Fifty years ago, a tune with some catchy lyrics hit the pop charts. For two weeks in December of 1969, it was the #1 record in the country. It was performed by a group of session musicians who were given the fictional band name Steam.
Eight years later (that would be 1977), the Royals and White Sox were playing at Comiskey Park before a large crowd – the teams were in a tight race for the division title. At an opportune moment in the game, the Comiskey Park organist played that 1969 #1 song by Steam. The enthusiastic crowd joined in with the catchy lyrics. After that festive night at Comiskey, (i) the Royals went on the win the division (and lose, again, to the Yankees in the ALCS), and (ii) the song became (and remains) a staple at sporting events around the country. See Lonnie’s Jukebox at the end of this post for the rest of the story.
