It is a custom of mine to always check the Major League Baseball schedule whenever I have an out of town business trip during baseball season. So when the 2010 schedule was released last November I made a quick check to see if Merrill’s beloved Red Sox were going to be in town during June’s Marketing Research Association’s Annual Conference. Well sure enough they were coming home the last day of the conference to play the Phillies. Thanks to my good friend JM, I was able to get two tickets for Friday night’s game and took my friend GB. GB is a big baseball fan, but this was her first visit to Fenway Park. We got there early enough to walk around Fenway twice, soaking up the pre-game buzz, sample some of the local Italian sausages and spent time in Twin 47. The game was over by the 2nd inning as the Red Sox clobbered Jamie Moyer with 9 runs, but we still had a great time enjoying the views and listening to the crowds carry on with their hard “R’s”.
Then came the middle of the 8th and I realized I had not mentioned anything to GB about Boston and “Sweet Caroline”. For those of you who do not know, at every Red Sox home game, Neil Diamond’s classic Sweet Caroline is played on the ballpark’s PA system before the bottom of the 8th inning and all the loyal Red Sox fans engage in one of the most fascinating sing-alongs known to mankind. Sensing something special, GB whipped out her camera and recorded most of the audio for her family back home.
This incidence got me thinking of the different ways music and sports are connected. As many regular readers of this blog know I have a passion for both.
At first I thought of those classic team fight songs such as “The Notre Dame Victory March” or University of Oklahoma’s “Boomer Sooner”.
Then there are walk out or entrance songs like “Enter Sandman” by Metallica which is played as Yankee ace reliever Mariano Rivera heads out to the mound or Richard Strauss’ Also Sprach Zarathustra (theme from “2001: A Space Odyssey”) which many athletes, like pro wrestler Ric Flair, have adopted as their entrance music.
And of course there are songs about the athletes themselves such as Simon and Garfunkel’s “Mrs Robinson” with its classic line “Where have you gone Joe DiMaggio?”, Bob Dylan’s ballad “Hurricane” or The Marroons “Lester Hayes”
I gave this some thought and came up with my three favorite sport related songs.
“Ole Ola” by Rod Stewart. Now you have to be a very big fan of “Rod the Mod” or lived in Scotland during the late 1970′s to know of this song. Though he was born in England, Rod Stewart has been one of Scotland’s biggest supporters. In 1978 before the Scots made their run for the World Cup, the shaggy–haired one released this gem. Definitely up there with his classics “Mandolin Wind”, “Maggie May” and “Gasoline Alley” in my book. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I4bqACNrVqs
“D-O-D-G-E-R-S Song (Oh, Really? No, O’Malley)” by Danny Kaye. Pure genius is all I can say. This whimsical song captures Kaye’s love of the Dodgers, details the classic Koufax/Drysdale Dodger teams of the 60′s and their epic battles with their dreaded rivals from San Francisco. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7qYcyUjDPU
“You’ll Never Walk Alone” started out as a show tune from the 1945 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical, Carousel. In England, the song’s most successful performance was recorded in 1963 by the Liverpool natives Gerry & The Pacemakers. It quickly became the anthem of Liverpool Football Club and is invariably sung by its supporters moments before the start of each game. In fact, the words “You’ll Never Walk Alone” are included in the club’s crest! I have not attended a game at Liverpool’s home, Anfield, but in 1981 I did see them play in Brighton and was just floored as their fans sang this song in unison without any formal direction. Click here and see for yourself. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1I_crD6Oqsw
So now it is your turn.
Do you have a favorite song associated with sports or athletes?
Are you a fan of:
- The Chicago Bears “Super Bowl Shuffle”
- “Eye of the Tiger” from Rocky III
- “Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye”
- “Rock and Roll parts 1 & 2″ by Gary Glitter
Do you have an old college fight song that touches your soul?
Or have a heavy metal favorite that is played as your favorite player enters the game?
I look forward to hearing what is on your hit parade.
Amber Leila Esco says:
Well, it may not be music per se….but as football season rolls around, nothing warms my heart like sitting in the Lincoln Financial Field with50k plus singing the Eagles Fight Song
At the first pre-season game of the year – against Jacksonville, they welcomed the home team by play “What’s up Pussycat” while they introduced the players…get it, Jaguars…cats…LOL it made me smile.
Also a huge fan of Thunderstruck by AC/DC for any football game. I feel that music and football go together better than in baseball or basketball….and also go well with hockey – something about the contact…
Lisa Lockwood says:
“We are the Champions” and “We Will Rock You” by Queen are the two that immediately come to my mind. I remember many sporting events where the bleachers were in danger of collapsing from the stomping of thousands of feet in time with the music.
Michael Braunberg says:
John Fogerty’s Centerfield, Hail To the Redskins, The National Anthem because it is ubiquitous at sporting events and always an adventure ranging from the hair-curling to the extraordinary.
When the home team loses and the stands empty out, a stanza from Neil Young’s For The Turnstiles sometimes comes to mind:
All the bushleague batters
Are left to die
on the diamond.
In the stands
the home crowd scatters
For the turnstiles,
For the turnstiles,
For the turnstiles.
Bob Graham says:
Ah, Sweet Caroline. At my daughter’s wedding in Long Island last July, my wedding banquet speech morphed into a well planned Fenway-style version of SC. I was joined by my other daughter, my brother, a good friend and my niece who is actually a Mets fan but wanted to join in when she realized what we were doing. The band started playing along as well. I tried to get the groom to join in, but there were all of these cries of “Don’t sing it!” coming from the crowd. LOL.
Later that evening, the band reprised “Sweet Caroline” and then played “New York, New York” for the Yankee fans.
A few from the soccer world:
“Flower of Scotland” by the Corries is the adopted song of the Scottish National Football Team. As in Sweet Caroline, there is some impromptu shouting during the song: after the line “And stood against them” supporters shout “That’s Right!”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kiixc4GFBVo&feature=related
Tina Turner’s “Simply the Best” is the song of the Glasgow Rangers FC, the greatest fitba’ club in the world (Ed, be sure you know the words when we make our trip in 2012).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XmvBVcF1M60&feature=related
On the other side of Glasgow, the anthem is Paddy Reilly’s “The Fields of Athenry”, which the Dropkick Murphys sometimes play at Sox games:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XRbJxtrH-sc
And finally, there’s “Maroon and White” by the Saw Doctors, the anthem of Galway FC. Maroon and White are also the colors of my beloved UMASS. I brought the song to the attention of the women’s soccer coach, who played it for the team, but it never caught on. Still a great song, though.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z1SIL7hC5iU
Teri Bialosky says:
Ed, great job on the article! I actually am a fan of Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin” that the Dodgers have adopted for their 8th inning interlude (especially with the guy that lip-syncs they always show on the screen). Of course, it’s almost impossible to actually believe in the boys in blue these days in light of their horrible owners …
Kathy Rothfusz says:
Merrill – I have to say I am ENORMOUSLY PROUD of you for having the courage to cite the University of Oklahoma’s “Boomer Sooner” while sitting in the … dare I say it … NEST of Texas Longhorns. I bleed Crimson, and I sang my babies to sleep to the tune of “Boomer Sooner” and “Oklahoma”. I can only imagine the nightmares they’d have had as children had I been forced to sing “The Eyes of Texas are Upon You” (how frightening is that for a child to hear right before he drifts off to sleep?). So thank you … you have covered it for me. I have nothing more to add.
Except …. BOOMER SOONER!!
Kathy Rothfusz says:
Oh sorry — ED, you have my complete respect. (I sort of missed that “guest writer” thing … ya know, having to read fast to get back to work!)
Jeff Adler says:
How is this for a connection between sports and music — the Dallas Cowboys exist because of Hail to the Redskins!
According to Wikipedia, Hail to the Redskins is the second oldest fight song for a professional American football team; the oldest fight song is “Go! You Packers! Go!”, composed in 1931.
In 1937, Redskins team owner George Preston Marshall moved the Redskins from Boston, MA to Washington, DC. With this move and the introduction of his team to the Nation’s Capitol, Marshall commissioned a 110 member band to provide the new fans with the “pomp and circumstance” and “pageantry” of a public victory parade. Marshall stated that he wanted to his team and their games to emulate the spectacle of the Roman Gladiators at the Coliseum. He outfitted the band with $25,000 worth of uniforms and instruments and asked the band leader, Barnee Breeskin, to compose a fight song worthy of such a team of gladiators and warriors. Breeskin composed the music, and the original lyrics were penned by Marshall’s wife, Corinne Griffith. So, this song was not the fight song of the original Boston Redskins team; it was, in fact, written for what Marshall saw as his new Redskins team. Hail to the Redskins was written and introduced in 1938, the year after the Boston Redskins made their transfer to Washington, DC.
When the NFL began considering Texas as the state to host a proposed expansion team, the move was strongly opposed by the Redskins owner, who had enjoyed a monopoly in the South for three decades. Potential owner Clint Murchison, who was trying to bring the NFL to Dallas, bought the rights to “Hail to the Redskins” from a disgruntled Breeskin and threatened to prevent Marshall from playing it at games. Marshall agreed to back Murchison’s bid, Murchison gave him back the rights to the song, and the Dallas Cowboys were born.
Bob Graham says:
Great story, Jeff!
Michael Braunberg says:
I remember going to Redskin games back in the day at RFK.
“Hail to the Redskins” was always greeted with great enthusiasm by the fans who would sing the first stanza with gusto, then degenerate into a mass mumble for the second stanza because the majority had no idea what the words were. But they would rally back to form for the third stanza, which was a repeat of the familiar first, and everything would end splendidly with raucous applause, back-slapping and cheers.
Al Gonzalez says:
“…the fans who would sing the first stanza with gusto, then degenerate into mass mumble for the second stanza because the majority had no idea what the words were.”
A HAHAHAHAHAHAHA !!!!!
Michael Braunberg says:
Well, you could hardly blame the fans:
Run or pass and score
We want a lot more
Beat ‘em, swamp ‘em, touchdown
Let the points soar
Fight on, fight on
‘Till you have won
Sons of Washington!
Rah! Rah! Rah!
I mean, that is not going to stick in the average head like, say, “Take me out to the ball game, take me out to the crowd…”
.
Bill Priest says:
It’s hard to beat “Who Let the Dog’s Out?” at a University of Georgia football game.
Randy Carson says:
Its hard to go to any sporting event without at some point hearing
Rock and Roll Part 2 by Gary Glitter….probably more well known as the HEY song. Since the great chant “Here we go Steelers, here we go” isn’t really a song, I suggest everyone find a version of Talkin’ Baseball, an early 80′s classic, also called “Willie, Mickey and the Duke”. What a great tribute to the national pastime..There were even versions tailored to every team. Of course, it is a bit outdated now, but it still holds a place on my IPod!
Amy Shields says:
Ed – here are a couple of my favorites:
“Jump” by Van Halen (for basketball, of course). Have to admit I had David Lee Roth posters all over my room in high school, so when this song is played (typically during a….jumpshot), it makes me happy.
Good for any contact sport….”Welcome to the jungle” by Guns & Roses.
Tie Game? Let’s hear a little, “The Final Countdown” by Europe, please!
In terms of baseball, which as you well know, Ed, I love: I have to say I’ve enjoyed the increased use of “God Bless America” since 9/11 (what is, after all, more American than baseball), but I also like that the Kansas City Royals play “Friends in Low Places”! So funny to me.
Steve Gentile says:
The Yankees have SInatra singing “New York, New York” and no matter how exhausted you may be, that song in that stadium by that artist in that city just leaves you feeling “Life doesn’t get much better than this” especially after a great game, win or lose.
Thanks Ed. Hearing that always takes me back in time and then forward to the present, as a lifelong Yankees fan.
Al Gonzalez says:
“…the fans who would sing the first stanza with gusto, then degenerate into mass mumble for the second stanza because the majority had no idea what the words were.”
A HAHAHAHAHAHAHA !!!!!
Mark Greene says:
1. The music video of Paul Simon’s “Me & Julio Down by the Schoolyard” featuring Mickey Mantle, Spud Webb and John Madden. (I can’t find it ANYWHERE on the Web.)
2. The “Carolina Fight Song.” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6DHSqhJcCA
3. Various movie theme songs (e.g., Chariots of Fire, Rocky).
John Hatch says:
Here’s a link to “vodpod” that contains the great video of Paul Simon’s “Me and Julio Down By The Schoolyard. Please don’t be put off by the intro from Biz Markie and Big Daddy Kane. Stay tuned for some great double-dutch rope jumping, Mickey, Spud and Madden.
Enjoy,
Big John
http://vodpod.com/watch/358001-me-and-julio-down-by-the-schoolyard
John Hatch says:
Great blog, Dr. Sugar! And a great topic, too.
I want to thank you for including the hip-hop song, “Lester Hayes” by Lateef and The Chief from their “Maroons/Ambush” CD. I’m sure that their Tribute to “The Judge” will be the only mention that “Da Raidaz” will get on this topic from Redskins and Cowboys fans…OR haters, for that matter.
Perhaps for you hip-hop haters who think it is only about B!+(#@$, Hoes, Crackers, and Blunts this is the song that will open your mind to the fact that hip-hop is the music that has supplied the most innovation in the past thirty plus years. It remains vital to this day.
Another great hip hop song that may sway some of you sports lovers to listen attentively to a a rapper is the hip hop answer to Terry Cashman’s “Talkin’ Baseball”, “The Saga of Dandy, The Devil, and Day” by The Ultramagnetic MCs.
While Cashman’s lovely ode to the heroes of his youth quickly morphed into an ugly sell out that included versions about the heroes of nearly EVERY major league franchise, such as my “favorite”–”Talkin’ Baseball, Forever Dodger Blue” (UGH!), you can bet that Ultramag’s tribute never made it that far.
If you are offended by the liberal use of cursing in hip hop, you should be safe here. I’m pretty sure there is no cursing (well…perhaps a random F-Bomb here and there) in this tribute to the great players from the Negro Leagues. Sample lyrics from the jazzy, horn driven send up to the players not white enough to make it to the majors before Jackie:
“Now the ballparks they played in was very far from a stadium
They only sat hundreds troops as opposed to the thousands
But the stands they was packed, for the league that was fat
With teams like the Baccarats and the Homestead Grays
The Eagles and many more, came ready to play
In cities like Birmingham, Newark and Chi-Town
The bus trips were very long, paychecks would bring a frown
But not to these players, cause they really loved baseball
You could ban them from majors, but not from the game
With players like Leon Day, who pitched almost every day
His arm would hold up, blowin hitters with smoke away
And then there was Bullet Joe, also was Smokey Joe
King Richard and Savateen, and brothers like Ed Pole
Next, batter up!”
Chorus:
“Black baseball, they paved the way
With players like Dandy, The Devil, and Day”
Enough of my ranting! Sorry.
The other connection I want to make is to the “Olympic Fanfare.” Every time I hear that song, I envision the lighting of the torch by Rafer Johnson (U…C…L…A…Fight! Fight! Fight!) in LA ’84 or Muhammad Ali’s hands shaking as he lit the torch in Atlanta ’96. It sends chills down my spine every time. Those are a few of the heroes of MY youth.
Jay Stranieri says:
Ed: Beautifully written and referenced piece of writing. If I may be the one crabby spoiler in this entire thing…played in the high school and college marching bands (University of Oklahoma, Kathy Rothfusz…!) so you’ll please forgive me if I tend to cringe at the mention of any emblematic piece of music these days…won’t even sing along to “Sweet Caroline” when I regularly attend Fenway Park ! But what a delight to read and enjoy your guest commentary, Ed. Kudos !
Kathy Rothfusz says:
You were in The Pride??? What years? You probably know somebody in my family. Four of us were Pride members spanning from sometime in the 70s to when I graduated in 1988. We would have been KUHLMANs back then. Two sisters and I marched piccolo and a brother, baritone. Boomer Sooner!!!
Kathy Rothfusz says:
Unless you’re YOUNGER than us … I keep forgetting how old I am and that there’s been nearly a full generation having gone through the program since I graduated. **ugh**
Jay Stranieri says:
Oh Kathy…I was WAY before your time…’72 ! But you made my day !
Beth Shriver says:
Okay, Ed, I’ll play. “Hang on Sloopy” – the unofficial fight song of the Ohio State football team and many high school teams in Ohio too, including mine!
Ed Sugar says:
Beth -
Two weeks ago, I saw Ringo Starr’s All-Star Band. This year’s tour includes Rick Derringer who the was the lead singer of the McCoys and he did a fabulous version of “Hang on Sloopy” including a lost second verse that had been cut by the record label.
Jon Last says:
Steve already mentioned New York, New York after Yankee games (win or lose). Another NY favorite is an ad lib that Rangers’ fans still do to an organ piece, whose name I can’t recall. Suffice it to say, that kids my son’s age, who have no idea of whom they are speaking, still chant out “Potvin (creates a partial vacuum of the lips)” at the end of the riff, where fans in other cities usually say, “Let’s go.______(insert team name)”.
But my all time favorite—”Houston Oilers #1″ by Lee Offman and Gridnitz, a blatant rip off of the former Miami Dolphins fight song that was the rallying cry of the Luv ya Blue Bum Phillips teams of the mid to late 1970s. Sing it with me,…Houston Oilers. Houston Oilers. Houston Oilers #1! I still have the 45rpm.
Bobbie Kirkland says:
“Eye of the Tiger” still gets me to this day. Lot’s of fond memories of HS sports and close games and all the things we did in HS that we should never have done. Yep….those were the days….
Mark Say says:
By coincidence, yesterday evening me and the missus watched an old TV doc on Brian Epstein. I believe it was made in the 80s, but it included a clip of Liverpool FC’s Kop knocking out a couple of Merseybeat hits in the 60s. And here it is:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7jcB_v5inc
Actually, football fans (that means proper football, not that game in the States played primarily with the hands) don’t need a tannoy to wind them up. It’s part of the experience at most pro clubs that the supporters are going to get a song going at some time. It’s usually a variation on a hit record designed to praise their team or insult the opposition, although sometimes they do it just for the sake of singing.
When I was a regular at Tottenham Hotspur in the late 80s and early 90s, almost every game a big section of the crowd would work up a couple of verses of the old Betty Hutton song (oft covered) ‘What Do You Wanna Make Those Eyes At Me For?’ Haven’t got a clue why they chose it.
However, I was most impressed at the European Cup Final in London in 1992. When Barcelona scored the only goal of the match in extra time, thousands of their fans ripped into the march from Verdi’s ‘Aida’.
Bob Graham says:
I’m revisiting Ed’s topic to correct a glaring omission on my part and to pay tribute to a truly unique individual who passed unexpectedly last week.
George Parks led the University of Massachusetts Marching Band for the past 33 years. He was known for his devotion to the University and its students and his unbridled enthusiasm. He would not only lead the band from the podium, he would leap into the stadium and conduct both the band and the crowd. He was a human dynamo, always smiling, friendly and positive.
Last weekend, UMASS played Michigan in Ann Arbor and the band stayed overnight in Cuyahoga Falls, OH to give a concert. George suffered an unexpected heart attack after the performance and died that night. The band continued on to Michigan (how could they not?) and the Michigan band in a very classy act learned the UMASS fight song and played it with the UMASS band as a tribute to George.
Under George, the UMASS band became known as “The Power and Class of New England” and gained national prominence. I remember when UMASS played West Point a few years ago, the cadets went nuts and were posting all kind of accolades on UMASS bulleting boards.
After home football games, the Band would stay for what was called the “Fifth Quarter” and perform for the fans who didn’t want to sit in traffic or head back to the dorms. Every performance closed with Paul Anka’s “My Way”. The band would play it, put down their instruments, sing it with the crowd singing along and then finish with the instruments. Everybody knows how much of a Red Sox fan I am, but if there is one thing for me that trumps the Fenway/Sweet Caroline experience, it’s standing in McGurk Stadium in Amherst Massachusetts on a brisk New England autumn afternoon, singing “My Way” with the UMASS Marching Band.
Here is a clip of the band performing “My Way” at the Michigan game last week-end. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=majWPiYcmWg
RIP, George. You truly defined the Power and Class of New England.