TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALL GAME

Bruce Springstone's version

Nelly Kelly loved baseball games
She knew the players and all of their names
You could see her up there every day
Shouting "hurray" as they'd play
Her boy friend by the name of Joe
Said, "To Coney Island, dear, let's go"
So Nelly started to fret and pout
And to him I heard her shout

"Take me out to the ball game
Take me out with the crowd
Oh won't you buy me some peanuts and some cracker jack
Well I don't care if I never get back
Let me root, root, root for the home team
If they don't win it's a shame
Because it's one, two, three strikes, you're out
At the old ball game"

Mmmm, mmm

Well Nelly Kelly was sure some fan
She would root just like any man
Told the umpire he was wrong
All along, good and strong
So when the score was just two to two
Nelly Kelly knew just what to do
Well just to cheer up the boys she knew
She made the gang sing this song

"Take me out to the ball game
Take me out with the crowd
Oh won't you buy me some peanuts and some cracker jack
Well I don't care if I never get back (I don't care if I never get back)
Let me root, root, root for the home team
If they don't win it's a shame
Because it's one, two, three strikes, you're out
At the old ball game
At the old ball game
At the old ball game"

Strike one!
Strike two!
Strike three!
You're out!!!!

Page last updated: 21 Nov 2009

Intro

The above lyrics are for a version of TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALL GAME recorded by the Bruce Springsteen parody group, Bruce Springstone. This version of the song is clearly sung in the style of Springsteen's ROSALITA (COME OUT TONIGHT).

Bruce Springstone

Bruce Springstone was created in the spring of 1982 by Baltimore's Tom Chalkley (writer, cartoonist, and satirist) and Craig Hankin. According to Chalkley, the idea came at a party, during which he was singing TV show theme songs in the style of Bruce Springsteen. It was an instant hit. "Everybody hit the deck laughing," Hankin recalls told The Baltimore Sun in November 2009. "We thought, 'Oh, this is a funny idea.'"

Convinced he should cut a record, Chalkley originally wanted to sing "New York, New York" the Bruce way. Hankin came with the idea that Chalkley should use his Springsteen impression to sing MEET THE FLINSTONES. They called this knock-off project "Bruce Springstone" and recruited lead guitarist Tommy Keene and veteran jazz saxophonist Ron Holloway to record with them at Hit And Run Studios in Rockville, MD.

They took the recording to Clean Cuts, a local record label then known for its jazz recordings, and played it for label owner Jack Heyrman. "[Heyrman] let me know a one-off novelty single was not exactly up his alley, but he was willing to listen," Hankin told The Baltimore Sun. "By the time we got to the end of the tape, he was chuckling. He said, 'I think we may have a novelty record here.'"

Clean Cuts wanted to release the Bruce Springstone song, BEDROCK RAP / MEET THE FLINTSTONES, but needed a B-side. Hankin discovered and original lyrics and sheet music to TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALL GAME, and they recorded a version of it for the B-side.

The Bruce Springstone: Live At Bedrock single was released in September 1982 on Clean Cuts Records, the same week Bruce Springsteen' Nebraska album was released. The single was an instant hit, selling 100,000 copies, and was spun on hundreds of radio stations in the U.S. and abroad. Upon it's release, many rock and college radio stations played the record to fool their audiences, and it is reported that it did fool a lot of people. Bruce Springsteen sent a postcard to Tom Chalkley saying: "Heard your record. Cute."

The front cover is a parody of the Born To Run album, picturing Fred as Bruce and Dino as Clarence. Cartoon makers Hanna-Barbara had a problem. They approved the use of MEET THE FLINSTONES, but they were against the sleeve artwork. After selling some 35,000 copies, Hanna-Barbara pulled the plug with a cease-and-desist order.

A-side: BEDROCK RAP / MEET THE FLINTSTONES B-side: TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALL GAME Credits: Tom Chalkley - lead vocals Gabor Lutor - bass Ron Holloway - saxophone John Ebersbergr - drums, glockenspiel, vocals Craig Hankin - rhythm guitar Suzy Shaw - keyboards Tommy Keene - lead guitar Arranged by Craig Hankin and Tom Chalkley Produced by Jack Heyrman Engineered by Steve Carr at Hit & Run Studios, Rockville, MD Front cover art by John Ebersbergr Back cover art by Tom Chalkley

Bruce Springstone made a music video for BEDROCK RAP / MEET THE FLINTSTONES, but Hannah Barbera threatened to sue if MTV played it. "It was the most expensive home video ever made," Hankin told The Baltimore Sun. Tom Chalkley wrote three other songs for Bruce Springstone -- "Cave Girl," "I'm On Ice," and "Ugga Bugga" -- but none of them made it to record under Bruce Springstone.

Official Releases

The Live At Bedrock single was released on both 7" and 12" formats:

• Bruce Springstone -- Live At Bedrock
  7" single - USA, Sep 1982 - Clean Cuts (CC902)
  
  
   
• Bruce Springstone -- Live At Bedrock
  12" single - USA, Sep 1982 - Clean Cuts (CC1202)
  
  

Both BEDROCK RAP / MEET THE FLINTSTONES and TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALL GAME by Bruce Springstone are still in print, on various compilation albums released by Rhino.

Bruce Springstone's TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALL GAME was also released on several compilations on Rhino Records:

• Various artists -- Baseball's Greatest Hits
  LP - USA, 1989 - Rhino (R11h 70710)
  CD - USA, 1989 - Rhino (R21S 70710)
  
  
   
• Various artists -- Baseball Hits
  CD - USA, 2001 - Rhino Flashback (???)
  
  

Available Versions

List of available versions of TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALL GAME on this website:

• Live 13 Jun 1973 version
• Original version
• Bruce Springstone's version

Credits / References

Thanks Jake (ol'catfishinthelake from BTX and Greasy Lake) for the lyrics help. Info about some of the above official releases are taken from the Nebraska website.

Request

In 1994, Bruce Springstone: Live At Bedrock Suzy Shaw keyboard player Suzy Shaw wrote "The Bruce Springstone Story" for Backstreets Magazine issue #48. If you have that issue, please contact me via the below form or by email: . Any additions, comments, or corrections to this page are also welcome. You will be credited. Thanks in advance.