I have always appreciated baseball... with fond memories of playing against my cousins, and even little league (when I wasn't too shy to give it a try). I have also been to a few major league baseball games in my day: while I was going to school in Pittsburgh, San Diego, and even to see my once beloved New York Mets (this was Doc Gooden, pre-drug scandal days). Forget all the crap about today's overpaid players and steroid users... when it comes to the history of baseball, I'm right there. I would love to take another trip to the fascinating Cooperstown Hall of Fame, and at some point I need to upload a video I created of artist Mark Chiarello doing these beautiful watercolor paintings of the forgotten Negro Leagues. We put on an annual baseball day at the Museum, and I'm all for continuing the tradition of "America's favorite past time."
So, I woke up today to find a Facebook message from a friend, going on about the latest news about the Washington Nationals. I have to admit, I haven't really been paying much attention yet to the playoffs, and know even less about the Nationals... but I might need to start.
According to an article in The Washington Post, A-ha's song "Take On Me" has become something of a battle cry for the team, as it advances towards a possible spot in the World Series. It turns out that Nationals outfielder Michael Morse uses the Norwegian band's '80s classic as his late game theme song, and has the entire crowd of Washington hopefuls excitedly singing along (even the high notes)!
(fast forward to 7:50)
I have to admit: I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with this goofy tune. Yes, it is
A-ha's best-known song... probably the only one most Americans know (it reached #1 in the U.S. charts back in October of 1985). But it is far from their best song, and I guess you have to blame the band (or their record company) for not paying enough attention to America to promote their follow-up releases (as the article points out, they have sold over 36 million albums, and set a world record for concert attendance of 198,000 people for a 1991 show in Rio).
Talking about success, the Washington Nationals have never played in the World Series before, and before they moved to Washington, a D.C. team hasn't made it to the playoffs since 1933. They lost their game to the St. Louis Cardinals today (8-0... ouch!), so tomorrow (Thursday) is the make or break day.
Last week I was out in Chicago, and witnessed some Cubs fans heading to their hometown team's iconic Wrigley Field for a late season game... they looked hopeful, energized... unfortunately, it's yet another year of heartache for the team. Man, if Cubs fans can still hold on after all this time (their last series win was back in 1908)... I almost found it startling to see people all dressed up in Chi-town glory. This was once true for The Boston Red Sox as well, before they reversed the curse in 2004... and I lived in Massachusetts long enough to witness that bitterness.
So, back to A-ha... I have long kept the faith for this team. When they decided to call it quits in 2010, it seriously felt like a kick in the stomach. They had put in a good run, with many international successes and creating some exciting, creative music together along the way... but it still felt like I had to prove their worth to most people in this country. Even my wife thinks I'm kind of silly to still be interested in news about the so-called 80s band, and its members' latest projects.
When A-ha's name does come up, it's usually for "Take On Me"... even at my wedding (of all places), they had to play the song... it certainly wasn't my pick. During the last A-ha concert I attended in Los Angeles backn in 2010, I stood there sort of motionless at when they ended the show with that song... not the "highest note" in my book.
On the other hand, it's the song that put the band on the map and, fleetingly, on top here in the U.S. (Adele isn't the only musician who has scored a James Bond song)... so, I do have my moments, where it is exciting to hear that this tune still brings others joy, and maybe leads people to check out their other material (still hoping to pull off that WEXT tribute show).
When asked by the Post if the band would consider playing in Washington if the Nationals made it to the World Series; lead singer Morten Harket replied "of course!" Well then... Lets Go Nats! I have always rooted for the underdog...
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