“Take Me Out to the Ball Game” is a 1908 Tin Pan Alley song by Jack Norworth and Albert Von Tilzer which has become the unofficial anthem of baseball, although neither of its authors had attended a game prior to writing the song.[1] The song is traditionally sung during the seventh-inning stretch of a baseball game. Fans are encouraged to sing along.
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History of the song
The words were written in 1908 by vaudeville star Jack Norworth, who while riding a subway train, was inspired by a sign that said “Baseball Today Polo Grounds”. In the song, Katie’s (and later Nelly’s) beau calls to ask her out to see a show. She accepts the date, but only if her date will take her out to the ballgame. The words were set to music by Albert Von Tilzer, (Norworth and Von Tilzer finally saw their first Major League Baseball games 32 and 20 years later, respectively). The song was first sung by Norworth’s then-wife Nora Bayes and popularized by many other vaudeville acts. It was played at a ballpark for the first known time in 1934, at a high-school game in Los Angeles, and researchers think it made its debut at a major-league park later that year.
Norworth wrote an alternative version of the song in 1927. (Norworth and Bayes were famous for writing and performing such smash hits as “Shine On, Harvest Moon”.)[2][3] With the sale of so many records, sheet music, and piano rolls, the song became one of the most popular hits of 1908. The Haydn Quartet singing group, led by popular tenor Harry MacDonough, recorded a successful version on Victor Records.[4]
Contrary to some sources,[citation needed] Billy Murray, although a fan of baseball in general and the New York Giants in particular, never recorded a version of the song. One of the well-known quartets, whose sessions frequently included Murray, did record the song, but without Murray, leading to some confusion in some of the record catalogues.[5] The confusion, nonetheless, is so pervasive that, when “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” was selected by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Recording Industry Association of America as one of the 365 top “Songs of the Century”, the song was credited to Billy Murray, implying his recording of it as having received the most votes among songs from the first decade.[6] The first recorded version was by Edward Meeker.
Lyrics
Below are the two versions side by side for comparison:
1908 Version
Katie Casey was baseball mad,
Had the fever and had it bad.
Just to root for the home town crew,
Ev’ry sou1
Katie blew.
On a Saturday her young beau
Called to see if she’d like to go
To see a show, but Miss Kate said “No,
I’ll tell you what you can do:”
1927 Version
Nelly Kelly loved baseball games,
Knew the players, knew all their names.
You could see her there ev’ry day,
Shout “Hurray”
When they’d play.
Her boyfriend by the name of Joe
Said, “To Coney Isle, dear, let’s go”,
Then Nelly started to fret and pout,
And to him, I heard her shout:
Take me out to the ball game,
Take me out with the crowd;
Buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jack,
I don’t care if I never get back.
Let me root, root, root for the home team,
If they don’t win, it’s a shame.
For it’s one, two, three strikes, you’re out,
At the old ball game.
Katie Casey saw all the games,
Knew the players by their first names.
Told the umpire he was wrong,
All along,
Good and strong.
When the score was just two to two,
Katie Casey knew what to do,
Just to cheer up the boys she knew,
She made the gang sing this song:
Nelly Kelly was sure some fan,
She would root just like any man,
Told the umpire he was wrong,
All along,
Good and strong.
When the score was just two to two,
Nelly Kelly knew what to do,
Just to cheer up the boys she knew,
She made the gang sing this song:
1 The term “sou”, now obscure, was at the time common slang for a low-denomination coin. Carly Simon’s version, produced for Ken Burns’ 1994 documentary Baseball, reads “Ev’ry cent / Katie spent”.
Recordings of the song
The song (or at least its chorus) has been recorded or cited countless times in the 100 years since it was written. The original music and 1908 lyrics of the song are now in the public domain in the United States (worldwide copyright remains until 70 years after the composers’ deaths), but the copyright to the revised 1927 lyrics remains in effect.[7][dead link] It has been used as an instrumental underscore or introduction to many films or skits having to do with baseball.
The first verse of the 1927 version is sung by Gene Kelly and Frank Sinatra at the start of the MGM musical film, Take Me Out to the Ball Game (1949), a movie that also features a song about the famous and fictitious double play combination, O’Brien to Ryan to Goldberg.
In the mid-1990s, a Major League Baseball ad campaign featured versions of the song performed by musicians of several different genres. An alternative rock version by the Goo Goo Dolls was also recorded.[8] Stories about the song
In 1988, for the 80th anniversary of the song and the 100th anniversary of the poem Casey at the Bat, Sports Illustrated writer Frank Deford constructed a fanciful story (later expanded to book form) which posited Katie Casey as being the daughter of the famous slugger from the poem.
In 2006, Jim Burke authored and illustrated a children’s book version of “Take Me Out To The Ballgame”.
In 2008, Andy Strasberg, Bob Thompson[disambiguation needed] and Tim Wiles (from the Baseball Hall of Fame) wrote a comprehensive book on the history of the song, Baseball’s Greatest Hit: The Story of ‘Take Me Out to the Ball Game’. The book, published by Hal Leonard Books, included a CD with 16 different recordings of the song from various points in time, ranging from a 1908 recording by Fred Lambert, to a seventh-inning-stretch recording by Harry Caray.
References
Notes
1. ^ “Take Me Out to the Ball Game”. Performing Arts Encyclopedia. Library of Congress. http://lcweb2.loc.gov/diglib/ihas/loc.natlib.ihas.200153239/default.html. Retrieved 2008-07-17.
2. ^ “Jack Norworth & Take Me Out to the Ball Game”. Laguna Beach Historical Society. Archived from the original on February 4, 2008. http://web.archive.org/web/20080204072809/ http://www.lagunahistory.org/html/norworth.html. Retrieved 2008-07-17.
3. ^ “Nora Bayes and Jack Norworth: Together and Alone”. Archeophone Records. http://www.archeophone.com/product_info.php?products_id=55. Retrieved 2008-07-17.
4. ^ Newman, Mark. “Take Me Out to the Ball Game: Song History”. Major League Baseball. http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/fan_forum/babyruth/index.jsp?content=history. Retrieved 2008-07-17.
5. ^ Druckenbrod, Andrew (23 June 2008). “Name this tune: You sing ‘Take Me Out,’ it’s 100 years old”. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08175/891968-63.stm. Retrieved 2008-07-17.
6. ^ Big Bands Database Plus (row for 1908).
7. ^ Thomas, David (July 4, 2008). “Happy 100th Anniversary, ‘Take Me Out to the Ball Game'”. Fort Worth Star-Telegram. http://www.star-telegram.com/300/story/741065.html. Retrieved 2008-09-05.
8. ^ Diamond Ditty turns 100 – The Oregonian Extra – OregonLive.com
Lyrics
* Original lyric, sung by Edward Meeker, recorded in 1908 on a phonograph cylinder
* Lyrics to 1927 version
Recordings
* Take me out to the ball game
External links
* Baseball Hall of Fame: “‘Take Me Out’ Celebrates 100th Birthday”
* Take Me Out to the Ball Game: A Centennial Tribute
Edward M. “Eddie” Layton (October 10, 1925 December 26, 2004) played the organ at old Yankee Stadium for 31 seasons, earning him membership in the New York Sports Hall of Fame.
Contents
* 1 Career
* 2 Controversy
* 3 References
* 4 External links
Career
Layton was a native of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He graduated from the West Chester State Teachers College majoring in meteorology with a minor in music. He began playing the organ when he was twelve years old. While serving in the United States Navy during World War II, he learned to play the Hammond organ. After the war, he began a career as a professional organist writing scores for soap operas on CBS.
He joined the New York Yankees franchise in 1967 when team president Mike Burke inaugurated organ music at the stadium. When he was hired, he had never been to the stadium and knew nothing about baseball, but quickly learned the ropes. He went on to play for the Yankees for over 3 decades, with a break from 1971-1977 while he pursued other musical commitments. When he retired on September 28, 2003, his last performance was to play “Take Me Out to the Ball Game”, with fans chanting “Eddie! Eddie!”.
In addition to playing for the Yankees, he was the organist for the New York Knicks and the New York Rangers for 18 years. This made him the answer to a popular trivia question among New York sports fans: “Q: Who was the only person to play for the Yankees, Knicks, and Rangers? A: Eddie Layton.” He also performed concerts in more than 200 cities for the Hammond Organ company and released 26 albums, selling over 3 million copies. In addition, Layton played the organ at Radio City Music Hall for Pace University commencements held there. The student union at Pace University’s New York City campus was named in his honor.
He died at age 79 at his home in Queens, New York, following a brief illness.
Controversy
One item that Layton took credit for was being the first to come up with the idea of playing charge calls at a baseball game in 1971.[1] However, Michael Silverbush claims to have made the innovation eight years prior. Silverbush brought his trumpet to Shea Stadium, Yankee Stadium and Polo Grounds stadium games from 1963-1972.
Ken Burns’ 1994 Baseball, a documentary, contained some video-graphic evidence buttressing Silverbush’s claim. During the sequence on the new New York Mets fans in the film’s 8th installment, Silverbush can briefly be seen playing a trumpet at the Shea Stadium in 1969.
