Edited by Azizi Powell
This is Part II of a two part pancocojams series on the cheerleader cheer "Brrr It's Cold In Here".
Part II features selected text examples and videos of that children and teenagers performing versions of the "Brrr! It's Cold in here" cheer.
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2020/02/the-real-origins-of-brrr-its-cold-in.html for Part I of this series. Part I provides information about the origins of "Brrr It's Cold In Here", including information about the 2000 American cheerleader movie Bring It On.
The content of this post is presented for cultural, linguistic, and recreational purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post and all those who are featured in this embedded video. Thanks also to the publishers of these videos on YouTube.
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Most of the content of this post is re-printed from a 2012 pancocojams post. That post has no comments.
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GENERAL COMMENTS ABOUT "BRRR! IT'S COLD IN HERE"
"Brrr It's Cold In Here" is a cheerleader cheer which was popularized by its inclusion in the first film in the Bring It On cheerleader series of movies (2000). The title of that cheer and the lines "ice ice ice/ too cold too cold" were popularized earlier by the 1989 hit record "Ice Ice Baby" by the White American rapper Vanilla Ice. However, "ice ice baby" as well as the lines "ooh it's cold in here" and "ice ice ice too cold too cold" were coined by the Black Greek lettered fraternity Alpha Phi Alpha, Inc. Members of that international, but USA based fraternity still perform several step chants that include those phrases.
"Brrr" is an onomatopoeic word for the sound people make when they are shivering from cold weather. The word "bur" (and less frequently "burn") can be found as the title of some examples of this cheer. Both words are folk etymology forms of the word "brrr".
The letters "O E O E O" and the phrase "owee owee o" (or similarly spelled phrases) in the cheer "Brrr It's Cold In Here" comes from the refrain "Oh-wee-oh-wee-oh!" in the 1984 R&B record "Jungle Love" by Morris Day & The Time.
Some commenters on a Bring It On Movie viewer comment thread posted comments about the difference between the way the mostly White cheerleading squad, The Toros, and the mostly African American cheerleading squad, The Clovers pronounced that phrase. Several of those comments are found toward the end of this post.
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Here's an excerpt of an Editor's note that I wrote for a 2014 cocojams2* post entitled "The Influence Of "Bring It On" Movies On Children's Cheerleading"
From http://cocojams2.blogspot.com/2014/11/the-influence-of-bring-it-on-movies-on.html
..."Bring It On" is the title of or part of the title of five American produced teenage cheerleader movies. The first movie in that series, produced in 2000, is highly acclaimed in the teenage cheerleader movie genre... As a result of that movie, according to a 2008 Wall Street Journal article that is cited in "Bring It On"'s Wikipedia page, "Outside of the United States, American-style cheerleading is sometimes referred to as Bring It On-style cheerleading."
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Referring to cheers as being in the "Bring It On" style isn't always considered something positive. Around 2011 I read an online statement that prefaced a list of children's cheers in which an adult criticized the fact that many children's cheer squads were promoting hip shaking. That writer indicated that prior to the "Bring It On" movie, "hip shaking" wasn't even considered, let alone, allowed in children's cheerleading squads. Of course, cheerleader squads that are auxiliaries of professional football squads do a lot of hip shaking and other dance moves. And there's no doubt that the popularity of those professional cheerleader squads have influenced children's ideas and the rest of the general public's ideas of how cheerleaders are supposed to perform."...
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*cocojams2 is another blog that I voluntarily curate. That blog presents many of the examples of children's rhymes, singing games, and cheers that were presented on my no longer active cultural website cocojams.com. Cocojams2 also includes other posts on children's rhymes, singing games, and cheers (without regard to race/ethncicity) although a focus is placed on examples from African American cultures and other Black cultures around the world.
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SELECTED EXAMPLES OF "BRRR IT'S COLD IN HERE"
Posted in chronological order by year, with the earliest examples given posted first.
These examples are from the children's cheerleading page of no longer active cocojams.com website. A number of children and teens wrote examples of cheers on that easy to use comment page which didn't require an email address. Only first names of commenters were used.
Example #1
brrrrrr its cold in here,
There must be some (team name) in the atmosphere
I said brrrrrrr its cold in here,
There must be some (team name) in the atmosphere,
row me o me o ice ice ice
break it down
-Kenisha and Paige (England); 7/16/2006
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Example #2
here is a chant from the movie Bring It On (the clover's cheer) which my school has adapted:
brr (or ouch). i said it's cold (or hott) in here.
there must be some (mascots) in the atmosphere,
i said now [repeat as much as you want]
- Anna; 8/1/2007
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Example #3
this is a cheer that my team does
"i said brrr..(clap clap) its cold in here
there must be some*rebels* in the atmosphere
i said bang(stomp) bang choo choo train
common' girls lets do our thang,
were gonna rock our bodies
and win the game
so you better back it up
back it up back it up
and bump it to the right! uh huh GO TEAM!
-rebel-ekaboo; 5/24/2007
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EXAMPLES FROM YOUTUBE DISCUSSION THREADS
(Please be aware that YouTube discussion threads may include profanity and other language that is inappropriate for children.)
Example #1
http://www.youtube.com/all_comments?v=ZtxFp-wwSnw
the cheer is brrr its cold in here! there must be some______ in the atmosphere! and then there is some part in the cheer where u go oh eh oh eh oh ice ice ice! u do that three times!
-toontownfunatic; 2008
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Example #2
http://www.youtube.com/all_comments?v=ZtxFp-wwSnw
that was nothing.
I did that cheer..
it was
"Ouhh!! Its hot in here! there must be some Stars in the Atmosphhere! O-eo-eooh!. Spice,Spice,Spice!"
It was a bit invetted, but yeah,.. same thing.
-SabakuRoro; 2008
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Example #3
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_BCOFXYtFA&feature=related "Brrr... its cold in here"
I said brrr it's cold in here.
There must be tornados in the atmosphere.
I said brrr it's cold in here.
There must be tornados in the atmosphere.
-transcription from video
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Example #4
http://www.youtube.com/all_comments?v=QD-fAC5T3Qs "I said Brr, it's cold in here!" [sound file]
BRRRR! It's cold in here!!
There must a Viking in the Atmosphere!!
OhYEE! OhYEE! Ohhh!!! Vikes! Vikes! Vikes!!
Go Par Hills!!!!
Coolie61; December 2010
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SELECTED VIDEOS OF "BRRR IT'S COLD IN HERE" CHEERLEADER CHEERS
Video Example #1
Brrr It's Cold in here
Uploaded by niiksvideos on Jan 1, 2007
Alyssa Alexa & Peggy..wow
Note this comment alleges to be from one of the girls featured on the video:
hahah were tottally just joking around before a game, making fun of bring it on..
-lyssababe714; 2008
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Video Example #2
Kerynna "Bur... It's cold in here"
Uploaded by ramsandspurs2010 on May 21, 2008
Backyard
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Video Example #3
Brrr... its cold in here
Uploaded by tyfacheer on Jul 26, 2008
Brrr... its cold in here - For the TYFA Cheerleaders
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Video Example #4
bring it on
Uploaded by seroloddd on Apr 20, 2008
WHAT DID U SAY ? I saaaaaaaid BRRR! IT'S COLD IN HERE
Editor: These three females spoke English with an accent. However, there's no indication what nation they are from.
This particular video provides an opportunity to point out that the continued popularity of the Bring It On movies have greatly contributed to confrontational "in your face", stomp and shake types of cheerleader cheers and (to a lesser extent) dance & step style routines being introduced worldwide. My guess is that the reason why foot stomping cheers or the stomp and shake movements don't appear to be performed as often by non-Black and non-Latina cheerleading squads is because, in general, members of those squads have less societal familiarity with those rhythmic movements than Black and Latina females (or males) do.
The following comment is probably documentation that this movie has been watched outside of the English speaking USA:
"lol i'm watching the movie in french . the clovers made it up but the toros stole it from them .
-DeeDaangeer; 2011; http://www.youtube.com/all_comments?v=F26eQaqwBdg Bring It On 2000
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INTONATION AND DANCE STYLES IN THE PERFORMANCE OF STOMP AND SHAKE CHEERS
The Clovers' performance of "Brrr It's Cold In Here" can be considered a form of stomp and shake cheerleading. And the way The Toros performed that cheer is a less successful approximation of relatively new cheerleading style. Stomp and shake cheerleading, which originated with African Americans in the early to mid 1970s, emphasizes hip movements much more than traditional cheerleading. In addition, the ideal way cheerleaders chant a stomp and shake cheer is almost totally different than the ideal way that traditional cheers are chanted. One big difference is that stomp and shake cheerleaders rarely smile as the goal is for them to be intimidating.
Here are a few comments about the way that the majority White, suburban squad The Toros, and the majority Black, urban squad The Clovers chanted "Brrr It's Cold In Here":
From http://www.youtube.com/all_comments?v=F26eQaqwBdg "BRR IT'S COLD IN HERE 2000" [Bring It On movie]
the dance looks like hip hop dance not cheer :/ just some movements
-jessybell000; 2009
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It is a cheer its just that in urban areas we just have a little bit more dance moves and everything in our cheers. Well mostly crowd pumping cheers are more dance like and when we have to cheer its more technical and precise in movement.
-bigboib456; 2009
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I like the Clovers better the toros sound a little too prissy and the Clovers have more dance moves
-bxlaura15 ; August 2011
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I love how when the Tauros girls say O.E.O.E.O its so proper, but when the clovers do it its like they are sayin OWEE OWEE O! lol
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the toros dont have the volume and power hat the clovers do
-95snazzy; 2011
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The black girl's deeper voice suits this better
-lollsazz ; 2011
[Note that this comment had 164 likes as of 1/11/2011, which is very rare for YouTube. The comment assumes that all black girls have deep voices, which isn't true. But I wonder if "deep voices" have more authority and are considered to be more intimidating in American society because their sound is closer to that of males. Remember, cheerleaders doing stomp and shake cheers are supposed to exude confidence and are supposed to act intimidating.]
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lmao: OH EE OH EE OH!
instead of: Oheeoheeeohhh
-Egirl01; 2011
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"oo-ee-oo-ee-oo-ice-ice-ice"...LOL Torros sound do standard
-natosthan; January 2012
RELATED LINKS
Click http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bring_It_On_(film) for information on the first Bring it On movie, and information about the release dates of each of the movies in that "Bring It On" cheerleader series.
Click http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Film/BringItOn?from=Main.BringItOn for a synopsis of each of the five movies in that series, and information about specific cultural tropes including in those movies (including racist tropes).
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Also, for information about the rapper Vanilla Ice, his song "Ice Ice Baby", and the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. origin of that "ice ice baby" title/refrain, click http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ice_Ice_Baby.
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