Inspiring Stuff, Part 1: Walk-Up Music

Today is Day-3 of “I Love Don Week” and I’m changing it up. Instead of you giving things to me, today, I’m giving something to you. The gift …of music.

You all know what a Walk-Up Song is, right? It’s rooted in baseball and when you’re at the ballpark, it’s the music that plays as a batter walks from the on-deck circle (warm-up area) to the batters-box (the area where a batter stands when he’s up-to-bat). I love this concept. An old boss of mine did, too, and she (I think it was S.A.) once asked us all in a meeting to share our “walk-up music.” If I played in Major League Baseball, my walk-up music would be my obsession. Sure, the money and fame would be great, but my favorite part would be my walk-up and the accompanying music.

My current boss brought back the walk-up music idea and for a few weeks everyone’s been sharing their own, personal walk-up music. I would bet most people don’t obsess over it like I do. 

“Walk-Up Music” is about self-confidence. About believing in yourself. My top-choice has always been “Greatest Man That Ever Lived” by Weezer. Sing it at the top of your lungs before you’re about to do something you’re not fully confident you can do and tell me your mindset doesn’t change. Not only is it the perfect song, the video (embedded below) adds another layer. Everyone in the video doing all those amazing, high-flying things …each of them fell down many, many, many . . . many times. But they kept at it. Kept falling. Kept failing. Kept making mistakes and then, one day, they stuck the landing. I’m in sales and while my fails don’t include broken ankles and arms, there are wipeouts. A good salesperson picks him or herself up, brushes off the snow, and tries again.

I hope you have a walk-up song of your own that fills you with confidence and makes you feel happy inside. A song that inspires you to be the best version of yourself and reminds you how lucky you are to be alive and that people love you.

I love you. Enjoy some good, motivating music. 

“Bang” by AJR (I LOVE this new song …it’s about “going out with a bang” …a perfect theme for the rest of 2020). Oh, and it’s a cool video. 

So put your best face on, everybody

Pretend you know this song, everybody

Come hang, let’s go out with a bang!

Bang! Bang! Bang!

I’m way too young to lie here forever

I’m way too old to try, so whatever

Come hang (Come hang), let’s go out with a bang!

 

“I’m Too Sexy” by Right Said Fred (my first-ever walk-up song)

 

“Sexy and I Know It” by LMFAO (wish I wrote this song)

 

“Greatest Man That Ever Lived” by Weezer with lyrics I want you to pay attention to

I can take on anybody

I can do my thing

I don’t want to hurt nobody

But a bee has got to sting

I’mma fix it if you mix it up, hoo hoo

Talk smack and I’m-a-gonna shut you up, hoo hoo

I am the greatest man that ever lived

I was born to give

I am the greatest man that ever lived

Oh radioactive

“Somebody said all the world’s a stage and each of us is a player

That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you

In act one, I was struggling to survive. Nobody wanted my action dead or alive

In act two, I hit the big time and bodies be all up on my behind

And I can’t help myself cuz I was born to shine

If you don’t like it, you can shove it. But you don’t like it, you love it

So I’ll be up here in a rage until they put the curtain down on the stage”

(I am the greatest man that ever lived)

I am the greatest man that ever lived

I was born to give and give and give

I am the greatest man that ever lived

Radioac …dioac …dioac …dioac

I am the greatest man that ever lived

I was born to give

Ho

BONUS TRACK, “I Gotta Be Me” by Sammy Davis Jr. (this is for the people who think I try too hard to be noticed or who think I’m a big phony)