100 years ago: “Take Me Out to the Ball Game" hit #1

Take Me Out to the Ball Game Harvey Hindermeyer

First Charted: August 31, 1908 Peak: 3 US, 12 GA, 12 SM (Click for codes to singles charts.) Sales (in millions): 1.0 (sheet music) Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 0.03 video, -- streaming

Take Me Out to the Ball Game Billy Murray & the Haydn Quartet

Writer(s): Jack Norworth/Albert von Tilzer (see lyrics here) First Charted: October 24, 1908 Peak: 17 US, 12 GA, 1 DF (Click for codes to singles charts.) Sales (in millions): 1.0 (sheet music) Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 0.03 video, -- streaming

Awards (Murray): Click on award for more details. Awards (Hindermeyer):

About the Song: “The unofficial anthem of American baseball” RCG and the sport’s most famous song TY2 has been “affectionately referred to…as the ‘other’ national anthem.” SH It is “one of the most easily recognized songs in America;” SH only “Happy Birthday” and “The Star Spangled Banner” have been played or sung more in the United States. TY2 Surprisingly, neither the song’s composer (Albert Von Tilzer) nor lyricist (Jack Norworth) had ever seen a baseball game prior to writing the song. PS Norworth’s lyrical inspiration came from a sign reading “Baseball Today – Polo Grounds” which he saw while riding the subway. SH The song is not written from the perspective of someone actually watching a game, but someone eager to attend one. The song has become a “seventh inning stretch requirement” PS sung at nearly every U.S. professional baseball game for the last 100 years, PS but it got its start in vaudeville where Norworth’s wife, singer Nora Bayes, introduced it. DJ Harvey Hindermeyer was the first to record the song. SM His version and one by Edward Mekker both hit the top 5 in 1908. PM However, it was Billy Murray’s recording of the song with the Haydn Quartet which went to #1 and became the biggest song of the year. WHC Most people only know the refrain, but the full song showcases a story in which Katie tells her beau she would rather go to a baseball game than a show, only to find her team losing. RCG Norworth “shrewdly crafted [the words] so as not to name or favor any one team” SH while Von Tilzer gave the song its “waltz-like rhythms and unforgettable melody.” SH Resources: DJ David Jasen (2002). A Century of American Popular Music: 2000 Best-Loved and Remembered Songs (1899-1999). Routledge: Taylor & Francis, Inc. Page 188. SM Sharon Mawer Charts (1900-1968) PS ParlorSongs.com Lessons in America’s Popular Music History RCG RimChiGuy.com The Old Songs (1900-1929) SH Songwriters Hall of Fame Towering Song Award TY2 Don Tyler (2007). Hit Songs, 1900-1955. McFarland & Company, Inc.: Jefferson, North Carolina. Pages 40-1. PM Joel Whitburn (1986). Pop Memories 1890-1954 (1986). Record Research, Inc: Menomonee Falls, WI. Page 589. WHC Joel Whitburn (1999). A Century of Pop Music. Record Research, Inc.: Menomonee Falls, WI. Page 15. Related Links: First posted 7/10/2012; last updated 12/15/2022.