Earlier this week, a proposal was authorized by MLB owners aiming to get Major League Baseball back up and running by the beginning of July. The motion will still need to be approved by health officials and the players’ union. Most likely, the result will be a peculiar version of the sport that won’t include spectators. However, fans are yearning for the return of live sports and watching a ball game from the comfort of your own home can be very enjoyable.
In preparation for the season, our team compiled 15 songs to get you ready for baseball. We suggest you gather your quarantine circle, grab the lawn chairs, throw a couple of hot dogs on the grill, crack open a beer and close your eyes. Turn on this playlist and you might feel like you’re at the ballgame (Spotify-curated playlist at the bottom).
1. Billy Joel – Take Me Out To The Ball Game (Live at Shea Stadium)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mDPztBOFdAw
In 2008, Joel performed a piano version of the classic tune for his live concert album from Shea Stadium in New York City. He didn’t utter a word during the performance and instead let the audience lead the charge as if you were really at a ball game.
2. Dropkick Murphys – Tessie
‘Tessie’ was originally a song from the Vaudeville era written by Will R. Anderson. The song became a chant for the ‘Royal Rooters,’ a name for Boston Red Sox fanatics of the early 20th century. In 2004, the Dropkick Murphys re-recorded the melody with modernized lyrics about the team. The release coincidentally complemented the Sox iconic victory that year. Boston hadn’t won a world series since 1918 and finally, the curse was broken.
3. Norman Greenbaum – Spirit in the Sky
‘Spirit in the Sky’ came out as a single in 1969. The track has been used in ESPN commercials and to introduce the lineup for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim at home games.
4. The Standells – Dirty Water
‘Dirty Water’ appeared as a single at the end of 1965. Producer, Ed Cobb wrote the song about college co-eds in Boston and referred to the Charles River as “that dirty water.” It was a surprising release for an LA-based band, but the track found new life 40 years later when it was adopted as an anthem for Boston sports teams. The Red Sox began playing the tune after home game victories in 1997. Before long, The Boston Celtics and The Boston Bruins jumped on the bandwagon, further cementing the song as a Boston Sports staple.
5. John Fogerty – Centerfield
‘Centerfield’ hit the scene in 1985 and quickly became a baseball classic. Fogerty, a former member of Creedence Clearwater Revival, wrote the track about his childhood memories of the sport. He mentions baseball legends, Ty Cobb, Willie Mays and Joe DiMaggio in the lyrics.
6. Bruce Springsteen – Glory Days
‘Glory Days’ was released as the fifth single off Springsteen’s 1984 albumBorn in the U.S.A.The song refers to an encounter Springsteen had with his former little league buddy Joe DePugh. He ran into DePugh at a bar; they had a few drinks and looked back on the “Glory Days.” The track is wonderfully nostalgic as its title suggests.
7. Alabama – The Cheap Seats
‘The Cheap Seats’ came out in 1993 as a single off Alabama’s fifteenth studio album of the same name. The track tells a comedic story about diehard baseball fans having the time of their lives sitting in the “cheap seats.”
8. Booker T & the M.G.’s – Green Onions
Booker T. & the M.G.’s put out ‘Green Onions’ as a single in 1962. The popular instrumental composition reemerged in 1993 when it was used in the baseball family-film The Sandlot.
9. The J. Geils Band – Whammer Jammer
‘Whammer Jammer’ hit the scene in 1971 as a track off the J. Geils Band second studio album The Morning After. The lively rock and roll track was featured in the 2005 baseball rom-com Fever Pitch.
10. Bat Boys – OK Blue Jays
‘Ok Blue Jays’ materialized as a single in 1983. The song references multiple major league baseball teams and is used during the seventh-inning stretch for the Toronto Blue Jays’ home games.
11. Terry Cashman – Talkin’ Baseball (Willie, Mickey And “the Duke”)
‘Talkin Baseball’ came to fruition in 1981 during the Major League Baseball strike. The track delves into the history of baseball, paying tribute to many players of the 1950s up through the early 80s.
12. Neil Diamond – Sweet Caroline
‘Sweet Caroline’ was released as a single in 1969. In the late 90s, the song started playing at Red Sox games as a way to pump up the crowd before the bottom of the eighth inning. Quickly it became cemented as the unofficial Boston Red Sox anthem.
13. Dropkick Murphys – I’m Shipping Up To Boston
‘I’m Shipping Up To Boston’ arrived as a single in 2006 off the Dropkick Murphys album The Warrior Code. The spirited tune is often played at sporting events for Boston’s major league teams.
14. Ry Cooder – 3rd Base, Dodger Stadium
‘3rd Base, Dodger Stadium’ showed up on Cooder’s 2005 concept album ChávezRavine. The album tells the story of the Mexican-American community that was destroyed in order to build Dodger Stadium.
15. Ray Charles – America The Beautiful
‘America The Beautiful’ is a public domain composition. Charles first recorded the patriotic song in 1972. His stunning rendition has sustained popularity in American culture since its release. Baseball is America’s game and Ray Charles singing ‘America The Beautiful’ is one of America’s songs.
