Tuesday Tunes 212: Games And Sports

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Having brought an end, of sorts, to my four week run of posts about the two big charity events of 1985 and 2005 it is time to return to my usual pattern. So it is back to a five song post on a theme of my choosing. But what should it be? As the Olympic Games have just finished, our football season has just begun, and we are looking forward to the second test match cricket series of the summer, games and sports seems a good idea, so that’s what I’m going with. I already have more than enough of these for two weeks so will probably do this again, but this is where I’m starting

I know this one is about a different kind of game, but it’s a suitable title and I’ve always liked the song:

Sadly, that song is still just as relevant today as it was at the time. Joe South released Games People Play on his debut album, Introspect, in August 1968. The album only reached #117 in the US but as a single this song did much better, peaking at #12. We were a bit slow to pick up on it here in the UK, but it finally entered our charts in March 1969 and did even better here, getting to #6 – Joe’s only UK hit. The track won him two Grammy Awards in 1970, for Best Contemporary Song and Song Of The Year. It is a simple protest song and, as I remarked, it still feels meaningful today, perhaps even more so.

Today’s second song is from one of my favourites:

Sorry, British readers, I know that is a song about rounders but the Americans seem to like the game! John Fogerty released Centerfield as the title track of his third solo album in January 1985. It got to #1 in the US and #48 in the UK, and this was then released as the B-side to the single of Rock and Roll Girls, but when it began to be played by DJs at baseball games it was a hit in its own right at #44 in the US, but not making the UK charts. The background to this performance is that during the early days of the lockdown John revisited some of his back catalogue with his children, Shane, Tyler and Kelsy, giving us a new video each week or so. They were all delightful and the family had a lot of fun with them. For John’s 75th birthday his kids arranged for them to play at the LA Dodgers Stadium and fulfil one of his lifelong dreams, though maybe not as he expected! From that came the invitation to play at the Capitol 4th July celebrations, which is the video I’m playing today.

This next one is also about a sport which is much bigger in N America than it is here, but has always had its support in the UK. In case you have ever thought of ice hockey as licensed thuggery, this is for you:

Warren Zevon, with Hit Somebody (The Hockey Song) from his eleventh – and penultimate – album My Ride’s Here, which was released in May 2002. Its only chart placing was at #22 in the US Independent Albums listing but, like everyone who knew of his genius, this was in my collection. Warren tragically left us early, taken at just 56 in September 2003 by a virulent form of cancer, but his remarkable legacy of songs lives on. During his time he made many appearances on David Letterman’s chat show, and they became firm friends, so much so that Warren gave David one of his guitars in his final appearance on the show. David is credited with ‘backing vocals’ on this track: those shouts of ‘Hit Somebody’ are all him! If you aren’t familiar with Warren’s music you really should be: this is typical of his wry sense of humour. It’s no surprise that he was also friends with the wonderful novelist Carl Hiaasen, who shares a similar (warped) sense of humour and has often quoted Warren’s lyrics in his books. Needless to say, I’m a fan of both of them!

I mentioned cricket at the beginning, and this one kind of uses the game as part of its theme:

10cc released Dreadlock Holiday as a single in July 1978 and it then became the opening track on their sixth album, Bloody Tourists, which came out two months later. The single made #1 in the UK and in several other cricket-playing countries, but only reached #44 in the US, where it probably needed some explanation. The album peaked at #3 in the UK and #69 in the US. I always liked the song, and this video is superb in recreating the song’s story. Sparing no expense, the production company took them all the way to…Dorset. So much for that trip to the West Indies! The YouTube clip of this has one of the best comments I’ve ever seen: it is from the guy who ran the production company, and says that the photo the film’s hero holds up is actually a snap of his mother. I guess you use whatever you can find!

Today’s final song is a bit of a cheat, as it is nothing to do with sport but it does continue a tenuous link to cricket. Around ten years ago this became part of the fun at the annual T20 cricket finals day here, with community crowd singing led by the wonderful David Lloyd, former cricketer, coach and commentator. I know that it has also been a staple at sports grounds in the US, and has more recently been adopted as an unofficial theme tune by supporters of both the England Men’s and Women’s football teams, so it kind of counts. And I like it:

And here’s a football crowd version:

It didn’t help: we lost to Italy in a penalty shootout!

Sweet Caroline was a single for Neil Diamond in May 1969, peaking at #4 in the US and #8 in the UK. It wasn’t at first an album track but on the strength of its success it was added to a re-pressed version of his April 1969 album Brother Love’s Travelling Salvation Show. It wasn’t much help, though, as the album only made #82 in the US and didn’t chart anywhere else. Worth a try, though, at the risk of pissing off those who bought the album on first release!

That’s a wrap for today. Maybe these were a bit of a mix, and not all directly related to games and sports, but hey, I can play what I want! I’ll do another set of these next week, and at present the running list for that is entirely composed of songs about sports. But then, as they say, in every programme there are some last minute changes…

Have a great week 😊

 

70 thoughts on “Tuesday Tunes 212: Games And Sports”

  1. Pingback: Tuesday Tunes 212: Games And Sports – The Travel guru

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    • I thought that one was quite appropriate for our times, too.

      Some songs just seem to catch on, usually for no obvious reason. Sweet Caroline has become a global phenomenon. Neil Diamond did a version during lockdown with people from around the world singing the lines, and even included the ‘so good, so good’ chorus response!

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  5. I came so close! I knew everyone of the artists in this post, but I was not familiar with 10cc’s or Warren’s songs. Maybe some day I’ll know every song you write about!

    But I loved the Hockey song, and what a fun piece of trivia that David Letterman sings backup! But to be honest, I never understood why fighting is considered such a natural part of ice hockey…

    And while I’ve always liked 10cc, I haven’t listened to them in decades, so it was nice to listen to Dreadlock Holiday. Who would have thought there would be a song featuring cricket!

    And I may have mentioned this before, but Sweet Caroline is one of my all-time favorites. And it recently helped me to conquer one of my fears. I have always dreaded the idea of singing in public, but when we were in Australia this past winter, we found a karaoke bar and after going there a few times, I got up the nerve to put my name on the list, When it was finally my turn to get up on stage (along with my son), the song I chose was Sweet Caroline. Suffice it to say no one asked for an encore…

    P.S. I’m not sure if you like ELO, but I am excited to let you know that I will be seeing them perform next month! It will be the first time I see them perform.

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    • Knowing all of the acts was a good result, especially as the two songs you didn’t know weren’t big over there.

      That’s great that you went for the karaoke – I hope you led the audience in the “so good, so good” chorus response!

      I do like ELO but haven’t seen them live. If you’re lucky, Jeff Lynne will be showcasing another of his line of gorgeous violinists 😊

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  9. I cannot find it anywhere, but the story went that Sweet Caroline is a song that almost never was. At show in Vancouver in the 90s Neil told this story before he sang Sweet Caroline. It was the first song he recorded as a solo artist, and so fell flat he al ost quit the music business. No radio station would play it. His second release was Solitary Man and it got into the 50s on Billboard (but as usual hit the Top Ten in Winnipeg). Sweet Caroline, he told the audience, would never have been re-released, but for some producer who thought he could improve on the music line. Neil said he re-recorded it with that producer, and it became one of his biggest hits. He said the producer’s name and thanked him for convincing Neil to do it again, his way. I just looked, and there is no mention that I can find sbout an early recording. So either Neil was having the audience on, or the early version was completely buried. To me it sounded like a true story.

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  10. I’m Not in Love was the lone 10cc song that I can recall, so this one was new for me. I used to love Warren Zevon on Lettermen, and I remembered he was one of youir favorites. This was the other one I have no memory of. One of the fans leads everyone in Sweet Caroline in the American college football games my son’s team plays in.

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    • Happy to have found some new ones for you, Pete. Warren was never going to be left out of this: that song is so typical of his sense of humour, and I bet Letterman had a great time doing his vocals. Two of his band played on the recording too.

      I was reading on Wikipedia about Sweet Caroline while I wrote this. It is incredibly widespread as a song for sporting events!

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  11. Ok, here’s something you don’t know about me: I don’t watch much TV except for two British series on PBS and any baseball game that happens to be on. It’s a bonus when it’s a NY team but it doesn’t have to be. We Americans love our baseball! ⚾️

    Very enjoyable read and terrific music, most of which I knew. Nice one, Clive. I will leave you with this piece of silliness. 😊

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    • I’m glad you enjoyed the post and the music, Nancy. I know you guys love baseball, which is why I couldn’t resist that little dig 😉

      I love that movie and the two follow ups, thank you for the reminder.

      Which two British tv series?

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      • We are big fans of Grantchester and All Creatures Great and Small. Both have excellent casts and great stories. We tried Magpie Murders last week; too soon to tell if we’re going to stick with it.
        We took our boys to see NG when it first came out; I was laughing so hard at that scene, I almost choked on my popcorn!

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      • Two good series, though I think I still prefer the original version of All Creatures to the current one. Probably just what I’m used to, I guess.

        I have the movie on DVD somewhere but a couple of years ago iTunes had the three of them as a special offer bundle for a ridiculously low price: too good to miss 😊

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      • It was a long time ago, I’m guessing Seventies. A great cast who have all gone on to star in more shows. I balance out that wait with quality: as long as they are using the time to make it as good as possible that’s fine by me.

        No footy tonight: The Repair Shop and Celebrity Race Across The World. Two more for you to try!

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      • These two are both good. The Repair Shop is people bringing loved items that need restoration by some master crafts people. The stories the items represent are real tear jerkers. Great tv! Race Across The World (‘celebs’ and normal people) drops couples into unknown lands, with no phones and a fixed budget. Again, the way the pairs interact over a month or more while racing across 12,000+ km is at the heart of it.

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      • The way I look at it, Clive, is just about anything (with the exception of those stultifying Kardashians) has to be better than a show called Naked and Afraid. Why? Why is this necessary! And why do the people have to be naked AND afraid? Can’t they just be afraid? This is crapola! 😳

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  13. Love Joe South’s stuff, especially ‘Don’t It Make You Wanna Go Home,’ Fogarty can be relied on to send one or two over the fence, and the Zevon song’s chock-full of lyrical imagery- that ‘red light’ line is perfect songwriting. My wife usually hums along to ‘Dreadlock Holiday’ and it’s actually she not me who really loves the cricket. I guess Neil’s ‘Sweet Caroline’ becoming a stadium anthem proves anything is possible too. (Pity for Southgate’s charges that once again a more relevant end-of-season Diamond song would be ‘Song Sung Blue.’) Still too raw, still too soon? Sorry.😑

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    • I know very little of Joe South. This was his only hit here and I don’t remember hearing any of his other stuff on the radio. John Fogerty is always good value, isn’t he. Warren Zevon is one of the best songwriters ever, in my view – some of his lyrics are incredible. At least one of your household is into cricket!

      By the end of Southgate’s reign I think we were in need of Brother Love’s Travelling Salvation Show.

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  14. Terrific post! Love that you included Devon…in case some don’t know, he went on Letterman after his terminal cancer diagnosis and was asked if he had any advice for others. His reply: “Enjoy every sandwich.” A complicated, tortured Artist to be sure.

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    • Thank you, John, glad you liked it. I was never leaving Warren Zevon out of this theme! To expand on your comment, that phrase then became the title of a tribute album of other acts playing his songs. He was incredibly talented, as evidenced by the range of people who covered his songs.

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      • Yes, and I love that his last album had a bunch of friends take part to help boost sales for his family….I own all of his music, and while the output was a bit uneven, “Reconsider Me” and “Sentimental Hygiene” are overlooked classics!

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      • He made that last album after he received his diagnosis and decided he wanted to make one final record. He called in favours from friends and produced a masterpiece. I still find the closing track, Keep Me In Your Heart, difficult to listen to, more than twenty years on. There is a very good documentary about the making of the album, which is on YouTube:

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      • Thanks for sharing that…yes, that song is heartbreaking. I met him a few times when he was dating a co-worker…she is included in the oral biography of him…again, quite tortured as an artist

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