CHICAGO – It has now become a part of the traditions associated with Wrigley Field. In the immediate wake of a Cubs home win, the “W” flags are unfurled throughout the stands and fans join together in song before hitting the ballpark’s exits.
The crowd belts out the lines to the upbeat tune, “Go, Cubs, Go,” which was written by Chicago folk singer Steve Goodman back in 1984. It was not always the team’s victory song, but it has enjoyed a resurgence in a more recent era of Cubs baseball. It has even blared in the Tokyo Dome and London Stadium after Cubs wins on the international stage.
For the ‘84 season, WGN wanted a catchy song to play as part of its radio broadcasts of Cubs games and turned to Goodman. He had previously written “A Dying Cubs Fan’s Last Request,” but that song’s dark humorous tone was not going to work. Goodman pieced together a much sunnier sounding tune.
Hey, Chicago, what do you say?
The Cubs are going to win today!
Maybe it was a little corny – especially compared to Goodman’s impressive catalog of songs – but it worked, and it told fans to “catch it all on WGN.” The rhythm and repeated chorus (“Go, Cubs, Go!”) made it an easy singalong for fans listening on the radio, or in the stands when the song played at the Friendly Confines.
As it turned out, that ‘84 season was one of the great campaigns in Cubs history. Ryne Sandberg had a breakout MVP year, Rick Sutcliffe joined the fold and dominated on the mound and Chicago was on its way to its first division title and playoff berth since 1945. And as Goodman’s song took hold, he died of leukemia at age 36 a few days before the Cubs clinched.
Goodman had been scheduled to sing the national anthem before the Cubs’ first postseason game, but Jimmy Buffett took his place at the microphone at Wrigley Field. Buffett said, “This is for Steve Goodman,” before doing the honors.
The Cubs used “Go, Cubs, Go,” as their victory song for a few years before turning to “Here Come the Cubs” by the Beach Boys in 1987. The team tried a few different things after wins in the years that followed, but Goodman’s song enjoyed a comeback during the Cubs’ back-to-back division crowns in 2007-08.
From that point on, Cubs fans embraced “Go, Cubs, Go” more than ever, turning it into part of the experience. There was the old scoreboard, the ivy-covered walls, the seventh-inning stretch and, if the Cubs got to fly the “W” flag, the singing of Goodman’s famous song. Fans in the stands, at home or in the car could all join in together.
And when the Cubs enjoyed another golden era on the field beginning in 2015, the song was firmly part of the fan base’s DNA. It was at full volume throughout the ‘16 run to the World Series, gaining more national attention in the process. Former Cubs Anthony Rizzo, David Ross and Dexter Fowler even belted out the tune with actor, comedian and Cubs fan Bill Murray on Saturday Night Live after the World Series triumph. Ross later danced to “Go, Cubs, Go” in the season premiere of his stint on Dancing With The Stars in 2017, in which he reached the finale.
So next time you catch a game at Wrigley Field, don’t leave your seat early to try to beat the traffic if the Cubs pull off a win. Stick around and sing along to a tune that started as a radio jingle and grew into an anthem.
“Go, Cubs, Go”
By Steve Goodman
Baseball season’s underway
Well you better get ready for a brand new day
Hey, Chicago, what do you say?
The Cubs are gonna win today
They’re singing
Go, Cubs, go
Go, Cubs, go
Hey, Chicago, what do you say?
The Cubs are gonna win today
Go, Cubs, go
Go, Cubs, go
Hey, Chicago, what do you say?
The Cubs are gonna win today
They got the power, they got the speed
To be the best in the National League
Well this is the year and Cubs are real
So come on down to Wrigley Field
We’re singing now
Go, Cubs, go
Go, Cubs, go
Hey, Chicago, what do you say?
The Cubs are gonna win today
Go, Cubs, go
Go, Cubs, go
Hey, Chicago, what do you say?
The Cubs are gonna win today
Baseball time is here again
You can catch it all on WGN
So stamp your feet and clap your hands
Chicago Cubs got the greatest fans
Keep singing now
Go, Cubs, go
Go, Cubs, go
Hey, Chicago, what do you say?
The Cubs are gonna win today
Go, Cubs, go
Go, Cubs, go
Hey, Chicago, what do you say?
The Cubs are gonna win today