Hello again, everybody! This is Michael “Grubes” Gruber, music director for your Texas Rangers. Welcome to my Super Awesome Baseball Playlist of Merriment and Mirth!
July is always interesting in North Texas. We get slapped in the face with the first real heat of the year—well, usually—and the month feels as though it will never end. As Rangers fans, July brings the longest home stand of the season. In prior years, this heat would be quite a doozy. Instead, we get to party as hard as we want because we have a glorious roof and air conditioning now!
The Rangers are keeping things interesting at the ballpark, and I’m trying to do the same via the miracle of music! Let’s get to the playlist!
“As It Was,” Harry Styles: There’s no way to avoid the mega-hit of summer 2022, even at the ballpark! My good pal Kevin Turner summed up the song pretty perfectly:
At 3 months at #1 Harry Styles’ “As It Was” is the song of the summer. Beyoncé could make some noise but it would be too late.
— Kevin Turner (@ktfuntweets) July 7, 2022
Also, can a song sound similar to another song without it sounding like that song? “As It Was” is similar to 2020 Song of Summer champ “Blinding Lights”
“Canned Heat,” Jamiroquai: The Napoleon Dynamite song puts everyone in a dancing mood, even if they can never match the moves of Napoleon!
“Feel Me Flow,” Naughty By Nature: Nathaniel Lowe recently switched to the instrumental intro of this legendary track. Lowe is a chill dude, and this certainly seems to get him in a hitting groove!
“I Got You (I Feel Good),” James Brown: Nothing will wake up a ballpark like the joyous scream of the Godfather of Soul! And if you’re at Globe Life Field, you know you’re gonna feel good, too!
“Joy to the World,” Three Dog Night: Every baseball fan has tapped his or her foot to this nonsensical song of bullfrogs and wine!
“Head and Heart,” Joel Corry, MNEK: Shamelessly “borrowed” from LA Dodgers ballpark music director DJ Severe when I tried to emulate him during the 2020 World Series, this song is laidback yet bouncy. Club music sounds great over those powerfully bassy GLF speakers!
“Leave the Door Open,” Silk Sonic: While the full song hasn’t been heard at the ballpark, I was able to make use of the chorus during the series against Oakland. Why? Because they forgot to shut the bullpen door and delayed the start of an inning for a moment!
“Mr. Brightside,” The Killers: A song that’s been played sparingly at the ballpark until we hosted Dallas Stars Night, and I tried to evoke the spirit of my good buddy Dallas Stars DJ Jonathon “Shippy” Shipman. While not quite at singalong status yet, it’s always going to get the crowd off their feet and having fun!
“Pepas,” Farruko: A 2021 mega-hit, this song brings the energy, even if it did require a bit more editing than typically necessary!
“Suga Suga,” Baby Bash, Frankie J: Josh Smith’s walk-up pick is one of my favorite songs ever, so I look forward to his at-bats! The great Chuck Morgan is even so kind as to announce Smith a little quicker than usual to allow me to hear more of the song before he steps to the plate!
“Take It Easy,” The Eagles: A classic ballpark song to listen to while munching on some popcorn and having a soda or perhaps an adult beverage!
