HEY HO, LET'S GO!

May 05, 2009 19:36



All my rowdy friends, MNF

Sweet Caroline

Take me out to the ballgame

I don’t know how many of you are sports fans, but I surely am. Football, basketball, soccer, even a little baseball, I love it. And many franchises have used music to buffer slow times or times with no action in their sports. Some of it is even stuff I like, music snob that I am.

First of all, Warren Zevon’s obviously someone I like a lot. What some people aren’t aware of is Mr. Zevon’s propensity to write about sports. Warren wrote a fantastic song about Ray “Boom Boom” Mancini back in the day. Sure, it involved the death of another boxer, but it’s probably one of the best songs ever written about the sweet science I’ve ever heard. Might be the only one too, but whatever. However, in terms of uplifting sports tunes, Hit Somebody!(The Hockey Song) is probably top end for him. HS tells the story of a goon from Canada who ends up scoring a goal on his last night in the league. And I’ve heard tell (not a hockey fan) that some NHL teams used it at least briefly during their games…before being told by the league to stop because the song glorified violence and fighting.

Glam rock, because of the big guitar and drum sounds, has ended up being a big hit at sporting events. Rock And Roll Part II by Gary Glitter is a seminal part of the live sports event experience. If you don’t know it, it’s the one with that big guitar riff and the dude going “HEY!” a lot. Now you know. If the point of music is to pump up the crowd, I think this one does its job quite well. Along the same lines, “We Will Rock You/We Are the Champions” works the same way. Pump up your guys, demoralize the opponent, celebrate your success. And who hasn’t sung along with it, or banged the seat next to them in time with Roger Taylor’s percussion? I rest my case. Start Me Up, by the Stones, does the same sort of thing.

Some songs, though, are inextricably linked to specific sporting events. Take me out to the ball game. No fuckin’ way you’re hearing that at a football game. There are other stanzas, by the way! Who knew??? I was shocked. But yeah. Very linked to baseball. In a similar vein, Sweet Caroline by Neil Diamond has been hijacked by the Red Sox. I am, by inclination and nature, a Met fan, but this shit still annoys me. But we are talking about sports and music, and you can’t annoy….erm, ignore this recent development. Lastly, and I grew up on this shit, how about All My Rowdy Friends by Hank Jr? If it doesn’t make you think of Monday night Football, you did not grow up watching it. It’s only a shame that neither Frank (Gifford) nor Dan (Dierdorf) of Al, Frank, and Dan are still doing the broadcast. But man…I used to get really excited to watch football because of this song! And isn’t that what it’s for?

As time has gone by, songs have been added to the sporting music repertoire. Take the Ramones. Blitzkrieg Bop has become ever present at sports. Again, repetitive percussion and riffing, singable, and shoutable. Perfect recipe for a perfect sports song. It gets extra points at Shea because the boys were from Queens, dontcha know. Seriously though-can you picture a game without this song ringing in your ears?

Sports music should be thematic. It should reflect the action on the field (Give it Away by the Chili Peppers for a turnover, Na Na Na Na Hey Hey Hey (Kiss Him Goodbye) for the end of a game, I could go on…). It should pump up the crowd (Queen!). And it should be fun. If it’s not fun, dispense with it. And last but not least: DOO DOO DOO DOO, DOO DOO! CHARGE!

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