The Olympian Impact of A Bugler’s Dream

August 18th, 2024

In the summer of 1968, ABC Sports introduced a stunning musical lead-in to its coverage of the Olympic Games in Mexico City. The fanfare instantly became known by a popular name: The Olympic Theme. For kids my age, it became the iconic theme to punctuate any Olympian moment – on the playing field or in any field.

When I entered college four years later, I found that the student radio station at Notre Dame, WSND-FM, produced a program of Broadway show music – and the production team had adopted The Olympic Theme to introduce each broadcast. I learned the actual name of the fanfare: “Bugler’s Dream” by Leo Arnaud on the Felix Slatkin album “Charge!”  Although the Olympic Theme fanfare had absolutely nothing in common with Broadway show tunes, it did have a distinct, show-stopping quality.

After graduation, I was commissioned as a naval officer and reported to a sea assignment aboard the destroyer USS Arthur W. Radford (DD-968). Wardroom discussion turned to the appropriate music the ship should use as its “breakaway music” during underway replenishment operations (UNREPS)– refueling at sea.

Andy Schilling as a lieutenant (junior grade) aboard the USS Arthur W. Radford.

US Navy custom has it that playing music topside during an UNREP is important for crew morale – and to show off a ship’s seamanship, pride, and a bit of flair. In particular, the high point of the UNREP operation is when the refueling ship tops off, disconnects the fuel probe and “breaks away” at top speed from the side of the fleet oiler, blasting its own “breakaway music.”

Ships in the fleet typically chose rock music such as “Ramblin’ Man”; others played the William Tell Overture as they pulled away.

I suggested that Radford adopt The Olympic Theme as our breakaway music, and pulled out a reel-to-reel copy of Bugler’s Dream that I’d made during my time at WSND-FM. The wardroom liked it, and most importantly, the Commanding Officer approved it, and so at our next refueling we were ready with The Olympic Theme cued up for the breakaway.

The breakaway on a new gas-turbine ship like the Radford was an exciting event. As the fuel probe slid back over to the oiler and sailors let go the lines, the ship would sound a long blast on its whistle before powering up to full speed. Unlike steam-driven ships that slowly built up a head of steam, acceleration on the Radford was instantaneous.

The four main propulsion gas turbines – the same engines that powered the DC10 – wound up to a high pitched scream, and the ship shuddered as the propellers dug in at full RPM to accelerate the ship to 30+ knots. When The Olympic Theme blasted topside, the reaction of the sailors on both ships was electric: they cheered, high-fived and punched the air with their fists.

It was a dramatic showstopper that gained the ship a reputation as one of the best in the fleet – and thus The Olympic Theme became Radford’s breakaway music for the rest of her time in commission.

Sadly, the Radford is no longer with us. In 2011, she was stricken from the Navy rolls and designated for scuttling off the New Jersey coast as an underwater destination for marine life and divers.

We former crew members of the Radford received an invitation to board a ferry and witness the scuttling, but I declined, preferring to remember the Radford as a proud warship rather than a stripped-down hulk slipping beneath the waves.

My last memory of the ship is in its prime, coming up to full speed as it heads out to sea from Chesapeake Bay.

And just as sadly, “Bugler’s Dream” is no longer the Olympic theme preferred by NBC Sports.

While I caught an occasional brief reference to the opening notes of Arnaud’s fanfare, NBC adopted the “Olympic Fanfare” of John Williams for its Paris Olympic broadcasts. Still, the Preservation Hall Jazz Band did their part in preserving the Olympic tradition, performing their own jazzy rendition of the original Arnaud Bugler’s Dream.

At KVNO, we featured the whole story of Leo Arnaud’s memorable composition on a Composers Datebook segment that aired last year on July 24, Arnaud’s birthday.

Best of all, listen to the original composition of “Bugler’s Dream” from the “Charge!” album; you can hear the track used by ABC in 1968 here starting at 1:51.

Enjoy it as you recall the great Olympian moments of the past: in Paris, on the radio, and aboard our ships at sea.