This Friday (February 13th) starts my favorite season of the year (even more than award season), LSU baseball! I am a sucker for a good baseball game. Luckily it is an American Theatre tradition to throw a song about baseball into a musical to prove just how American the show is.
Like Michael Scott from The Office, I’m not superstitious, but I am a little stitious and driving to LSU baseball games at Alex Box Stadium I do often find myself listening to the same musical songs about baseball over and over again, so I’d thought I’d share a few of them + my favorite lyrics from each!
Also, I think if I had a walkup song in baseball it’d be the Phantom of the Opera overture. Intimidating and can get you pumped up for your at bat.
Damn Yankees (1955)
Starting with the musical that is just about baseball, the two songs I listen to a lot are “Heart” and “Who’s Got The Pain”. I’m sure I’ll do a full post on Damn Yankees sooner rather than later but here’s a teaser!
And then “Who’s Got The Pain” doesn’t have anything to do with baseball, but I love the choreography + it is always a treat to get to watch Bob Fosse dance, especially with his at the time partner Gwen Verdon. They’re so good together.
A recent out-of-town, revamped revival in Washington D.C. with an all star cast / design team, produced by the granddaughter (Haley Swindal) of longtime Yankee’s owner George Steinbrenner is despreately trying to find investors to bring it to Broadway. Here’s hoping!
Favorite Damn Yankees lyric, 🎵 “So what the heck’s the use of cryin’? Why should we curse? We gotta get better, ‘cause we can’t get worse! And to add to it: we’ve got heart 🎵
You’re A Good Man Charlie Brown (1967)
Love “TEAM” from You’re A Good Man Charlie Brown. Man, these songs so far are about some bad baseball teams. I usually listen to the 1997 revival version with Anthony Rapp, Kristin Chenoweth and co!
🎵“Lucy,” I hollered, “It’s comin’ right to you—” She caught it as easy as pie—then dropped it I don’t think it’s good for a team’s morale To see their manager cry
Snoopy helped out by biting a runner And catching the ball in his teeth; Linus caught flies from a third-story window By holding his blanket beneath
Yes, we had fortitude No one could argue with that And one run would win us the game As I came up to bat🎵
Falsettos (1992)
“The Baseball Game” where Jason’s parents and their friends get to watch some really bad Jewish recreational league youth baseball (“we’re watching Jewish boys who cannot play baseball play baseball”) when Marvin’s ex Whizzer shows up unexpectedly to also root for Jason. Hard to beat the 2016 revival!
🎵We’re watching Jewish boys Who almost read Latin Up, battin’ And battin’ bad🎵
“What A Game” from Ragtime where Father takes Edgar out to a baseball game to try to forget about the ever changing world around them only to find the game he remembered playing at Harvard is not the same as it used to be. The players they name drop are the actual names of MLB players from the early 20th century!
🎵Ain’t this the kind of weather To get together and Bash his teeth in!
The kind o’ weather makes a man Hit like hell!
A fine, upliftin’ atmosphere Bring yer children here Teach them baseball The game all true Americans Do damn well!
It’s like the Constitution The institution Of dear ol’ baseball Where every man is treated the same🎵
High School Musical 2 (2007)
“I’ll show you that it’s one and the same: baseball, dancing? Same game.”
🎵Lean back, tuck it in, take a chance Swing it out, spin around, do the dance
I wanna play ball, not dancehall I'm makin' a triple, not a curtain call🎵
Smash (2012)
Love the mess that is the tv series Smash about the creation of a Marilyn Monroe musical. Of course it covers Marilyn’s relationship with famous baseball slugger Joe DiMaggio!
🎵Who’s that man? (That’s the first base coach!) Have you noticed that he signals every time I approach?
(Kill the ump!) Throw him out! (Because there isn’t a doubt) That all men like to play at The national pastime!
When the season’s over The play won’t end Because a baseball diamond is a girl’s best friend
Yes my style and my fashion Will elevate the national pastime🎵
Honorable Mentions!
Here are a few lyrics in shows that reference baseball that I like but maybe are not baseball enough to be on my baseball pre-show playlist!
Gypsy - “Everything’s Coming Up Roses”
🎵Now's your inning Stand the world on its ear! Set it spinning That'll be just the beginning!🎵
🎵Time now for me to leave? Is the strike count now two or three? For you I mean, you say you’ve got my back But when I’m up to bat You want to switch teams and intervene
(No that’s not what I mean) Then why you begging me to flee the scene? Trying to make a runaway out of a queen? Don’t want to see what happens when you get to strike three 🎵
And then one more!
I promise I won’t be as annoying about LSU baseball here as I am in real life but I don’t know where else I’d shared this fun fact! LSU’s unofficial fight song “Hey Fightin’ Tigers” is based off of a showtune! “Hey Look Me Over” from Wildcat which starred Lucille Ball in the title role in her only Broadway credit! I think I’ll have to be scrapping the barrel to ever do a full post on Wildcat but you really never know, it might end up being a new favorite sooner than later!
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concur with Kris; it's a nice shake-up to the usual format (which is already great!)
big fan of the thematic, multi-musical posts!