Sports songs for Saturday
Posted: May 30th, 2009 | Filed under: Pop Culture | 30 Comments »
For a Saturday, five great sports songs to get the mind going before Game 6 of LeBron-Orlando.
1. Song from those cool NBA commercials where they show classic NBA moments (Bird’s steal, Magic’s baby skyhook, the Doctor going up and under) with empty background.
2. Another great piano song from the NBA commercials.
3. Song from “This Week In Baseball.”
4. Cool song from “The U.S. Open,” though I just remember it as the NBC Tennis song.
5. The fight song from “Rocky” … actually, I thought it was the fight song (which is called Going The Distance) but it sounds like they’re previewing the slower sort of love song version, which is cool too.
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Circle me Bert!!
Weren’t all of those songs written by John Tesh??
Be Like Mike has to be in that mix somewhere
Joe, Juan Pierre?? Surely, the person who voted for him must have been joking. I mean, the choice out of those guys has to be Pujols. Although, personally, my first choice is still MannyBManny.
Also, who’s the chick in the wife-beater in the music selection box? She’s kinda hot. Or maybe it’s just the hint of nipple peeking through, and I’m that easy.
A comment about the sidebar poll. Spinal Tap is the best mocumentary co-written by and featuring Christopher Guest but it was directed by Rob Reiner. The best Christopher Guest mocumentary is absolutely, without a doubt, don’t even try to argue about it-Waiting for Guffman.
When you say the “Fight Song” from Rocky, do you mean “Gonna Fly Now” by Bill Conti? The one with the trumpet fanfare? It’s the same theme as “Going The Distance”, but obviously a more martial sound.
Is Billy Butler the youngest-looking player in MLB? Aside from Craig Counsell, of course.
Thanks for not mentioning Eye of the Tiger.
D’oh!
Even before his latest meltdown, I’d have voted big Z for the most fun to watch. You really never know what you’re getting. Between his pitching, hitting and mental breakdowns, he’s a joy every time out.
I would add the Song from NFL Films.
Joey Statsheet puts up a poll about a “fun” picther. What?
What in the Wide World of Poz is going on here?
there are absolutely NO good songs about sports
Centerfield?
Glory Days?
pure Americana drivel…….
almost as bad as anything by Billy Joel or Jimmy Buffett.
I must argue about it. I prefer both Best in Show and A Mighty Wind to Waiting For Guffman. All good, however.
The original Hockey Night In Canada theme song (currently being used by TSN’s NHL broadcasts)
What, no love for the knuckleballer?
Gotta say, I love watching Wakefield.
Looks like LeBron’s going to need more than a good mix tape against Orlando… sorry Joe.
No good songs about sports?
“Piazza, New York Catcher” by Belle and Sebastian, while only nominally about sports, is a beautiful song.
“All Kinds of Time” by Fountains of Wayne is a good song.
The Wedding Present album George Best is awesome. Yeah, that’s kind of cheating because it’s just named after an athlete.
“Bull In The Heather” by Sonic Youth is a really good song that uses horse racing. So is “Kentucky Cocktail” by Pavement.
I guess I would agree that nearly every FAMOUS song about sports sucks beyond belief.
Agree with #14. I always stop to watch Wakefield.
Favorite pitchers to watch right now, in order: Grienke (easily), Lincecum, Johan, Wake
For some reason I never really stop to watch Halladay. I appreciate him, of course, but I never find myself going out of my way to watch his starts.
Favorite hitters to watch: Vlad, Ichiro, Manny
I know the “right” answer is Pujols, but if I could pay to see a whole team of Alberts hit or a whole team of Vlads or Ichiros, I’d just have more fun with the latter two.
To say Glory Days sucks is a bit harsh. The entire album is over produced. But to say Glory Days sucks is to call it a Sports song.
Billy Joel sucks?? He seduced Christy Brinkley with a piano. Next
Jimmy Buffet sucks? There is no other act that improves as much from the studio to the stage. “You Had to be There” is an album that proves this.
Centerfield? Who was that Fogerty? Yeah that sucks.
And if you ever need a Sports Song for a parody , the Chariots of Fire piano is always waiting for you.
Plus, I think Paul Simon may have written a nice word about Sports.
Finally, for my money Ryan Parker’s “Shady Brady and Bill Belicheat” is a you tube classic. Ryan Parker should win a few grammys.
The TWIB song is called Gathering Crowds. I have it on my iTunes.
I liked the old “NBA on NBC” theme song, written by John Tesh. I remember when NBC’s contract ended, and John Tesh was a guest on the Conan O’Brian show and performed the theme. Conan had a gag about NBC recycling the theme song in other shows, and Conan showed a clip of It’s a Wonderful Life, with the theme song introduced as the background music to George diving into the river to save Clarence.
I’m afraid I’m a little cross with you for the cover jinx, Joe.
I think a public apology is in order.
Best sports song is “50 Mission Cap” by The Tragically Hip. It tells the sad story of Bill Barilko – a star of the 1950’s Toronto Maple Leafs.
…and today we cry.
It’s Joe’s fault that LeBron’s teammates aren’t very good?
True dat
Gotta admit to a little homerism in picking Halladay in the pitcher poll. He’s not the flashiest pitcher out there, but I get a lot of joy out of watching him carve up opponents. He’s easily the best thing about the Blue Jays.
Piazza’s efforts to dispel rumours about his sexuality certainly weren’t helped by Belle and Sebastian’s tune. The lyric asking outright whether he’s gay notwithstanding, you’re gonna lose some straight-guy cred being the title subject of a song by such a twee band (and I say that as someone who quite like Belle and Sebastian). I suppose he can take some solace in the fact that the type of meathead who has a problem with homosexuality isn’t exactly likely to pay much attention to B&S.
Pure hitter: Pujols. No doubt.
Guest mockumentary, I went with Spinal Tap. I didn’t disqualify it just because it was directed by Rob Reiner, since the question didn’t specify. It was a tough choice between that and Waiting for Guffman, though. If we’re limiting it to the ones Guest has helmed, Guffman gets my vote, hands down.
Some of the worst lyrics ever written are:
“So Say Hey Willie, tell Ty Cobb and Joe DiMaggio;
Don’t say “it ain’t so”, you know the time is now.”
…played on a guitar shaped like a baseball bat. *gag*
Has anyone ever read the “Letters to John Fogerty” on McSweeney’s?
http://www.mcsweeneys.net/2004/6/23moe.html
They’re all hysterical, but #3 is the relevant one.
“Glory Days” is a great song. It’s deceptive because it’s popular but aside from the ’speedball’ reference, I have a hard time hating it. I just wish the shirt they made had the first line of the song on it. I would have bought that.
Best sports song: Steve Goodman’s “A Dying Cub Fan’s Last Request.”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xBxZGQ1dJk
For Best sports song, I’ve gotta go with Fanfare for the Common Man (on the Olympics TV coverage). I’m not a classical music aficionado, but it always gives me the chills.
Submitted for your approval: “The Sporting Life” by the Decemberists.
And ‘Guffman’ is getting jobbed in the poll…