WASHINGTON — The Washington Commanders may have found their new anthem and it was all by accident. Army veteran and D.C. native Woodrow Sellers, also known as DJ Oh Goody, and his nephew, Wayne Sellers, aka Big57, decided to record a Washington Commanders theme song. "When I was doing the hook, I got stuck" said Woodrow Sellers. "So I said, left hand up! Who are we? The Commanders!" And that's when the song titled 'Commanders Song' was born.
As the Commanders were on a 3-game winning streak, defeating the Chicago Bears, Green Bay Packers, and Indianapolis Colts, the phrase "Left hand up! Who are we? The Commanders!" stuck in the heads of Commanders fans. Washington football fans began to tweet "Left Hand Up" on Twitter, posting photos of themselves in Commanders' gear with their left hand raised and videos of fans singing the song. Some fans even created t-shirts with stick figures holding up their left hand in support. Even former Washington quarterback, Robert Griffin III, posted the phrase. "It's been overwhelming. I received messages from people I haven't seen in years" said Wayne.
The official video of the Commanders song has been streamed almost 2-million times on several digital platforms. The song even caught the attention of the Washington Commanders franchise. "It was surreal" said Wayne. The team even played the 'Commanders song' during the Commanders home game against the Minnesota Vikings at FedEx Field on November 6th. "I had keep putting the game on pause because people kept reaching out to me, telling me they [Commanders] are playing my song" said Woodrow Sellers. "I had to turn my phone off because I wanted to watch the game."
When the Washington Wizards, DC NBA team, showed members of the Commanders on the jumbotron during their November 4th game against the Philadelphia 76ers, the 'Commanders Song' was played. "We've seen pictures of Wizards fans with their left hand up saying, we are the Wizards."
DJ Oh Goody has been DJing in the Washington D.C. area for 35 years and Big57 has been making music for almost five years. "It's segmented" said Wayne Simmons. "To be at a game and people recognize us and know all the lyrics to our song is crazy."
The Commanders sit at the bottom of the NFC East division with a 4-5 record but the phrase "Left hand up! Who are we? The Commanders" is a win for Washington fans. "I would have never thought it would be used as a rally call" said Woodrow Sellers. "It's like being at the bottom of the division doesn't matter. We are the Commanders."
So what's next? Some are looking into making a Go-go remix of the 'Commanders Song,' as Go-go music was originated by African-American musicians in the Washington, D.C. area during the mid-60s to late-70s.