August 23, 2008 9:15 AM
The Sounds of Olympic Baseball
One summer, I sat and listened as the Washington Nationals' PA announcer refused to play any song that wasn't "Dani California" or Daddy Yankee's "Gasolina." So when a few friends warned me that the the music choices at the Olympic baseball venue were a bit odd, I didn't give their comments much thought.Then I walked into the Wukesong Baseball Stadium to the tune of "Frère Jacques" being played on an organ.
The music selection went beyond anything I could have rationally expected. Until last night, I'd never seen hundreds of Cubans rock out to the Stones or the Kinks or the Black Eyed Peas. I'd never seen Chinese fans sing along to Pink or Ricky Martin. I'd never even considered the idea that "Play That Funky Music White Boy" could be popular in a place where the people sometimes identify themselves as "yellow."
But last night, I experienced all of that, plus inter-inning music by the Bee Gees, Guns N' Roses and Rob Thomas. And the theme to "Beverly Hills Cop" on the organ. And the sound of glass shattering whenever a ball was hit out of play.
So here's a compilation of a few sounds of the game, including an organ-led rendition of "Hava Nagila" and a U.S.A. chant in Mandarin -- or, as they know it here, měilìjiān hézhòngguó, or 美利坚合众国. Enjoy:
