Orioles Magic: Creator of timeless jingle looks back on massive success
BALTIMORE -- Can you feel it? That's the Orioles magic filling the air.
The term "Orioles Magic" refers to a specific era in the team's history, but anybody who's been going to games over the last 40 years is familiar with the cheery tune.
O's fans would argue it's possibly the greatest theme song ever created. Amy Kawata caught up with Walt Woodward, creator of the timeless tune.
Walt Woodward thought the song he composed 40 years ago might live for a year or two, but it's still being played.
"The Orioles, they had Jim Palmer, they had Earl Weaver, but it was a relatively kind of young team without a lot of stars, but something - something magic happened," Woodward said. "Right? They started playing, they had a great year."
Sound familiar?
That's when Woodward, who ran an advertising firm called "Perfect Pitch," was contacted to create a team anthem. He's a former folk singer who wrote jingles for companies and other baseball teams, like the Kansas City Royals' "Royal Mania" song, which was another huge hit.
After meeting with the team, he was tasked to capture the moment here in Baltimore and bring it to life musically.
"I sat down with the guitar, and started to write, and something magic happened on the guitar just in the way that it was happening in Baltimore and the tune came right out of that conversation," he said. "I felt like I was a season ticket holder at the best parts of the season, and was able to write this song."
Once it debuted in 1980, "Orioles Magic" hit it out of the ballpark, quickly becoming the go-to tune adopted by generations of O's fans.
"The lyrics, if you listen to them, they talk about Bill Hagy, they talk about Earl Weaver," Woodward said. "So you are back in '79 '80 '81, but it captured a spirit."
"Orioles magic" lives on as the team looks to make history on the road to the World Series.
"It's another team that - this reminds me so much of the first generation of Orioles magic," he said. "Young guys, marvelously talented, punching a little bit above their weight this year, but with such a future. I hope the O's go on to win the series."
