baseball's greatest hit
Reviewed by Marc Jolley, Mercer University
OCTOBER 7, 2008 archive
I have two sons, ages 17 and 8. Up until each turned six or so, I would sing the same two songs every night for their bedtime ritual: "Amazing Grace" and "Take Me Out to the Ball Game." While they still go to church, neither of them cares a thing about baseball like their dad. But they know that song.
That is the way it is with many folks, I assume. The song "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" is marked indelibly in the minds of millions of people who live in the United States, and, I suspect, elsewhere. What is it about that song that makes us want to sing about popcorn and crackerjacks, about the crowd and, of all things, striking out?
When Jack Norworth and Albert von Tilzer wrote words and music for this immortal beloved song in 1908, they had no idea how popular it would become. No musician ever does (with the exception of Beethoven who had an inkling about his own). But when Norworth wrote the song for his love Nora Bayes, it was a song that would impact American culture. The song became a hit.
Now, 100 years later we celebrate the centennial of the song. At this year's All-Star game in New York at Yankee Stadium, the song was to be featured, but it was not on national television. Still, commercials and websites challenged people to come up with original ideas on how to record the song.
Another way of remembering the song is this book, a labor of love and devotion, by Strasberg, Thompson, and Wiles. Baseball's Greatest Hit: The Story of Take Me Out to the Ball Game is a remarkable and beautiful book. With a foreword by Carly Simon and an introduction by Bud Selig, the book is complete with hundreds of photographs, amusing and impressive anecdotes, and a history of baseball by way of a song. The song is the third most popular song sung in America after "Happy Birthday," and the "Star-Spangled Banner."
So, how did a song written in 1908 become such a hit? That is the story this book tells. It found its first home, not in the ballparks but in slide shows in theatres where audiences sang along. The fact that Norworth had never been to a game did not stop the popularity of the song. Who cares about the author's experience when the song matched their own? The popularity is not just with the baseball crowd, either. The song has been recorded by more than 400 musicians and singers.
Finally, this book contains that singular most important item: a CD containing 16 different recordings. Artists range from Fred Lambert and Leroy Holmes to Dr. John and Bruce Springsteen. Perhaps the most popular rendition is by the late Harry Caray, the last track on the CD.
What is wrong with this book? Nothing. It is fun, entertaining and beautiful. It is a wonderful tribute to a song that brings us a smile every time we sing it. Even if it is about striking out, we seem not to care. Just to be singing this song at a ball game is all we want to do. It brings us a smile and relief from the day. It makes us remember every game we've ever been to, every time our father played catch with us. It may even remind us of every time our father sang it to us at bedtime.
Andy Strasberg, Bob Thompson, Tim Wiles, Baseball's Greatest Hit: The Story of Take Me Out to the Ball Game. New York: Hal Leonard, 2008. 210 pages, illustrated, music cd.
Copyright © 2008 by Marc Jolley.