(Lifesong, 1982)Hate, as they say, is a strong word. And I hate this record. It’s a laid-back, amiable swing through the history of baseball, employing sappy Billy Crystal-style nostalgia for the sport and a chorus melody (“I’m talkin’ baaaaseball”) that’s both memorably annoying and annoyingly memorable – I can just imagine some bozo like Jayson Stark totally digging it. Dire treacle, the whole thing, and Cashman has been flogging the song for decades, re-recording its lyrics to fit dozens of teams and seasons. This is the Cubs edition, and so it gives us a list of Great Cubs Moments, touching on Ernie Banks, Fergie Jenkins, and other faves before expressing optimism for the ’82 squad (which ended up going 73-89). It seems that Terry’s still churning ’em out, too, as he recently released something called Talkin’ Baseball: 2008 Spring Early Pennant Contenders, which features up-to-the-minute versions for ten ’08 teams that look strong as the season begins. God help me. God help us all.
4 comments:
Not even a reference of the reworking of it for the famed All-Star The Simpsons episode? "Ken Griffey's grotesquely swollen jaw/ Steve Sax and his run-in with the law..." Responsible for my first knowledge of this vapid vamp. Give me "The Say Hey Song" any day.
There are too many reworkings of this to POSSIBLY name them all...
I should also add that I grew up with a copy of the Red Sox version in my household. I remember it well. Far too well for my liking, in fact.
God but I **detest** this song. I heard it way too many times when it came out. Actually, once was too many times. But I heard it (or parts of it, since I tried as quickly as possible to change the station whenever it came on) far too many times. Wimpy vocals, insipid lyrics, and generic melody - just disgusting.
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