Two of the most popular pasttimes across the United States and around the world are live music concerts and live sports events, both of which have taken a big hit during the pandemic. Stadium crowds were either limited in size or eliminated, while concerts have been banned outright. We are all hoping and praying that, as more of us receive the vaccines, things will start to return to something like normal, and concerts and sports may once again resume their place on our to-do lists.

But it got me thinking about the relationship between music and sports, especially rock and pop music. I went searching for songs of the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s that have lyrics dealing with sports, and I was surprised to find precious few of them. Even some of those I decided to include have only the barest of connections to sports or the athletes who play them. Kind of puzzling, I think.

Anyway, for what it’s worth, here is my playlist of a dozen songs that mention athletics in some form or another, with a brief back story on each one. I hope you enjoy them, but if not, don’t sweat!

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“Glory Days,” Bruce Springsteen, 1984

The rollicking organ playing of the late Danny Federici carries this great track from Springsteen’s mega-platinum 1984 LP “Born in the USA.” It’s a rousing anthem musically, but it belies poignant lyrics that warn against being the guy who, in middle age, has only “boring stories” of his glory days in high school sports. First time I heard this, I was really getting into the groove but then read the words and realized this was to be another life lesson from Professor Bruce: Enjoy your memories, but don’t let them define you. Live in the now, and participate. The song topped out at #5 on US charts in 1985 as the fifth of seven Top Ten singles from “Born in the USA.”

“Backfield in Motion,” Mel & Tim, 1969

Melvin Hardin and Timothy McPherson were cousins from small-town Mississippi who headed to Chicago in the late ’60s and became an R&B musical duo who enjoyed a small measure of success for a few years. Most notable was “Backfield in Motion,” an infectious soul tune with clever lyrics that use sports terminology to describe a romantic relationship ruined by infidelity: “You know you’re cheatin’, baby, fakin’ the bout, /You know you’re balkin’, baby, oh yeah, strike three, you’re out, /And I caught you with your backfield in motion, yeah, /I’m gonna have to penalize you…” The song, written by the duo, peaked at #10 in 1969. They also had one more Top 20 hit, “Starting All Over Again,” in 1972.

“Centerfield,” John Fogerty, 1985

This track by the former leader of Creedence Clearwater Revival is probably the most genuine sports-related song in this bunch. Fogerty always enjoyed baseball but grew up in California at a time when there were no major league teams on the West Coast yet. The lyrics mention specific star baseball players and make use of phrases like “rounding third, heading for home” and “Put me in, coach.” In 2010, Fogerty became the only musician ever celebrated by the Baseball Hall of Fame when “Centerfield” was honored at that year’s induction ceremonies. The song stalled at #44 on the pop charts but peaked at #4 on mainstream rock charts, and the “Centerfield” LP reached #1.

“Faster,” George Harrison, 1979

In 1977, Harrison took a year off from music-making to spend time pursuing his interest in Formula 1 auto racing, traveling the world to attend various racing events and befriending such auto racing luminaries as Jackie Stewart, Niki Lauda and Emerson Fittipaldi. As he made plans to return to the recording studio, Harrison wrote “Faster,” a song about the life and motivations of professional race car drivers. He titled it after Stewart’s published 1972 diary, which explains Stewart’s obsession behind his desire to participate in a dangerous profession. The song, which uses race car sound effects throughout, appeared on the ex-Beatle’s “George Harrison” LP in 1979.

“We Are the Champions,” Queen, 1977

Musically based on Freddie Mercury’s jazz-chords piano and four-part harmonies that built into anthemic proportions, this huge international hit was adopted by sports teams of all kinds when they won championships. It was paired with the far less interesting “We Will Rock You” on their 1977 LP “News of the World” and performed as the finale of most Queen concerts during that period. Lyrically, it appreciates the difficulty of overcoming adversity (“It’s been no bed of roses, no pleasure cruise, I’ve had my share of sand kicked in my face, but I’ve come through…“) and the exhilaration of coming out on top (“I’ve taken my bows and my curtain calls, ’cause we are the champions of the world…”)

“I Go Swimming,” Peter Gabriel, 1983

After departing Genesis in 1975, singer-songwriter Gabriel began a critically acclaimed solo career, confounding retailers by releasing four solo albums in 1977, 1978, 1980 and 1982 all titled “Peter Gabriel.” They came to be known by their album cover artwork (“Car,” “Scratch,” “Melt” and “Security”). This period was summed up very nicely on the 1983 double live album “Plays Live,” recorded during a 1982 U.S. tour. The only previously unreleased track was “I Go Swimming,” which had been intended for the 1980 LP but was shelved. The song, featuring the phenomenal bass playing of Tony Levin, focuses more on the sensations of floating and immersing yourself in water than on competitive swimming.

“Sail On, Sailor,” The Beach Boys, 1973

There seems to be some discrepancy about this song’s authorship, but the prevailing opinion is that Brian Wilson collaborated with Van Dyke Parks on the basic track in 1971, and then others contributed a line of lyric here and there along the way, which is reflected in the “all-over-the-map” final product. Essentially the song is more about the rigors of persevering through life’s choppy waters than the competitive sport of sailing. The tune was added at the last minute to the lineup of their celebrated 1972 “Holland” LP and then released as a single, but it stiffed badly at #79, improving to #49 upon re-release in 1975. The lead vocals are by guitarist/singer Terry “Blondie” Chaplin, who was a full-fledged Beach Boy for a couple of years.

“Anyone For Tennis?” Cream, 1968

Admittedly, this strange little tune co-written by Eric Clapton and Martin Sharp has almost nothing to do with the sport of tennis, except that its lyrics suggest a round of tennis would be a nice distraction from the hectic psychedelic images that dominate the rest of the words. Clapton wrote it on commission for the lame outlaw biker film “The Savage Seven,” but the soundtrack featured the song as performed by the unknown band American Revolution. Despite it sounding very little like Cream’s usual material, “Anyone For Tennis?” was recorded by the trio during the sessions for “Wheels of Fire,” but it was released only as a single. It stiffed at #64 in the US and #40 in the UK.

“The Boxer,” Simon and Garfunkel, 1969

One of my very favorite Paul Simon compositions is this masterpiece from 1969, which reached #7 on the pop charts. It tells, in first-person narrative, a heartfelt story of a young man struggling against loneliness and poverty in a tough world. Then in the final verse, it switches to a third-person description of the hardscrabble life of a boxer: “In the clearing stands a boxer and a fighter by his trade, and he carries the reminders of every glove that laid him down or cut him till he cried out, in his anger and his shame, ‘I am leaving, I am leaving,’ but the fighter still remains.” “The Boxer” also appeared on the following year’s “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” Simon and Garfunkel’s final studio album.

“Run For the Roses,” Dan Fogelberg, 1981

ABC-TV, who in 1980 had recently taken over the broadcasting of The Kentucky Derby, wanted a new song that would commemorate horse racing, and commissioned singer-songwriter Fogelberg to come up with one. In short order, he wrote and recorded “Run For the Roses,” which has since endured as a sort of unofficial anthem of the annual event. It was included on Fogelberg’s 1981 double LP “The Innocent Age” and released as the album’s fourth single, reaching #18 in May 1982. Fogelberg, who grew up on a farm in Illinois, loved horses and accepted the assignment with enthusiasm: “And it’s run for the roses as fast as you can, /Your fate is delivered, your moment’s at hand, /It’s the chance of a lifetime in a lifetime of chance, /And it’s high time you joined in the dance…”

“Baseball,” Michael Franks, 1980

A talented practitioner of the late ’70s/early ’80s smooth jazz/romantic R&B genre known among radio biz folks as “quiet storm,” Franks is a literate songwriter and appealing singer who has more than 15 albums to his credit. Jazz greats like guitarist Larry Carlton, saxophonist David Sanborn and horn men Randy and Michael Brecker were regular session players on his soothing records. In 1980, he wrote and recorded “Baseball,” a whimsical piece that adroitly compares the face-off between a league-leading closer and a rookie batter with the tentative relationship between a seasoned woman and a young man new to romance.

“Basketball Jones,” Cheech & Chong, 1973

In early 1973, a Chicago-based R&B group called Brighter Side of Darkness had a Top 20 hit with a half-spoken, half-sung single called “Love Jones,” about a boy who felt addicted to his romantic feelings for a girl. Six months later, the drug-humor duo Cheech and Chong made their own Top 20 appearance with a funny quasi-parody called “Basketball Jones,” about a young man named Tyrone (as in “tie-your-own”) Shoelaces who is obsessed with basketball: “I need someone to stand beside me, I need someone to set a pick for me at the free-throw line of life, /Someone I can pass to, someone to hit the open man on the give-and-go and not end up in the popcorn machine…”

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Bonus track on the playlist:

“Baseball and Football,” a brief comedy routine by the late great George Carlin comparing the two sports

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I’ve been spelunking again recently, and I have some wonderful finds to share!

Exploring caves for rare hieroglyphics isn’t unlike digging through old albums from the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s and discovering (or re-discovering) some really great tracks to enjoy. I marvel at the seemingly endless supply of appealing musical grooves to be found that were criminally ignored or neglected at the time. I really enjoy what I see as my mission: Weeding through the inconsequential and truly awful to identify the damn good stuff, and then shine a light on them here so we can all get off on them.

Naturally, you may not take to some of these selections. Maybe you won’t like any of them (but I doubt that). That’s the beauty of art — so subjective, open to interpretation, and there for the taking or leaving. I hope you like, even love, these tunes. If not, well, there’s always the next edition of “Lost Classics“…

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“Woman’s Gotta Have It,” James Taylor, 1976

The great Bobby Womack co-wrote this smooth tune with his stepdaughter Linda and took it to #1 on the R&B charts in 1972 (though it stiffed at #60 on the pop charts). Taylor, who had a habit of reworking R&B songs like Marvin Gaye’s “How Sweet It Is,” did a really nice job with Womack’s song on his seventh album, “In the Pocket,” which peaked at #16 in 1976. Although “Woman’s Gotta Have It” wasn’t released as a single, I think it should have been. The lush strings and arrangement by co-producers Russ Titelman and Lenny Waronker made the track one of the highlights of this relatively overlooked Taylor album.

“Don’t Change,” Hall and Oates, 1977

Probably the most popular of the “blue-eyed soul” practitioners of the mid-’70s, Daryl Hall and John Oates emerged from Philadelphia in 1972 with a deep appreciation of soul music with rock and roll flavorings. Hall’s amazing multi-octave voice and Oates’ guitar playing were at the heart of their success, but their songwriting was impressive as well. From the early classics like “She’s Gone” and “Rich Girl” up through the early ’80s string of hits (“Kiss on My List,” “I Can’t Go For That,” “Maneater”), the twosome earned their status as rock’s most successful duo ever. Their 1977 LP “Beauty on a Back Street” was a failed experiment, eschewing the R&B grooves for harder rock, but the leadoff track, “Don’t Change,” deserves your attention.

“Trapped Again,” Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes, 1978

This rough-and-tumble bar band, led by the indefatigable Johnny Lyon, came from the same Jersey Shore dives where Bruce Springsteen cut his teeth. Indeed, Lyon and E Street Band guitarist Miami Steve Van Zandt were close associates, with Van Zandt producing and writing many of the songs for the Jukes’ first three LPs. Critics have labeled their third album, “Hearts of Stone,” as “the best Springsteen album never recorded” because The Boss and Van Zandt wrote most of it. It’s a fine LP that should’ve been their breakthrough, but it just wasn’t to be. One of the better tracks is “Trapped Again,” co-written by Springsteen, Van Zandt and Lyon, which features the band’s trademark powerful horn section and Lyon’s gruff pipes.

“Shake It to the Right,” Sanford and Townsend, 1977

Ed Sanford and John Townsend were talented songwriters and session musicians out of Alabama who relocated to Los Angeles in 1976 and won a publishing and recording deal at Warner Brothers. They wrote songs with and for Kenny Loggins, and their debut LP featured a likable Top Ten hit of their own with 1977’s “Smoke From a Distant Fire.” They toured behind Fleetwood Mac, Marshall Tucker Band and Heart, but they never duplicated the success of the first single, which earned them the dubious distinction of “One-Hit Wonders.” Too bad — that first album had some strong follow-up candidates, like “In For the Night” and the exuberant “Shake It to the Right.”

“Ain’t That a Bitch,” Johnny “Guitar” Watson, 1976

Watson was a cult favorite on the blues circuit in the ’50s and ’60s, both as a guitarist and a singer, mentioned in the same breath with other greats like Buddy Guy and B. B. King. In the ’70s, he chose to revamp his persona and pursue the urban-funk genre, complete with flashy attire and jewelry. Although he was denied success on pop charts, he enjoyed a half-dozen Top 40 R&B hits, most notably “A Real Mother For Ya,” “Superman Lover,” “I Don’t Want to Be a Loner Ranger” and my favorite, “Ain’t That a Bitch,” which showcases Watson’s half-spoken, half-sung delivery with wit and panache.

“Son of a New York Gun,” Gino Vannelli, 1974

Born and raised in an Italian family in Montreal, Canada, Vannelli and his brother Joe both had musical ambitions from an early age, singing and playing in high school bands. The brothers moved to Los Angeles and signed with Herb Alpert’s A&M Records when Gino was just 17. With Joe handling keyboards, arrangements and production and Gino writing songs and singing, they turned heads in the jazz-pop arena in 1974 with the “Powerful People” album and US #22 hit “People Gotta Move.” There’s a lot of fine stuff on this LP, including the jaw-dropping “Son of a New York Gun.” Vannelli went on to have bigger hits in 1978-1981 with “I Just Wanna Stop” and “Living Inside Myself.”

“Century’s End,” Donald Fagen, 1988

Fagen, of course, is one half of the brilliantly talented duo behind Steely Dan, who have one of the best album catalogs of the 1970s. Following the 1980 release of The Dan’s seventh LP, “Gaucho,” Fagen’s partner Walter Becker took several years off to re-examine his life and recover from drug addiction. Fagen proceeded on his own with his debut solo LP, “The Nightfly,” a natural extension of the Steely Dan sound that reached #11 on the charts. The rest of the ’80s found Fagen choosing a more relaxed pace as well, occasionally contributing to soundtracks. His compelling song “Century’s End,” which wouldn’t have been out of place on “The Nightfly,” wound up on the “Bright Lights, Big City” film soundtrack in 1988.

“The Gold Bug,” The Alan Parsons Project, 1980

Parsons made a name for himself as engineer/producer at Abbey Road Studio, where he was involved with The Beatles’ swan song album and Pink Floyd’s masterpiece, “Dark Side of the Moon.” He then teamed up with singer/songwriter Eric Woolfson in 1976 to form The Alan Parsons Project, which would bring together a broad array of instrumental and vocal talent to perform the songs Parsons and Woolfson co-wrote. Described as “progressive-art pop-rock,” APP enjoyed increasing popularity in the US in 1977-1984, with Top 40 singles like “Damned If I Do,” “Games People Play,” “Time” and “Eye in the Sky.” Each LP included one instrumental track, and I’ve always found “The Gold Bug” from 1980’s “Turn of a Friendly Card” to be tantalizing, with a sexy sax taking the melody line.

“Criminal World,” David Bowie, 1983

Although “Let’s Dance” is seen as a typically abrupt about-face for Bowie toward more commercial music following the darker “Berlin Trilogy” albums of the late ’70s, it was actually a natural progression from the balanced approach he achieved with 1980’s “Scary Monsters” LP. Still, Bowie brought in a different producer (the funky hitmaker Niles Rodgers) and an all-new group of studio musicians. The biggest surprise was the introduction of then-unknown guitar wunderkind Stevie Ray Vaughan to the proceedings. Bowie had seen Vaughan at a 1982 music festival and was drawn to his playing. “The solo he laid down on ‘Criminal World’ is the best I’ve heard in ages,” Bowie said at the time.

“Tongue Like a Knife,” Squeeze, 1982

In England, the songwriting team of Glenn Tilbrook and Chris Difford was hailed as “the heirs to Lennon and McCartney” when their band Squeeze pumped out album after album of wonderful, quirky pop songs in their initial phase (1978-1982). Lots of variety among their hits — traditionally melodic (“Labelled for Love,” “Up the Junction”), new-wavy (“Cool for Cats”), unnervingly compelling (“Another Nail in My Heart”) and their biggest single in the US, the undeniably tempting “Tempted,” featuring Paul Carrack on guest lead vocal. On the excellent 1982 LP “Sweets From a Stranger,” exotic tracks like “Tongue Like a Knife” show a more sophisticated edge to their songwriting.

“Tore Down a la Rimbaud,” Van Morrison, 1985

Following his prolific 1969-1974 period, Morrison took a few years off to rejuvenate the creative juices. During that time, he became aware of French poet Arthur Rimbaud, a mid-1800s boy wonder who was first published at age 15 and quit for good at 25. “Ironically, that sorta got me writing again,” he recalls, and it did cure his writer’s block and allowed him to resume his swift pace of releasing new material, but it still took him another eight years to finally finish and record “Tore Down a la Rimbaud.” It’s one of Van the Man’s best efforts, a marvelous piece full of horns and gospel vocals.

“Club at the End of the Street,” Elton John, 1989

Personal life issues made The Eighties difficult for John, and it showed up in his recorded output. Nearly every album still had at least one big hit single, but there was way too much filler as well. His albums were no longer #1 on the US charts — more like #17, or #48, or even #91 (his worst-ever LP “Leather Jackets”). His outlook improved in 1988 when he resumed working with long-time lyrics partner Bernie Taupin, and the result was the surprisingly strong “Sleeping With the Past.” Not only did it feature the stunning #1 ballad “Sacrifice,” the song list included the glorious “Healing Hands,” the beautiful “Whispers” and the catchy “Club at the End of the Street,” which recalls early Sixties soul.

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