Baseball Related Songs: “Did You See Jackie Robinson Hit That Ball?” by Nathatlie Cole

In today’s episode of “Baseball Related Songs” we pay attention to “Did You See Jackie Robinson Hit That Ball?” performed by Nathalie Cole. The original version was performed by Buddy Johnson, in 1949. Through the decades, the song has been sung by several other artists as well, of which the version of Count Basie may be the best known.

Today we opt for the version of Nathalie Cole, daughter of Nat King Cole. The reason why the Dutch Baseball Hangout opts for this version is that it was part of the soundtrack of the must-see documentary “Baseball” by Ken Burns.

This documentary tells the story of the game of baseball from the very beginning (the 1830s) until the modern ERA. It is a gem that every baseball fan should watch.

Part of the soundtrack of this documentary is the song “Did You See Jackie Robinson Hit That Ball.” The original song was written and performed by Buddy Johnson in 1949, and was one of many songs dedicated to Jackie Robinson, after he broke the colour barrier.

The somewhat older generation, like myself, will know sweet voiced Nathalie Cole because of hit singles in the 80s and 90s, like Pink Cadillac, Miss You Like Crazy, and Unforgettable. The video clip of the last single made it look like she sung a duet with her father. Nathalie had an extensive career that spanned almost thirty years. Her career was plagued by several setbacks in her private life, and drugs and alcohol abuse. She passed away on December 31, 2015.

The lyrics of “Did You See Jackie Robinson Hit That Ball?” are as follows:

Did you see Jackie Robinson hit that ball?
It went zoomin cross the left field wall
Yeah boy, yes, yes. Jackie hit that ball
And when he swung his bat
The crowd went wild
Because he hit that ball a solid mile
Yeah boy, yes, yes. Jackie hit that ball
Satchel Paige is mellow
So is Campanella
Newcombe and Doby, too
But it’s a natural fact
When Jackie comes to bat
The other team is through

Did you see Jackie Robinson hit that ball?
Did he hit it? Yeah, and that ain’t all
He stole home
Yes, yes, Jackie’s real gone
Did you see Jackie Robinson hit that ball?
Did he hit it? Yeah, and that ain’t all
He stole home
Yes, yes, Jackie’s real gone
Jackie’s is a real gone guy