Here we are in first few weeks of the baseball season—alas, with our beloved Red Sox off to a slooooooooow start. But, anyway, it’s altogether fitting and proper to check out that iconic old musical chestnut from 1908, “Take Me Out to the Ball Game.” Most of us only know the chorus but, surprisingly the two verses put a bit of a feminine twist to the whole thing. For our first pitch, here’s a version from Ken Burns’ “Baseball” PBS series to get us into the mood. Have your beers and hot dogs ready!
Backing up a bit, our song was written by vaudeville star Jack Norworth (1879-1959) . . .
and Tin Pan Alley composer Albert Von Tilzer (1878-1956)
These men wrote and published hundreds of songs from that era. However, it’s interesting to note that while this song has become the unofficial anthem of American baseball, neither of its authors had attended a baseball game prior to writing the song! Go figure.
There are a lot of baseball songs out there from that era but our song is the grand-daddy—or more accurately, as we shall see—the grand-momma of them all.
The backstory goes that, while riding a New York subway train, Norworth was inspired by a sign that said “Base Ball Today—Polo Grounds.” He quickly wrote the lyrics about a “girl named Katie” whose boyfriend asks her out to see a vaudeville show. She accepts the date but, being “baseball mad,” will agree only if he will take her out to “the ball game.” The words were then sent to music by Tilzer and the rest is baseball, and musical, history. While performed by many singers and bands of the era, it wasn’t played at a ballpark until 1934, at a California high school game. Later that year, however, it was played during the 1934 World Series.
Click or tap on the triangle in the next image for the song with all its verses. Time for another hot dog!
“Take Me Out to the Ball Game” was selected by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Recording Industry Association of America as number eight of the top “Songs of the Century” as being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.”
If you are a Chicago Cubs fan, the best interpretation of our song is by their late, great ballpark announcer Harry Caray who sang it at the seventh inning of every home game. Click or tap on the triangle in the next image for a look and listen while munching on a “Chicago” hot dog.
Norworth’s original lyrics, written on an envelope and complete with annotations, are on display at the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York—a rare “working document.”
The song shows up in the movies:
Click or tap on the triangle in the next image for a look and listen. How many hot dogs can you eat? Buuuurp . . .
Since the 111-year-old song has been in the public domain for decades now, hundreds of recordings have been made in a WIDE variety of interpretations. Needless to say, there are a couple of hundred on YouTube to pick from. Click or tap on the triangles in the next images if you have the time and inclination. Hey beer man, send a couple of ice colds our way!
And, of course!
Oh yes, for the uninitiated this is what a “Chicago” hot dog is all about!
STAY TUNED! And, where’s the beer man?
NOHOBANJO OF NORTHAMPTON, AND NOW EASTHAMPTON, "MUSICAL MUSINGS" 
Bruce,
Enjoyed this weeks musings as usual. Put in my bid tomorrow for an up-tempo number. Hope I can make it in another week, but at the rate this thing is going, there are no guarantees.
Bill
LikeLike