Van Lingle Mungo (song)

"Van Lingle Mungo" is a song composed and performed by jazz pianist Dave Frishberg. Frishberg wrote both the lyrics and the music. The song, released in 1969, was distributed by Red Day Division of Doramus, Inc. under CTI Records.[1] It was originally released as a single, but was later incorporated into Frishberg's LP, Oklahoma Toad.[2]

"Van Lingle Mungo"
Song by Dave Frishberg
from the album Oklahoma Toad
Released1969
LabelCTI
Songwriter(s)Dave Frishberg

Development
Van Lingle Mungo in 1940

Frishberg developed the melody first, but couldn't settle on lyrics, rejecting several sets of lyrics he drafted.[3] Frishberg browsed through a copy of a baseball encyclopedia, which lists the names of players in Major League Baseball. In the encyclopedia, he found the name of Van Lingle Mungo, a name he found unusual. He later found himself humming Mungo's name to the melody.[3]

From there, Frishberg found more names in the encyclopedia that he found interesting. He proceeded to write song lyrics for the melody that included only the names of major league players and the words "and" and "big", attempting to order the names in a rhyming fashion. The song is performed in bossa nova style.[4]

The players mentioned in most versions of the song, in addition to Mungo, are:[2][5]

In certain versions of the song, a few names change. On the "Retromania: At The Jazz Bakery" album which contains a later recording of the song, Frishberg substitutes Art Passarella in place of Roy Campanella.[6] On an early recording that coincided with the release of the "Oklahoma Toad" album, Frishberg replaces the mellifluous Lou Boudreau and Claude Passeau with Virgil Trucks and Johnny Kucks.[7] With the death of John Antonelli (usually listed as "Johnny") on February 28, 2020, Eddie Basinski is the last surviving player mentioned in the song.

Reception

Jazz critic and author Ira Gitler considers "Van Lingle Mungo" as "one of the best jazz works of the 70s and certainly the best ever done combining jazz and baseball."[2] The song has been entered in the National Baseball Library, a section of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, New York.[8] "Van Lingle Mungo" was included in Baseball's Greatest Hits, a 1990 compilation of baseball-themed songs.

Mungo and his wife reported that they both enjoyed the song.[1]

gollark: ↑
gollark: You said, yes.
gollark: Oh, I finally managed to understand what you're asking, I think.
gollark: Evolution is actually very slow, in general.
gollark: Belief in them now would be foolish.

References
  1. "Beer And Song Rewards For Van Lingle Mungo". Sarasota Journal. United Press International. May 18, 1977. Retrieved January 11, 2012.
  2. "FISCHLER: Saluting 'Best, Worst and Most Unusual'". DailyFreeman.com. July 4, 2010. Retrieved January 11, 2012.
  3. "PIANIST / SINGER / SONGWRITER Frishberg Builds The Songs From Scratch". Newsday. September 19, 1991. Retrieved January 11, 2012. (subscription required)
  4. "VAN LINGLE MUNGO, 73, DIES, KNOWN FOR MONIKER, FASTBALL". Sun Sentinel. February 14, 1985. Retrieved January 11, 2012. (subscription required)
  5. "Van Lingle Mungo by David Frishberg". Baseball-almanac.com. Retrieved January 11, 2012.
  6. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5tvphgpl_K8
  7. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-R4Frfp0YQ
  8. "Baseball Hall of Fame has many recordings Series%3A ASK US". St. Petersburg Times. August 18, 1992. Retrieved January 11, 2012. (subscription required)
  • MajorSwingMusic (April 17, 2009). "Van Lingle Mungo". Retrieved November 28, 2016 – via YouTube.
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