The Mystery of Take Me Out to the Ballgame

Why isn't "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" on Anthology?

One of the most-beloved songs of the acoustic era, "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" is allegedly Murray's biggest hit—according to several sources that analyze the popularity of records. In fact, it was selected by the RIAA as the single most popular recording between 1890 and 1920 for their "Songs of the Century" list. So why isn't it represented on Anthology, the first-ever collection of songs by the most popular artist of the acoustic era?

As it turns out, Murray never actually recorded it! It may be that he was supposed to sit in with the Haydn Quartet, as he frequently did, or it may just have been a mistake that has been perpetuated from one source to the next. Nonetheless, neither the label nor Victor catalogues from 1908 say anything about Murray participating in the recording. In 1911, Victor mistakenly listed the record in their catalogue as by "Murray and the Haydn Quartet," but in two other places in the catalogue, reference to the song is made without mention of Murray.

Surely, Billy Murray was a huge baseball fan. He knew all the major-league players' names, sat on their benches during games, and even played the occasional exhibition game with the Yankees. It does seem odd that he didn't sing the song most suited to him!

But aural evidence should convince any listener that Murray is not on the recording. You can clearly hear tenor Harry Macdonough singing lead, with the rest of the Haydn Quartet supporting him. Since Murray sang lead when he guested with the Haydn, there is no reason to think that he is singing backup—and there is no hint of his unique sound to persuade us he is on the recording. It may be that he was out playing baseball that day!