Open main menu
Home
Random
Recent changes
Special pages
Community portal
Preferences
About Wikipedia
Disclaimers
Incubator escapee wiki
Search
User menu
Talk
Dark mode
Contributions
Create account
Log in
Editing
Take Me Out to the Ball Game
Warning:
You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you
log in
or
create an account
, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.
Anti-spam check. Do
not
fill this in!
{{Short description|Song by Albert von Tilzer}} {{Other uses}} {{Use mdy dates|date=January 2025}} {{Infobox song | name = Take Me Out to the Ball Game | cover = 3077 take me out to the ball game LOC.jpg | alt = | type = | artist = | album = | language = English | published = 1908 by [[Albert Von Tilzer|York Music]] | format = | recorded = | studio = | venue = | genre = [[Waltz]] | length = | label = | composer = [[Albert Von Tilzer]] | lyricist = [[Jack Norworth]] | producer = | misc = {{Audio sample | type = song | header = Audio | file = MeekerBallGame.ogg | description = This, the original version of the song, was sung by Edward Meeker in 1908, and is one of the first ever recordings of the song. }}{{Audio sample | type = song | header = no | file = Ballgame_organ_09_0512_altiverb_antwerp_stadium.ogg | description = Typical modern ball park instrumental version performed by Kaila Rochelle on a Roland GR-09 organ with a Roland RD-700 keyboard midi controller. The performance is of the chorus. }} }} "'''Take Me Out to the Ball Game'''" is a 1908 [[waltz]] song by [[Jack Norworth]] and [[Albert Von Tilzer]] which has become the unofficial anthem of North American [[baseball]], although neither of its authors had attended a game before writing the song.<ref name=LOC>{{cite encyclopedia | url=http://lcweb2.loc.gov/diglib/ihas/loc.natlib.ihas.200153239/default.html | title=Take Me Out to the Ball Game | encyclopedia=Performing Arts Encyclopedia | publisher=[[Library of Congress]] | accessdate=July 17, 2008 }}</ref> The song's chorus is traditionally sung as part of the [[seventh-inning stretch]] of a baseball game. Fans are generally encouraged to sing along, and at many ballparks, the words "home team" are replaced with the team name. "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" is one of the three-most recognizable songs in the US, along with "[[The Star-Spangled Banner]]" and "[[Happy Birthday to You|Happy Birthday]]."<ref>{{Cite book |last=Robert |first=Thompson |title=Baseball's Greatest Hit: The Story of "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" |publisher=Hal Leonard |year=2008 |isbn=9781458471291}}</ref> However, most people are only familiar with the chorus.<ref>{{cite web |title=Take Who Out to the Ball Game? |url=https://www.si.edu/sidedoor/ep-10-take-who-out-ball-game |website=Smithsonian Institution |access-date=June 18, 2024 |language=en}}</ref> ==History== [[Jack Norworth]], while riding a [[New York City Subway|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 baseball game. 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]]; it was played later that year during the fourth game of the [[1934 World Series]].<ref>{{cite book|last1=Thompson|first1=Robert|title=Baseball's Greatest Hit: The Story of "Take Me Out to the Ball Game"|date=2008|publisher=Hal Leonard Corporation|page=63}}</ref> 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]]".)<ref name=LBHS>{{cite web | url=http://www.lagunahistory.org/html/norworth.html | publisher=Laguna Beach Historical Society | accessdate=July 17, 2008 | title=Jack Norworth & Take Me Out to the Ball Game |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20080204072809/http://www.lagunahistory.org/html/norworth.html |archivedate = February 4, 2008}}</ref><ref name=Archeo>{{cite web | url=http://www.archeophone.com/product_info.php?products_id=55 | publisher=Archeophone Records | accessdate=July 17, 2008 | title=Nora Bayes and Jack Norworth: Together and Alone | archive-date=September 18, 2008 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080918192606/http://www.archeophone.com/product_info.php?products_id=55 | url-status=dead }}</ref> 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]] [[Barbershop music|singing group]], led by popular [[tenor]] Harry MacDonough, recorded a successful version on [[Victor Records]].<ref name=MLB>{{cite web | url=http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/fan_forum/babyruth/index.jsp?content=history | title=Take Me Out to the Ball Game: Song History | publisher=[[Major League Baseball]] | accessdate=July 17, 2008 | first=Mark | last=Newman }}</ref> Its use became popularized by [[Harry Caray]], the announcer of the [[Chicago White Sox]], when he began singing it during the [[seventh-inning stretch]] in 1976. He continued the tradition when he became the announcer for the [[Chicago Cubs]] in 1982 and games were nationally broadcast.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.espn.com/mlb/news/story?id=3476916 | title=Drehs: "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" a national treasure | date=July 8, 2008 }}</ref> The most famous recording of the song was credited to "[[Billy Murray (singer)|Billy Murray]] and the Haydn Quartet", even though Murray did not sing on it.<ref name=PPG>{{cite news | url=http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08175/891968-63.stm | accessdate=July 17, 2008 | date=June 23, 2008 | work=[[Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]] | first=Andrew | last=Druckenbrod | title=Name this tune: You sing 'Take Me Out,' it's 100 years old }}</ref> 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.<ref>[http://nfo.net/usa/365y.htm Big Bands Database Plus] (row for 1908).</ref> The first recorded version was by [[Edward Meeker]]. Meeker's recording was selected by the [[Library of Congress]] as a 2010 addition to the [[National Recording Registry]], which selects recordings annually that are "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.loc.gov/rr/record/nrpb/registry/nrpb-2010reg.html | title=The National Recording Registry 2010 | accessdate=April 10, 2011 | publisher=Library of Congress}}</ref> ==Lyrics== Below are the lyrics of the 1908 version, which is out of copyright. {{poemquote|Katie Casey was baseball mad, Had the fever and had it bad. Just to root for the home town crew, Ev'ry sou{{efn|The term ''[[solidus (coin)|sou]]'', a coin of [[French franc|French]] origin, was at the time common [[slang]] for a low-denomination coin. In French the expression {{lang|fr|sans le sou}} has the meaning of being penniless. [[Carly Simon]]'s version, produced for [[Ken Burns]]' 1994 documentary, ''[[Baseball (TV series)|Baseball]]'', reads "Ev'ry cent/Katie spent".}} 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:" {{strong|Chorus}} Take me out to the ball game, Take me out with the crowd; Buy me some [[peanut]]s 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 (baseball)|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:|''Take Me Out to the Ball Game'', 1908 version<ref>* [http://www.tinfoil.com/cm-9808.htm#e09926 Original lyric, sung by Edward Meeker], recorded in 1908 on a [[phonograph cylinder]] * [http://www.baseball-almanac.com/poetry/po_stmo.shtml Lyrics to 1927 version]</ref>}} ==Recordings== The song (or at least its chorus) has been recorded or cited countless times 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). The copyright to the revised 1927 lyrics entered the [[public domain in the United States]] on January 1, 2023.<ref name=FWST>{{cite news|url=http://www.star-telegram.com/300/story/741065.html |work=[[Fort Worth Star-Telegram]] |accessdate=September 5, 2008 |date=July 4, 2008 |title=Happy 100th Anniversary, 'Take Me Out to the Ball Game' |first=David |last=Thomas }}{{dead link|date=June 2016|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://guides.library.cornell.edu/copyright/publicdomain |work=[[Cornell University Library]] |accessdate=January 31, 2025 |title=Copyright Services: Copyright Term and the Public Domain}}</ref> 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 [[Dan Hornsby]] for Columbia Records 1544-D (148277). The [[Hoosier Hot Shots]] recorded the song in 1936.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-definitive-hoosier-hotshots-collection-mw0000317368 | title=Hoosier Hot Shots - the Definitive Hoosier Hotshots Collection Album Reviews, Songs & More | AllMusic | website=[[AllMusic]] }}</ref> [[Gene Kelly]] and [[Frank Sinatra]] at the start of the [[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer|MGM]] [[musical film]], ''[[Take Me Out to the Ball Game (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-1980s, the Kidsongs Kids recorded an adaptation of this song for ''A Day at Old MacDonald's Farm.'' 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.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://blog.oregonlive.com/oregonianextra/2008/06/diamond_ditty_turns_100.html | work=The Oregonian | title=Diamond Ditty turns 100 | date=June 20, 2008}}</ref> Multiple genre [[Louisiana]] singer-songwriter [[Dr. John]] and pop singer [[Carly Simon]] both recorded different versions of the song for the [[PBS]] documentary series ''[[Baseball (TV series)|Baseball]]'', by [[Ken Burns]].<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.pbs.org/kenburns/baseball/about/credits8.html | work=PBS | title=FILM CREDITS BASEBALL Inning 8: A Whole New Ballgame | accessdate=December 31, 2014}}</ref> In 2001, [[Nike, Inc.|Nike]] aired a commercial featuring a diverse group of Major League Baseball players singing lines of the song in their native languages. The players and languages featured were [[Ken Griffey Jr.]] (American English), [[Alex Rodriguez]] (Caribbean Spanish), [[Chan Ho Park]] (Korean), [[Kazuhiro Sasaki]] (Japanese), [[Graeme Lloyd]] (Australian English), [[Éric Gagné]] (Québécois French), [[Andruw Jones]] (Dutch), [[John Franco]] (Italian), [[Iván Rodríguez]] (Caribbean Spanish), and [[Mark McGwire]] (American English).<ref>{{cite video | people=Nike, Inc. | year=2001 | title= Take Me Out to the Ballgame (Bee-yooo-tiful) | url= https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yhjl8AxHFvI}}</ref> ==In popular culture== The iconic song has been used and alluded to in many different ways since its inception. *The 2001 children's book ''Take Me Out of the Bathtub and other Silly Dilly Songs'' by Alan Katz and David Catrow, featuring silly words to well-known tunes, recast the end of the chorus as "I used one, two, three bars of soap; take me out, I'm clean!" in its title number.<ref>Alan Katz and David Catrow, "Take Me Out of the Bathtub and other Silly Dilly Songs",ISBN 0689829035</ref> *In 2002, as a bonus feature in the video game ''[[MLB Slugfest 2003]]'', [[nu metal]] band [[Dry Kill Logic]] recorded an original song (alongside an accompanying music video) for the game entitled "Riot at the Bat Rack", which is loosely based on "Take Me Out to the Ball Game".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://gamervision.com/games/mlb-slugfest-20-03-for-xbox |title=MLB SlugFest 20-03 (Xbox) - Gamervision - How Gamers See the World |access-date=May 4, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110711071148/http://gamervision.com/games/mlb-slugfest-20-03-for-xbox |archive-date=July 11, 2011 }}</ref> *In 2006, [[Jim Burke (illustrator)|Jim Burke]] authored and illustrated a children's book version of "Take Me Out to the Ballgame". *In 2008, Andy Strasberg, Bob Thompson 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]]. *Also in 2008, a parody of "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" was sung during an episode of the third season of the American game show ''[[Deal or No Deal (American game show)|Deal or No Deal]]'' on [[NBC]]. The contestant of that episode, Garrett Smith, was a baseball aficionado and a proud [[Atlanta Braves]] fan who even hoped to play for the team as a catcher. However, the lyrics were changed to lyrics that showed disdain for Smith, as this was a song that was penned by the Banker who then encouraged the in-studio audience to sing it to him.<ref>{{Citation|title=Deal or No Deal Season 3 Episode 42 MLB Majors & Bargain Hunters| date=January 8, 2022 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a8eQSqAIUYY|language=en|access-date=January 15, 2022}}</ref> *From March 13, 2015, the tune of "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" was adopted as the [[departure melody]] for trains on the [[Tokyo Metro Namboku Line]] at [[Kōrakuen Station]] in Tokyo, Japan.<ref name="tokyometro20150302">{{cite web|url= http://www.tokyometro.jp/news/2015/article_pdf/metroNews20150302_21.pdf|script-title= ja: 南北線の発車メロディをリニューアル!各駅に新しい発車メロディを導入します|trans-title= Namboku Line departure melodies updated! New melodies to be introduced at each station|date= March 2, 2015|work= News release|publisher= Tokyo Metro|location= Japan|language= Japanese|archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20150402103831/http://www.tokyometro.jp/news/2015/article_pdf/metroNews20150302_21.pdf|archivedate= April 2, 2015|accessdate= March 6, 2015|url-status= dead}}</ref> Baseball is [[Baseball in Japan|popular in Japan]], and Korakuen Station is one of the closest stations to the [[Tokyo Dome]] baseball stadium.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Access (Tourists Special Site) |url=https://www.tokyo-dome.co.jp/en/tourists/access-and-maps/ |access-date=August 14, 2023 |website=東京ドームシティ |language=en}}</ref> *In September 2016, the [[Miami Marlins]] paid tribute to the pitcher [[José Fernández (right-handed pitcher)|José Fernández]], who had died in a boating accident earlier that month, with a trumpet rendition during a pregame ceremony.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |title=Marlins Pay Tribute to Jose Fernandez by Wearing No. 16 Jersey |url=https://abcnews.go.com/Sports/marlins-pay-tribute-jose-fernandez-wearing-16-jersey/story?id=42370379 |date=September 26, 2016|access-date=August 14, 2023 |website=ABC News |language=en}}</ref> *In October 2016, actor [[Bill Murray]], a Chicago Cubs fan, impersonated [[Daffy Duck]] as he gave his rendition of the chorus of 'Take Me Out To The Ball Game' while at game 3 of the 2016 World Series, held at Wrigley Field.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eItTJehqMIQ|title = Bill Murray sings 'Take Me Out to the Ball Game' as Daffy Duck | 2016 WORLD SERIES ON FOX|website = [[YouTube]]| date=October 28, 2016 }}</ref> *The piece for narrator and orchestra ''Lifting the Curse'' with music by Julian Wachner and spoken text by Bill Littlefield extensively quotes the song in full orchestral array. It has been recorded on CD with The Landmarks Orchestra (Boston), Littlefield narrating. *Prior to the [[National Women's Soccer League|NWSL]]'s [[Chicago Red Stars]] game against [[Bay FC]] at [[Wrigley Field]] on June 8, 2024, the Red Stars created a promotional video at the stadium featuring a modified version of the song that referenced soccer instead of baseball. The video also honored Katie Casey, the original subject of the song.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://chicagoredstars.com/video/take-me-out-to-the-ball-game/ | title=Take Me Out to the Ball Game }}</ref> *On July 5, 2024, during a game between the [[Los Angeles Dodgers]] and [[Milwaukee Brewers]] game's 7th inning stretch, popular [[VTuber]] [[Gawr Gura]] performed the song at [[Dodger Stadium]] as part of a promotional crossover between [[Hololive Production]] and Major League Baseball. Accordingly, the lyric "the home team" was changed to "the Dodgers" in her performance.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.siliconera.com/hear-hololives-gawr-gura-sing-at-the-dodgers-game/ |title=Hear Hololive's Gawr Gura Sing at the Dodgers Game |last=Lada |first=Jenni |date=July 6, 2024 |website=Siliconera |publisher=Gamurs Group |access-date=July 8, 2024|quote=At the Los Angeles Dodgers game hololive night event on July 5, 2024, which happened during Anime Expo 2024, Gawr Gura sang “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” during the seventh-inning stretch.}}</ref> *The second episode of the 2024 [[Philippine drama]] ''[[Pulang Araw]]'' featured the song's chorus.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.gmanetwork.com/entertainment/tv/pulang_araw/239876/pulang-araw-welcome-to-cine-borromeo-episode-2 |title=''Pulang Araw'': Welcome to Cine Borromeo! {{!}} (Episode 2) |date=July 30, 2024 |website=[[GMA Network (company)|GMA Network]] |access-date=July 30, 2024}}</ref> == Recognition and awards == * 2008: The song won the [[Songwriters Hall of Fame]] [[Songwriters Hall of Fame#Towering Song Award|Towering Song Award]] ==Notes== {{notelist}} ==References== {{Reflist|30em}} ==External links== {{Portal|Baseball}} {{commons category|Take Me Out to the Ball Game}} *[http://baseballhall.org/discover/short-stops/stadium-symphonies Stadium Symphonies (including "Take Me Out to the Ball Game")] from the [[National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum]] *[http://www.americanmusicpreservation.com/songanniversaries.htm Take Me Out to the Ball Game: A Centennial Tribute] {{DEFAULTSORT:Take Me Out To The Ball Game}} [[Category:1908 songs]] [[Category:Baseball culture]] [[Category:Baseball songs and chants]] [[Category:Songs written by Albert Von Tilzer]] [[Category:Songs written by Jack Norworth]] [[Category:Baseball music]] [[Category:United States National Recording Registry recordings]] [[Category:Vaudeville songs]]
Edit summary
(Briefly describe your changes)
By publishing changes, you agree to the
Terms of Use
, and you irrevocably agree to release your contribution under the
CC BY-SA 4.0 License
and the
GFDL
. You agree that a hyperlink or URL is sufficient attribution under the Creative Commons license.
Cancel
Editing help
(opens in new window)
Pages transcluded onto the current version of this page
(
help
)
:
Template:Cbignore
(
edit
)
Template:Citation
(
edit
)
Template:Cite book
(
edit
)
Template:Cite encyclopedia
(
edit
)
Template:Cite news
(
edit
)
Template:Cite video
(
edit
)
Template:Cite web
(
edit
)
Template:Commons category
(
edit
)
Template:Dead link
(
edit
)
Template:Infobox song
(
edit
)
Template:Notelist
(
edit
)
Template:Other uses
(
edit
)
Template:Poemquote
(
edit
)
Template:Portal
(
edit
)
Template:Reflist
(
edit
)
Template:Short description
(
edit
)
Template:Sister project
(
edit
)
Template:Use mdy dates
(
edit
)