Baseball's Greatest Hit: The Story of "take Me Out to the Ball Game" [With CD]

This book includes just about everything you would want to know about baseball's anthem. Backgrounds on the song's authors Jack Norworth (lyrics) and Albert Von Tilzer (melody) are included, along with numerous historical photos, and what baseball was like in 1908. Take Me Out to the Ball Game is the third most listened to song after Happy Birthday and The Star Spangled Banner. Songs about baseball rank only below songs about love in our nation's history. A listing of all commercially printed music about baseball in the Library of Congress' collection is also provided. I didn't see the song entitled The Umpire recorded in 1950 on the flip side of Take Me Out to the Ball Game sung by Tommy Henrich, Ralph Branca, Phil Rizzuto, and Roy Campanella along with the Carl Yastrzemski song listed. The rendition by Henrich, Branca, Rizzuto, and Campanella is in my collection from my childhood and is an excellent version. My favorite rendition of the song, however, is the version by Carly Simon from Ken Burns' Baseball special included on Ken Burns' CD. It includes the entire song and is first rate. The three authors list their top ten baseball songs. In addition to the game's anthem by Carly Simon I like It's A Beautiful Day For A Ball Game, Gee, It's A Wonderful Game, The First Baseball Game, Van Lingle Mungo, There Used To Be A Ball Park by Frank Sinatra, and Talkin' Baseball by Terry Cashman. The CD that accompanies this book has sixteen tracks, but none of them add anything of significance to the book. However, if you are a baseball fan I would strongly suggest you add this book to your collection.

This one is hit right out of the ballpark. Take a simple song, and dissect it fully and with love! Not only is this a great and complete book, but the quality of the publication is so nice you can smell the Cracker Jack! Great unseen photos and memorabilia that will astound any baseball fan. The CD is cool, too! Is this the nation's number one song behind Happy Birthday?

and a great deal about baseball as well. In 1908 Jack Norworth wrote "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" on some scrap paper on a train ride into Manhattan, New York. He gave the lyrics to Albert Von Tilzer who composed the music. The York Music Company published the song later that year and a baseball classic was born. (Incidentally, some of the other wonders of 1908 are brilliantly described in Crazy '08: How a Cast of Cranks, Rogues, Boneheads, and Magnates Created the Greatest Year in Baseball History by Cait N. Murphy.) This book is the story of the song, which is sung during the seventh inning stretch at nearly every ball park in the country. Norworth actually wrote two versions of the lyrics -- the major difference is that Katie Casey becomes Nelly Kelly in the 1927 version. Norworth wrote over 2,500 songs, including "Shine On, Harvest Moon", and several other baseball songs, but didn't attend a major league game until 1940. Harry Caray gets credit for singing it first at a ball game in 1971, "because I think it's the only song I knew the words to!" In 1976 Bill Veeck installed a secret microphone in the broadcast booth so everyone could hear him and sing along. Veeck explained: "Harry, anybody in the ballpark hearing you sing 'Take Me Out to the Ball Game' knows that he can sing as well as you can. Probably better than you can. So he or she sings along. Heck, if you had a good singing voice you'd intimidate them, and nobody would join in!" This book is a wonderful history of the song and many of the ballparks where it has become an institution. Despite critics one might add; Pitcher Larry Anderson: "In the seventh inning fans all get up and sing 'Take Me Out to the Ball Game,' and they're already there. It's really a stupid thing to say and I don't know who made 'em sing it. Why would somebody that's there get up and sing take me out to the ball game? The first person to do it must have been a moron." [Anderson was a journeyman pitcher and part of one of the worst baseball trades ever -- Anderson for Jeff Bagwell -- but witty -- "Why do you drive on a parkway and park on a driveway?", for example.] [Win-Loss 2-3, 23 Strikeouts, ERA 5.66, 3 seasons.] If you love baseball, you'll certainly enjoy this well written history. I learned a great deal and will sing the song with increased gusto Wednesday night at Yankee Stadium. The excellent CD included with the book may even help me stay in tune! Robert C. Ross 2008

If you are a baseball fan, this book is a must read! It is very easy to read and has a lot of great info. I especially enjoyed learning the traditons at each of the MLB ballparks!

When I first saw the title, I thought, how could there be a whole book about one song? I Read the editorial review and since I'm really into music and collecting stuff, decided to take the chance (also getting it way under retail helped too). I have looked over it couple times now, I am still in awe about all the events, products and people that have been involved in ONE song. The sheet music, toys, videos, cards, performances and of course records. Afer reading about the first recorded version, it made me want to go out and buy a music cylinder that plays on those 100 year old Thomas Edison players to hear it. But wait, my dream came true, I didn't have to pay 500.00 to do that, a CD that comes with it and has that first recorded version! Plus a bunch of other versions, that dont seem to be the same song, but are, as they are so diverse in sound. Not to bore, my favorite piece in the book is how one of the authors (Andy Strasburg) solicited the USPS to get a stamp done for the 100 year anniversary of the song, which comes out June this year. I Googled to find out when it was coming out and the USPS stamp images say 41 cents, while in the book it is 42 cents. Looks like the book has newer images/information than the post office itself. Also a Frank Sinatra (he is in this book and sang the song) stamp comes out in May, I will be using his stamps til I get a couple sheets of Take Me Out to the Ball Game stamps to keep and use. And oh yeah, the book is in color.