OK Blue Jays
| "OK Blue Jays" | |
|---|---|
| Song by Keith Hampshire and "The Bat Boys" | |
| Released | 1983 |
| Recorded | Eastern Sound |
| Songwriter(s) | Jack Lenz and Tony Kosinec |
| Lyricist(s) | Alan Smith, Pat Arbour, and Tony Kosinec |
| Producer(s) | Jack Lenz and Tony Kosinec |
"OK Blue Jays" is a baseball song played during the seventh-inning stretch of home games of the Toronto Blue Jays, a Major League Baseball team based in the Canadian city of Toronto. The song includes references to the team's roster and events from the 1980s. It was released in 1983 and charted 47th on RPM's singles list. It was written by Jack Lenz and Tony Kosinec and is performed by Keith Hampshire and "The Bat Boys". The song was remixed by Rob Wells and Chris Anderson in 2003.
By 1986, the single had sold over 50,000 copies and was certified gold. In a pre-game ceremony in 1986, Jimy Williams accepted a gold record from a recording industry representative before a game against the Milwaukee Brewers.
The Blue Jays song was conceptualized by Alan Smith, Creative Director at JWT Direct. He wrote most of the lyrics together with copywriter Pat Arbour, although the first verse was written entirely by recording artist Tony Kosinec of the Lenz/Kosinec jingle house, which was hired to write the music and produce the song under Smith and Arbour's direction. The project was approved and supported by Blue Jays executive Paul Beeston. Lenz stated that Beeston "wanted the song to be fun, but not to promise too much because the team was OK".
The original version of the song was about two and a half minutes long, but the version played during the seventh-inning stretch is 58 seconds long. During its play, the Blue Jays JForce cheerleaders lead fans in simple stretching activities, such as clapping and fist-pumping. When the song was first introduced in 1983, a group from Fitness Ontario would lead fans in calisthenics exercises. The lyrics state:
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