In 1858, the first known baseball song was written, "The Base Ball Polka!" It was not quite as famous as Jack Norworth's 1908 classic, "Take Me Out to the Ball Game", which was written on some scrap paper on a train ride to Manhattan, New York. Norworth then provided those paper scrap lyrics to Albert Von Tilzer who composedthe music which in turn was published by the York Music Company and before the year was over, a hit song was born.
Jack Norworth was a very successful vaudeville entertainer / songwriter and spent fifteen minutes writing this classic which is sung during the seventh inning stretch at nearly every ball park in the country. In 1927, he changed some lyrics and a second version appeared. Baseball Almanac is proud to present both versions and an actual print of the original sheet music cover.
"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." - Pitcher Larry Anderson
On the fiftieth anniversary of his song, Major League Baseball, Inc. presented Jack Norworth — who attended his first Major League ballgame on June 27, 1940 (Brooklyn Dodgers 5 vs. Chicago Cubs 4) — with a gold lifetime ball park pass.
Click the player to Hear Organ Version |
Click the player to Hear Traditional Version |
Click the player to Hear Big Band Version |
Click the player to Hear Mandolin Version |
Click the player to Hear Goo Goo Dolls Version |
Click the player to Hear Ed Meeker Version |
Click the player to Hear Orchestral Version |
Click the player to Hear Mike Ditka Version |
Harry Caray, who is credited with singing it first at a ball game in 1971, once said, "I would always sing it, because I think it's the only song I knew the words to!" On Opening Day in 1976 Bill Veeck noticed the fans were singing along with Caray so a secret microphone was placed in the broadcast booth the following day to allow ALL the fans to hear him. Veeck explained to Caray, "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. Hell, if you had a good singing voice you'd intimidate them, and nobody would join in!"
Did you know that Jack Norworth wrote over 2,500 songs, including "Shine On, Harvest Moon", and several other baseball songs, but none more famous than "Take Me Out to the Ball Game"?