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January 28, 2021
THE MUSIC OF BASEBALL
Just recently I [Bill Gutman] wrote a blog about Take Me Out to the Ballgame, calling it the National Anthem of baseball. It still is. When you see a list of songs about baseball, Take Me Out.… is always listed as number one. But it certainly isn’t a one and only. Some top performers and well known big bands have also recorded special songs about our game. I thought I would do something a little different this time and give you the opportunity to listen to four of these baseball songs about players we all know. So take a listen, see what you think and enjoy. And feel free to leave a comment at the bottom of the blog page.
The first selection – and I feel like a disc jockey here – is TALKIN’ BASEBALL, written by Terry Cashman. It’s also sometimes called “Willie, Mickey and the Duke,” which will give you a clue to the subject matter – baseball names. It was written in 1981 and is performed by the composer. So take a listen and look at the images. The song has been called a tribute to the 1950s, but I’m sure you’ll know all of those pictured. Enjoy. TALKIN’ BASEBALL
This next one may come as a bit of a surprise. Not the subject of the song, but the performers. The title is DID YOU SEE JACKIE ROBINSON HIT THAT BALL. No surprise there. A pioneer and icon like Jackie Robinson should be the subject of song. It was written by Woodrow “Buddy” Johnson and this version was recorded in 1949 by the great Count Basie Orchestra, which makes it a jazz rendition with some fine solos. Enjoy. DID YOU SEE JACKIE ROBINSON HIT THAT BALL
Moving on, we have another song about an icon. JOLTIN’ JOE DiMAGGIO. The song was written back in 1941 by Alan Courtney and Ben Homer as a tribute to the Yankee Clipper’s record breaking 56-game hitting streak. It is performed by another big band of the day, Les Brown and his Orchestra, often referred to as Les Brown and His Band of Renown. The female singer is Betty Bonney. Enjoy the music and the images. JOLTIN’ JOE DiMAGGIO
Our last selection in today’s Music of Baseball is a unique one. Again it’s about a baseball icon, only this time the icon actually appears on the record with popular songstress Teresa Brewer. The song is I LOVE MICKEY and was written by Bill Katz, Ruth Roberts and Teresa Brewer. It was written and recorded in 1956 as a tribute to the Mick’s triple crown season, in which he batted .353, with 52 home runs and 130 runs batted in. No, Mickey doesn’t actually sing on the record. That’s left up to Ms. Brewer. But he’s there and you’ll hear him. This one’s fun. I LOVE MICKEY
That does it for this edition of The Music of Baseball. This is all great stuff for the baseball fan and we hope you enjoy it. And it shows you that even the world of music and some pretty big names love paying homage to the national pastime.
