What Would Be Your 'At-Bat' Theme Song?
At spring training, No. 1 prospect Jason Hayward has been shattering car windows beyond right field. Maybe his at-bat song should be "Bust Your Window." Mark Cunningham/Getty Images Sport hide caption
At spring training, No. 1 prospect Jason Hayward has been shattering car windows beyond right field. Maybe his at-bat song should be "Bust Your Window."
Mark Cunningham/Getty Images SportHave you ever noticed that the songs the batters pick while stepping up to the plate are -- for the most part -- not always great? Between bites of overpriced chili dogs and desperate attempts to keep the wave going, there's an assortment of jock rock, overplayed mainstream rap and "Sweet Home Alabama" (OK, we don't mind that one).
Some players know how to pick 'em, though. The now-retired pitcher John Smoltz -- best remembered by most of us as an Atlanta Brave -- rotated Boston's "More Than a Feeling" and AC/DC's "Thunderstruck." Even if Smoltz was just going to bunt, the crowd at least threw up their clenched fists in rock glory as he strode to the batter's box.
If you had a stadium-pumping song for when you stepped up to the plate, what would it be? Tell us in the comments below. We put together our own NPR nine-song starting lineup to get you started.
What Would Be Your 'At-Bat' Theme Song?
Lars Gotrich, NPR Music (Right Field)
- Song: Live to Win
- from Ace of Spades [Deluxe Edition]
- by Motörhead
Let's be honest here: at any given stadium, the pimply guy pushing the "play" button doesn't care that the best part of "The Way You Move" comes at 0:49. He starts the music at 00:00 and you better hope that the first 10 seconds -- 15 if you're strollin' to the plate -- are enough to energize your game and get the crowd rowdy. This is why Motorhead's "Live to Win" is an all-out at-bat FTW. The bass riff snarls right out of the cage, prowls and then promptly pounces at the nine-second mark. Leading off the lineup, you need a riff to burn down the first base line.
Hear "Live to Win" on YouTube.
Jeffrey Katz, NPR Digital News (Second Base)
- Song: Ready to Go
- from Republica
- by Republica
If I've just finished scraping the mud off my cleats and started to stride to the plate, staring at the pitcher, I want him to know I'm ready. Really ready. Republica sends the right message with a hard driving beat behind "Ready to Go." You can't help but draw energy from it. The no-nonsense lyrics underscore the point -- give me your best stuff because it's coming right back at you. Of course, you hope that a guy with a 95 mph fastball isn't paying too much attention to the idea that I might think he's weird, strange and insane.
Hear "Ready to Go" on YouTube.
Robert Goldstein, NPR's Music Librarian (Center Field)
- Song: Back in Black
- from Back in Black
- by AC/DC
What player wouldn't love to saunter bat in hand to home plate as a sellout crowd claps in time to the primal crushing chords of AC/DC's "Back in Black" thundering from the stadium PA? The opposing pitcher can't ignore the veiled taunt of the lyrics. Trying to rattle him, chanting fans echo the words: "Yes I'm back / Well, I'm back / Yes I'm back in black." Angus Young spits out each swaggering guitar riff with gritty intensity, the theme for a tense at-bat that promises fans a wicked shot down the line for extra bases. (As an added advantage, the song color-coordinates with uniforms of the Pittsburgh Pirates, who, storied history notwithstanding, need all the help they can get.)
Hear "Back in Black" on YouTube.
Frannie Kelley, NPR Music (Shortstop)
- Song: Mama Said Knock You Out
- from
- by
In trying to intimidate a pitcher and a whole ballpark full of people, my guess is it's best to drag out your walk from the on-deck circle to the plate as long as possible. I might get a little nervous and start rushing, so I'd time myself to the intro on LL Cool J's midcareer refutation of doubters, naysayers and latecomers to the party. I'd step out on "Don't call it a comeback," do a little shoulder rolling, spit a couple of times and stroll into the batter's box just as the sound man fades out on "Listen to the bass go boom / Explosion." The classic Clyde Stubblefield sample would sound extra funky echoing off whatever bleachers remain at the stadiums. And I really like the idea of invoking my mother right before I knock a grand slam.
Hear "Mama Said Knock You Out" on YouTube.
Bill Chappell, NPR Digital News (Third Base)
- Song: Get On Down
- from The Pushin' "Dope" EP
- by Kenny Dope
"Get on Down" is simple and to the point. I like how the lyrics -- "Get on down with your bad self / Get on down" -- reiterate one essential point to ensure I won't overthink matters. But the line also speaks to the complexity of an athlete's identity: You have a version of yourself that is not bad; that persona has no place in the batter's box. Kenny Dope also reminds you to keep your butt down and stay in your stance, and you can't help but rake it all over the yard. Need more reasons? It samples Method Man and Minnie Ripperton, and has crowd noise built in.
Hear "Get on Down" on YouTube.
Visit Kenny Dope's Web site.
Patrick Jarenwattananon, NPR Music (First Base)
- Song: Simon Says
- from Internal Affairs
- by Pharoahe Monch
Yes, there are plenty of more current rap songs also worth my plate appearance. Yet facing two outs in the bottom of the ninth, I can think of nothing more menacing than the preamble to Pharoahe Monch's 1999 hit, a recombination of the Godzilla vs. Mothra theme with a neck-snapping kick and snare. Even the way dude grunts makes him sound ready to blast someone in the sternum. The lyrics become less than family-friendly after that, so you'd need to fade it out soon. (You only get 10 to 15 seconds anyway, right?) But so evil is this opening riff that it's literally illegal; the Godzilla sample wasn't cleared, and the album remains out of print because of it. Musically, though, it's batting 1.000.
Hear "Simon Says" on YouTube.
Mike Katzif, NPR Music (Catcher)
- Song: Hang You from the Heavens
- from Horehound
- by The Dead Weather
Not all baseball fans have the benefit of being a native-born Yankee or Dodger. But for the rest of us stuck rooting for our perpetual and often hapless underdogs, any motivation you get can help endure through the long season. One of the best ways to unite a team and its fans is to create an "us vs. them" mentality, one that will get you fired up when you're down a few in the late innings. So when you're digging into the batter's box, there's nothing like hearing a sneering rock anthem like The Dead Weather's "Hang You from the Heavens" to get that two-out rally started. With its propulsive beat and biting, distorted riffs, the song supplies enough subversive swagger to convince anyone you're ready for the nastiest of fastballs.
Hear "Hang You from the Heavens" on YouTube.
Melisa Goh, NPR Digital News (Left Field)
- Song: Totally Stupid
- from Wolf
- by Andrew W.K.
Step up with this one and you're sure to send it over the ivy. This Andrew W.K. power grind has all the pathos of a howl in the storm, but still convinces you to conquer. Better than that, it gives you permission to strike out, get up and go hell-bent for leather again: "Put yourself out there, even if it's humiliating / That's where I want to be."
Hear "Totally Stupid" on YouTube.
Wright Bryan, NPR Blogs (Pitcher)
- Song: Carnival Time
- from New Orleans Party Classics
- by Various Artists
The staccato horns in the open proclaim it before Al Johnson can say it: "Everybody's having fun!" This is one of the hallmark songs of Mardi Gras in New Orleans, and it's also a perfect tone setter for a day at the park. Baseball's only a game, after all, and games are meant to be fun.
Hear "Carnival Time" on YouTube.