Five Songs for Your Baltimore Orioles Opening Day Playlist

Happy Opening Day, Orioles fans. As you count the hours, minutes, and seconds until first pitch, try putting on some baseball-themed tunes to pass the time. Here are five selections that I recommend for your Baltimore Orioles Opening Day playlist.

1. “Thank God I’m a Country Boy”

Perhaps no song defines a day at the ballpark in Baltimore as well as the seventh-inning stretch classic “Thank God I’m a Country Boy.” With all due respect to the late John Denver, I’m a big fan of The Avett Brothers’ take on the classic.

2. “A World of Orioles Baseball” 

If you like a side of sentimentality with your main course of baseball, “A World of Orioles Baseball” is the song for you. I’ve long been a fan of the Jason Siemer tune.

3a. “Orioles Magic” …

A lack of familiarity and the requisite affection for “Orioles Magic” will almost certainly lead to a questioning of your Baltimore baseball credentials.

3b. … (And the James Nasty Remix)

However, if you’d like a modern take on a classic, James Nasty offers a ballpark-friendly option.

4. “Centerfield”

Okay, so it’s not specific to the Orioles, and the lack of a space between the words “center” and “field” leaves baseball writers tsk-tsking at John Fogerty, but “Centerfield” is pretty much standard fare for a day at the ballpark.

True story: I once participated in a karaoke-style competition during a work retreat. You didn’t know which songs you’d be singing in advance, and you had to go off memory for the lyrics. “Centerfield” was my second song. I sang the crap out of the chorus because I didn’t know any of the other words.

5. “Talkin’ Baseball (Baltimore Orioles)”

I have to admit to some disappointment when I learned that Terry Cashman recorded several team-specific versions of “Talkin’ Baseball” and not just one song for the Orioles. After all, I was the type of kid who actually believed Rex Barney when he reminded everyone in attendance at Memorial Stadium that they were the best fans in baseball.

I got back on to better terms with Cashman years later when he recorded “Talking Softball” for the “Homer at the Bat” episode of The Simpsons.

Here is a list of Orioles Ballpark Music that includes the players’ preferred songs. Between his Vanimal nickname and his preference for “Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Can See,” Vance Worley could well rank among my favorite Orioles this season.

How about you? What’s on your Baltimore Orioles Opening Day playlist?

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