Just over a week ago the man who gave us today’s Track of the Day passed away; Gary DeCarlo wrote ‘Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye’ in 1969 and recorded the song with friends Dale Frashuer and Paul Leka. They called themselves Steam and at first the band was completely fictitious, but eventually they recorded the song as a B-side for an album they were working on.
In the 60’s and 70’s, the B-side of an album was thought of as songs that would never reach number one. So when the song was recorded, they never thought it would be one of the most used songs in sports history. The popularity snowballed and the song reached number one in two weeks in December of 1969. It was the final number one song of the 1960’s.
In North America, at most major sporting events, when the visiting team is losing by a sizeable margin you will hear the crowd chant the refrain from the song: “Na Na Na Na, Na Na Na Na, Hey Hey Hey, Goodbye” rings through the arena or stadium. So as a shout out to the loss of Gary DeCarlo, and because the refrain is so catchy, here is today’s Track of the Day!
Have you heard this song before? Have you ever been part of a crowd singing it? While you enjoy today’s ear worm, let us know in the comments below!
