The North Side Anthems: Fight Song Week Day 4

     In 1984, the Cubs were burning up the National League, and well on their way to their first postseason berth since 1945.  And all summer long, the city of Chicago was singing along to the catchy tunes of Steve Goodman:

     Goodman, a well-known folk singer and a lifelong Cubs fan, wrote the song at the request of WGN, who wanted a more upbeat tune for the games.  Goodman came through, and the song became a staple of Wrigley Field for the entire 1984 season.  Tragically, Steve Goodman passed away due to Leukemia 4 days before the Cubs clinched a spot in the postseason.  Afterwards, the song continued to be well-known and liked and used as part of the Cubs' broadcasts.  In 1987, the song was eventually retired in favor of "Here Come The Cubs" by the Beach Boys.  However, in 2007, the song enjoyed a modern resurgence, and is now played after every Cubs win at Wrigley Field.


     Speaking of Cubs Anthems that rose to prominence in 2007, Eddie Vedder was attending a Cubs Fantasy camp when Ernie Banks approached him and asked him to write a song about the team.  Vedder, being a lifelong Cubs fan, was only too happy to comply.  This is what he came up with:

     In September of 2008, the song was made available for purchase on Pearl Jam's website.  This only served to raise the fervor surrounding the song and the Cubs' playoff chase to a fever pitch.  In the summer of 2013, Pearl Jam played a show at Wrigley Field, and at one point in the show, Eddie Vedder invited Ernie Banks onstage to lead the crowd in the song.  Ultimately, the Cubs are still waiting to go all the way, but when they do, they'll have a song to sing when they get there.