3 Classic Rock Songs Inspired by Sports

It’s a marriage that just makes sense. Sports and classic rock. Both are perfect for the garage. Both are perfect on a sunny summer afternoon. Both are many Americans’ two biggest love affairs (along with their family, of course). So, when some of our best classic rockers decided to write songs rooted in sports, inspired by sports—well, it was a match made in heaven.

Here below, we wanted to explore three such offerings. A trio of tracks from some big-name rockers that talk about sports, use sports as the foundation of their storytelling, and just stand tall in the arena. Indeed, these are three classic rock songs inspired by sports.

[RELATED: No Skips: 4 Classic Rock Albums You’ll Never Have to Fast-Forward]

“Hurricane” by Bob Dylan from Desire (1976)

While born of sports and competition, this song isn’t one that revels in the majesty of a game. Rather, it tells the story of a top-ranked boxer who was done wrong by law enforcement. In 1967, Rubin “Hurricane” Carter was falsely accused of murder and spent nearly two decades behind bars. He was finally released in 1985 (a movie about his life starring Denzel Washington was made in 1999). But even before the movie, Bob Dylan was singing about Carter, explaining the miscarriage of justice and racism that led to his incarceration. In the song, Dylan also sang about the boxer’s ability in the ring. He never stopped fighting. Sings Dylan,

Pistol shots ring out in the barroom night
Enter Patty Valentine from the upper hall
She sees a bartender in a pool of blood
Cries out, “my God, they killed them all”

Here comes the story of the Hurricane
The man the authorities came to blame
For somethin’ that he never done
Put in a prison cell, but one time he coulda been
The champion of the world

“Surfin’ U.S.A.” by The Beach Boys from Surfin’ U.S.A. (1963)

The classic rock band most associated with Southern California has to be The Beach Boys. While many a group has come from the region—from The Doors to the Eagles—it’s The Beach Boys with their blissful, sun-shiny harmonies that, more than 60 years after forming, still embody the region most. And it’s their song about the sport of surfing that perhaps sits at the center of that identity. (For those interested in learning more about surfing, check out the excellent HBO documentary Momentum Generation.) And for those interested in listening to songs about it, check out “Surfin’ U.S.A.” On the track, lead vocalist Brian Wilson sings,

If everybody had an ocean
Across the U.S.A.
Then everybody’d be surfin’
Like Californi-a
You’d seem ’em wearing their baggies
Huarachi sandals too
A bushy bushy blonde hairdo
Surfin’ U.S.A.

“Centerfield” by John Fogerty from Centerfield (1985)

Classic rock + baseball. Is there anything more American? Here, the Creedence Clearwater frontman (now gone solo) wrote a rock tune about the sport, honoring his love for the game. The ballpark, the players, the bases, the fans—he’s got it all there. Using one of the greatest voices in rock music history, Fogerty sings about the sport and how he wants to just get in a game and play centerfield. The vocalist offers,

Well, I beat the drum and hold the phone
The sun came out today
We’re born again, there’s new grass on the field
A-roundin’ third and headed for home
It’s a brown-eyed handsome man
Anyone can understand the way I feel

Oh, put me in, coach
I’m ready to play today
Put me in, coach
I’m ready to play today
Look at me, I can be centerfield

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