In this episode of Baseball related songs, we pay attention to “All the Way” by Pearl Jam front man Eddie Vedder. The song is a tribute to the Chicago Cubs and was performed by Vedder about a year before he recorded the song.
After the Cubs won back-to-back World Series in 1907 and 1908, it would take them 98 years before they could raise the WS trophy. Vedder, an avid Cubs fan, looked ahead to the next World Series victory in the song. Vedder wrote the song with the encouragement of mainly Ernie Banks but also with other Cubs greats.
Vedder performed the song for the first time in Chicago in 2007. It took Vedder two days to record the song in 2008 after he finished his first solo tour. Eventually when the Cubs won the 2016 World Series, the song was accompanied by an official video with historical footage.
Even though Eddie Vedder is closely linked to the Seattle Grunge scene, he was born in Evanston, Illinois and lived in San Diego, California as well. Due to his Evanston roots, Vedder grew up being a Cubs fan. Next to playing “Take me Out to the Ballgame” at several occasions at Wrigley Field, he also threw out the first ceremonial pitch at the Friendly Confines. As he attended several Cubs’ MLB camps, Ernie Banks requested him to write a song about the Cubs. Vedder wrote “All the Way” the night before the 2007 camp started and first performed it at Pearl Jam’s concert of August 2, 2007 at The Vic Theatre in Chicago with Cubs pitcher Kerry Wood and other Cubs players in the attendance.
The song is in a folk music style and is considered a sing-along/drinking song. In the song, Vedder refers to Cubs’ great Ernie Banks and hit catch phrase “Let’s play two” and Wrigley Field. In the lyrics Vedder looks ahead to a future World Series win as it says: “Someday, we’ll go all the way.”
On September 18, 2008, “All the Way” was made available for digital downloadvia Pearl Jam’s official website. On September 30, 2008, a CD single version was made available for purchase at select stores in the Chicago area. A souvenir 45 rpm single format version was also available. The digital download and CD single have been released with an associated single cover art image that is a modified version of the Wrigley Field outfield wall, which you can see on top of this post. The song “All the Way” is considered an honest tribute to the Cubs.
The lyrics of the song are as follows:
Don’t let anyone say that it’s just a game
For I’ve seen other teams, and it’s never the same
When you’re born in Chicago, you’re blessed and you’re healed
The first time you walk into Wrigley Field
Our heroes with pinstripes and heroes in blue
Give us the chance to feel like heroes too
Whether we’ll win and if we should lose
We know someday we’ll go all the way
Yeah, someday we’ll go all the way
We are one with the Cubs
With the Cubs we’re in love
Hold our heads high as the underdogs
We are not fairweather, but foul weather fans
Like brothers in arms, in the streets and the stands
There’s magic in the ivy and the old scoreboard
The same one I stared at as a kid keeping score
In a world full of greed, I could never want more
And someday we’ll go all the way
Yeah, someday we’ll go all the way
Well, someday we’ll go all the way
Yeah, someday we’ll go all the way
Yeah, someday we’ll go all the way
Dutch Baseball Hangout 