Do You Want to Know The Final Walk-Off Songs?

You all know what a walk-on song is, right? It’s the music that blares over the loudspeakers at a ballgame when the next player comes up to bat. It’s usually loud and raucous. The song’s job is to get the hometown fans up and rocking and get the batter in the mood to do major damage to the opposition pitcher. Examples of songs that hit it out of the park include Thunderstruck by AC/DC, Jump Around by House of Pain, and Welcome to the Jungle by Axl Rose, Slash, and the rest of the boys in Guns N’Roses.

But as I fade into the sunset at the end of this week I need just the opposite, songs that will help me walk out the door, songs that will help me say goodbye. I won’t be swinging for the fences, just saying a last goodbye before the club retires my number.

Today, Wednesday, I have two more days to go. What is the song that is running through my head? It’s the triumphant, uptempo Eagles song, Already Gone. And although I have still two days to go, in my head I’m singing that “I’m already gone, and I’m feelin’ strong. I will sing this vict’ry song. Woo hoo hoo, my my, woo hoo hoo!”

That’s strike one.

Tomorrow, Thursday, almost at the end. I know I’ll be thinking One Day More, just like the rousing, climactic, act-ending song from Les Miserables. Unlike the characters in the musical, I’m not on the precipice of a revolution or embarking on a new love affair, but my Act 1 (or is it Act 2 or Act 3?) is certainly ending as I start a new chapter in life…one more dawn, one more day, one day more!

And that will be strike two.

And finally, on Friday, my last day, you can play the Harold Arlen/Johny Mercer classic tune, One for My Baby for me. It’s a sad 3 a.m. song about putting an end to things, about saying fairwell. It was a signature song for Frank Sinatra but it isn’t the Chairman’s version I want you to play. I want to hear it from the Divine Miss M, Bette Midler. Bette called herself “the last fool Mr. Carson would have to suffer gladly,” when she serenaded Johny Carson as his final guest on The Tonight Show. The song brought Carson to tears. If it was a good enough goodbye for Midler and Carson it is good enough for me.

And that will be strike three, and I’ll be outta there!

(But all is not lost, the blog will go on!)


The above is the opinion of the author and not Uropartners LLC.