D.C. might not have voting rights, but as a terribly small consolation prize, our baseball team is letting us vote on the in-game music in hopes of starting some lasting traditions at the new Nationals Park. Right now you can go to the Washington Nationals web site and select the song to be played on the stadium PA after a home run, during the 7th inning stretch, and after a Nationals victory. Go here to vote; you still have until Wednesday, March 26 at 5 p.m. to do so. The choices range from local acts to jock-rock mainstays to bland and beyond. Here’s our breakdown of the races:
Home Run Song
D.C. go-go king Chuck Brown’s “Bustin Loose” is trailed closely by nouveau-stadium standard “Song 2 (Woo Hoo)” by Blur for the home run song. The Air Force theme, “Off We Go” by Robert Crawford is also in the running. Fatboy Slim’s “Because We Can” and Zombie Nation’s “Kernkraft 400” round out the field.
DCist Pick: The opening rush of “Song 2” was exhilarating — the first time you heard it, a decade ago. C’mon folks, if we didn’t vote for Chuck Brown, we’d have to change our name.
7th Inning Stretch Song (to follow “Take Me Out to the Ballgame”)
The field here is diverse, but predictable. The only tune with a local connection is “You Gotta Have Heart” from Damn Yankees, the musical about the old Washington Senators. But it’s languishing in fourth place in the standings, which right now are topped by Otis Day and the Knights version of “Shout” and the Beatles version of “Twist and Shout”. Which kinda leads us to wonder what the hell the nomination committee has against the Isley Brothers. Rounding out the field is the ubiquitous “YMCA”, “Rock Me Gently” by Andy Kim, “The Gambler”, “September” by Earth, Wind, and Fire, and the British Invasion classic “Build Me Up Buttercup” by the Foundations.
DCist Pick: Split decision. It’s hard to go against the Damn Yankees local connection, but the irony of everyone singing “Why do you build me up, buttercup baby, just to let me down?” as the Nats take the field for the final innings may just be too much to pass up.
Victory Song
The weakest field, by far, features notary-certified stadium hits like Kool and the Gang’s “Celebration”, Martha and the Vandellas’ “Dancing in the Streets”, Toby Keith’s “How Do You Like Me Now?”, U2’s “Beautiful Day”, and Gary Glitter’s “Rock and Roll Part 2”. Ladies and gentlemen of the District and outlying suburbs: “Beautiful Day” is currently winning. Could a song sell out more than this one? On the local tip, “Dancing in the Streets” at least mentions D.C., even if it is part of a laundry list of places in America where one could go and, you know, dance in the street.
DCist Pick: From a terribly dull set of choices, Gary Glitter’s wordless anthem is the most rousing, Toby Keith’s tune might be the most fitting, and “Celebration” seems best geared to get the victory party rolling. But since this is all they’re giving us to choose from, we’ll take the timeless classic and D.C.-referencing “Dancing in the Streets”.
