brandon Tierney from Sports Radio 95.7 “The Game.” Tierney’s wise words to the fans were, “49er fans need to crank this up right now, and be heard … rock that cubicle, screw your boss!”
The production of the song has been a long road for Araiza’s crew. Even though he has put considerable time and money into the project, Araiza says, “I want to make it 100 percent free for the fans.” It was originally conceived to pump up the fans for last year’s season.
The first incarnation of “Faithful Anthem/Back in the Bay” featured Pfife Dawg from A Tribe Called Quest, but after the less-than-spectacular beginning to the season, the Niners shelved the track. It was a blow to all fans, but especially to Araiza, who had invested his time, money and heart in the project. The new season erased bad memories, however, and brought a new fervor to the crew and an updated rally anthem for the faithful. As Araiza puts it, “You gotta live and die with your team.”
This incarnation of “Faithful Anthem/Back in the Bay” replaces Phife Dawg’s performance on the second verse with Araiza’s. Conflicts in scheduling forced Araiza to step to the mic. With the season heating up, the group decided to release the track for the benefit of the fans rather than not participate in their team’s drive to dominance. The video was shot in two days. Araiza’s cousin Marcus St. Marcus heard the track and decided to do the video immediately. The tailgate footage was pulled from Gabriel Masinas’ collection of fan videos. Araiza has never met Masinas, but it’s a great example of how two fans brought their passion together to create something all the team’s followers can appreciate.
.A Rally Song for Those Faithful to the 49ers
