Welcome to the Weekend! Today, I’m beginning a think piece that came to mind at my other job. It involves one more look at MLB’s City Connect program, but instead of ranking every team’s unis, I’m going to…set them to music? Why not? In this case, I’ll share a song from the past 24 years that comes to mind when I see a team’s CC uniform. New songs for a new program…no 20th Century music allowed in this exercise.
Four nights a week, I work at a place that streams music and plays it over the loudspeakers. For the past year they’ve been playing lots of Taylor Swift, Led Zeppelin, various boy bands, and Shania Twain. There’s a little hip-hop and country thrown in, but the vast majority has been classic rock. Quite frankly, I had my fill of that thirty years ago, so on one or two occasions I considered quitting because I was fed up with Zeppelin and AC/DC screaming in my ears, even in the restroom. Then in the past month, the playlist changed dramatically. Taylor (fortunately) and Shania (unfortunately) still are featured, but they pulled back on Zeppelin and most of the classic rock in favor of newer music. It was around this time that I got where Nike and MLB were going with the City Connects. Just as I can’t listen to the same music over and over with nothing new mixed in, there are some sports fans who don’t want to see the same uniforms every single game without a little variety. I get that now, even though I applaud the Yankees for refusing to take part. Some teams don’t need to change. Others can, and some should…occasionally.
Now then, let’s start with the National League, as I show you a CC uni, then I explain my musical reaction to it.
NL East
Atlanta
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In 1974, Henry Aaron made baseball history by passing Babe Ruth on the all-time home run list. That same year, David Bowie released his single “Rebel Rebel.” Last year, the Braves paid homage to the ’74 unis, and country star Chris Young paid homage to Bowie’s guitar riff in his song “Young Love & Saturday Nights.” So that’s what I hear when I see this uniform.
Miami
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With the Cuban look and feel of these beauties, and that fiery red jersey, there was one and only one choice of music: Pitbull’s “Fireball!”
New York
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I normally like dark gray unis. This one was a bit of a letdown, though, so when I came across LCD Soundsystem and their song, “New York, I Love You But You’re Bringing Me Down,” I found my match.
Philadelphia
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The PHILLY and the numbers remind me of tattoos, and when I hear that word, the first song that pops in my head comes from former American Idol Jordin Sparks.
Washington
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While there are songs titled “Cherry Blossoms,” when I first saw this uni I immediately thought of “Hopeless Opus” from Imagine Dragons. Ch-ch-ch-cherry bomb! I like the uni and I like the song.
NL Central
Chicago
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Love the colors. “Wrigley” makes me think of gum, and trying to fit “Wrigleyville” on the jersey seems, well, a little “Clumsy.” That’s why I went with this bit of bubble-gum pop from Fergie.
Cincinnati
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Fortunately, these horrid unis don’t remind me of an equally horrid song. Instead, the first tune that came to mind was Muse’s “Supermassive Black Hole.” Very appropriate.
Milwaukee
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The CCs *remind me* of the ’80s Brew Crew unis, but they’re nowhere near as good. A lot of people think Nickelback are nowhere near as good as other rock bands. I’m not one of them, so pardon me as I play “How You Remind Me.”
Pittsburgh
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The 70s bumblebees were associated with Sister Sledge’s “We Are Family.” These bumblebee wannabes remind me of Paul Russell’s catchy “Lil Boo Thang.” That song samples another disco-era hit: The Emotions’ “Best Of My Love.”
St. Louis
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A little cutting-edge with Nelly’s “The Lou,” but it still has that traditional Cardinals look. Immediately reminded me of Nelly’s duet with country star Tim McGraw, “Over and Over.”
NL West
Arizona
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I really like sand-colored unis, and I really like Old Dominion. Hopefully you’ll like “Written in the Sand.”
Colorado
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Couldn’t use any Dan Fogelberg or John Denver, so I found Dierks Bentley’s “Sun Sets in Colorado.” It’ll do nicely.
Los Angeles (first one)
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Lazy. So it’s time for Bruno Mars’ “The Lazy Song.”
Los Angeles (second one)
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Better, but a little tacky. Looks like something you’d find in, say…”Beverly Hills.” Take it away, Weezer!
San Diego
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When I heard BORNS’ “Electric Love” at work, I instantly thought of the Padres. Once I saw the video (especially towards the end), I knew it was the perfect song. I only electric like this uni, but make it more legible and I could learn to electric love it.
San Francisco
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A uni that had potential, but wasn’t a hit with me because they went too far with the fog. Train’s “When the Fog Rolls In” wasn’t a hit either, so it’s a good match.
That wraps up Part One of this project. I hope everyone was able to find at least one new song they liked. For someone who gave up on pop in the ’90s and early ’00s, I was pleasantly surprised to hear there’s still good stuff being made these days. I also was pleased to see how many City Connect unis I enjoyed, especially in the American League. Can’t wait to share that playlist with you. Yes, there are lots of clunkers, both in the music world and in the uni-verse. But for all you songwriters and designers out there, keep creating!
I think of the Clown Song when I see the Padres’ City Connect. Just waiting for them to have a balloon twisted home run hat in the dugout when they wear these unis.
link
Novel approach! A get-acquainted playlist for me, as my tastes are rooted firmly in the 20th Century.
Glad you gave the songs a try!
Yeah, my music collection is mostly 70s/80s, but I bought enough 2010s music to make a CD, and I’m getting ready to make another one for this decade.
And I’ve gotten into mid-century lounge music, so I’m going in all sorts of directions. Maybe some day I’ll do an older playlist for what I think of when I see the traditional everyday unis.
I’m impressed by the creative connection you’ve made… very fun!
Your sentence about not wanting to listen to the same music over & over & over helped me (59 old guy) understand another reason behind all the uniform “creativity.” Admittedly, I also like an occasional change, but prefer to be able to recognize a team when I see a highlight.
I have a question about how you came up with your songs:
Were the songs you chose all songs you knew or did you search for any and then choose it cuz you liked it?
I knew most of them. Some (Mets, Diamondbacks, Rockies and Giants) I had to search for and never heard them until last night. But when I heard them, they clicked.
Some of these songs (Mets, Phillies and Giants) I’m not even that fond of, even if they fit the mood. But they’re okay in small doses.
And like you, I’m a firm believer of having a brand identity and sticking to it. I am very traditional in some ways, but in others I can be persuaded to float along with the changing current. If I know the days a team will be wearing something different ahead of time, I’m good with a little change.
Thanks for replying!
Like I said, this was a fun & creative idea that I, for one, think is super cool.
…and I’ve been listening to LCD Soundsystem all day since. Thanks!
Cherry Blossom Girl by the French band Air, is just perfect for the Nats CC’s
Oui, totallement!
Hi,
Another mistake Nike made in uniform design?
Check out the Phillies powder blues.
The side stripe on the pants, is now BEHIND the stripe on the shirt.
If you have a uniform set with stripes on the jersey and the pants, and you move the stripes on the pants, obviously the stripes will no longer match up.
If the Phillies would simply cease wearing these (especially at home), the problem would solve itself ; )
Bring back the mod/maroon pins for occasional use…but only with vertically arched N’sOB.
I Miss The Vet
Neat idea…though the music is somewhat less appealing than many of the CC’s.
YMMV, JV.
Your Music May Vary.
;)
awesome idea!
but respectfully, the tunes i cant get into.
looking forward to part II
Thinking of doing a playlist for the regular unis with older music, so you might like that one better.
Nice idea, interesting choices and any excuse to put an old Weezer song in a playlist will do. Mid century lounge music/ movie soundtracks from around the globe has been my favorite playlist genre for quite a while now. It gets you in a good mood, even without the consumption of alcoholic beverages.
That’s a fun idea. I can’t get much into the country or most of the pop songs, but I dig “Clumsy” and “Fireball,” and the Muse song really fits the bill. Rebel Rebel but not Rebel Rebel was okay. But the coup de grace is LCD Sound System. What an amazing tune.