Yeah, yeah. I know it’s the dead of winter (here in the northern hemisphere, at least).
But spring is coming… eventually.
And if Bruce can play “Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town” in July, I can blog about baseball in January.
So while you dream of warmer days ahead, enjoy a not-yet-well-known Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band covering the unofficial anthem of Major League Baseball from their 1973 concert at the Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena in Binghamton, New York.
Although Bruce has upon occasion used “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” as walk-on music during summer ballpark shows, and while the E Street Band has played it instrumentally a couple of times, this is the only “true” performance of the song with lyrics.
Technically, one could argue that this is only a partial cover, as it includes only the chorus. Most Americans don’t realize that the signature song of their beloved summer pastime includes verses as well, but to hear them you’ll have to go back a few years.
Here’s the original, very first audio recording of “Take Me Out to the Ball Game,” recorded by Harvey Hindermeyer in 1908.
The song became an instant hit upon its release and was one of the most popular songs of 1908.
And while Bruce never recorded a cover of it in the studio, we can at least get a taste of what it might have sounded like if he did: in 1982, Baltimore journalist/cartoonist Tom Chalkley and his friend Craig Hanken wondered “What if Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band had performed ‘Take Me Out to the Ball Game?” They answered their own question by recording it themselves. The result: a spot-on parody under the pseudonym Bruce Springstone.
Take Me Out to the Ball Game
First performed: June 13, 1973 (Binghamton, NY)
Last performed: June 13, 1973 (Binghamton, NY)
