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A song written in 1908 by Jack
Norworth and Albert Von Tilzer, "Take
Me out to the Ball Game" became the
official anthem of baseball. It is the
third-most frequently heard song in
America, behind the national anthem and
Happy Birthday. Norworth who had never
been to a ball game, wrote the lyrics
when he passed the Polo Grounds on an
elevated train and saw a sign that read
“Baseball Today.”
This sheet music was Copyrighted in 1936 by publishers Albert von Tilzer;
Broadway Music Corporation; and Jack
Norworth; Jerry Vogel Music Co. Inc.
The music was Arranged by Ed Morbach
for an orchestra performance, which is
still used today by schools and the
military. Instrument arrangements in
the sheet include; Piano, violin,
cello, banjo, Trumpet, and clarinet.
The top of the sheet cover reads: "THE OFFICIAL BASEBALL SONG In 6/8th
Tempo" below reads: "SPECIAL
NOTE For years Baseball
unofficially adopted this as it's theme
song. NOW,
organized baseball, realizing all along
that this song was synonymous with the
game has at last adopted it officially
as it's own."
It was reported in 1935; that John Heydler, National League President, and
William Harridge, of The American
League, got together a couple of years
earlier and adopted the song as the
game official anthem. Most of the
information is speculative, as to the
motive leading to the decision.
Inspired by love of musical expression,
or in hope of having a certain
box-office persuasiveness.
The reporter states: "Just what the Messrs, Heydler and Harridge had in
mind when adopting an official yodel
for baseball never was made clear. They
could not have expected the customers
to stand with bared heads during the
seventh-inning stretch, for baseball
clients now bare their heads in
reverence for any piece played in a
ball park. This is no reflection on
customers, as the loose, scrambled
virtuosity of horn blowers indigenous
to ball parks makes on of the national
anthem and 'The St. Louis Blues.'"
The song was first performed at a major league baseball games in 1934, but
didn't become a tradition until 1946.
The band struck up the song during a
game while fans stood for the
seventh-inning stretch. In 2001, “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” came in at No. 8 on the “Songs of
the Century” list, compiled by the
Recording Industry of America and the
National Endowment for the Arts.
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