The Late Movies: Songs About Baseball

Erica Palan
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Baseball season is the happiest time of the year. Home runs, hot dogs, and hot summer nights at the ballpark are touchstones for so many of us, from the most casual observer to the diehard fan. Here, we've rounded up some songs about America's pastime. Did we leave out your favorite? Tell us in the comments. (This Phillies fan had to resist the urge to include a popular song from the City of Brotherly Love.)

"Glory Days" by Bruce Springsteen

The 1984 song uses baseball as the framework for a song about recapturing youth.

"Catfish" by Bob Dylan

This tune, based on the career of Catfish Hunter, who pitched for the Oakland Athletics and the New York Yankees, was unreleased until Dylan's 1991 box set The Bootleg Series Volumes 1-3.

(Apologies for the cover. YouTube wasn't offering up anything better.)

"Joltin' Joe DiMaggio" by the Les Brown Orchestra

In 1941, Joe DiMaggio had a 56-game hitting streak and the Les Brown Orchestra got in on the action.

"Centerfield" by John Fogerty

According to Fogerty lore, the former Creedence Clearwater Revival frontman wrote this song after watching the 1984 Major League Baseball All-Star Game from the bleachers at Candlestick Park in San Francisco.

"Talkin' Softball" from The Simpsons

A parody of "Talkin' Baseball" by Terry Cashman, this song appeared in the third season of The Simpsons in an episode called "Homer at the Bat." Cashman admits that the song helped his fame and that he gets more requests for "Talkin' Softball" than his original tune.

"Say Hey" by the Treniers

Released in 1955, this song honoring Willie Mays featured dialogue from the Giants centerfielder himself.

"Cheap Seats" by Alabama

Written about a minor league team and the small town that loves them.

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