An Open Letter to Arte Moreno on the Issue of Buttercup

Dear Arte,

I’m sure by now you’ve realized that many of the Angels faithful have a problem with the playing of Build Me Up, Buttercup by The Foundations during the seventh inning.  And by “problem” I mean the absolute hatred and revulsion that most hardcore Angels fans feel toward this song.

And it’s really a pity that this pretty decent song has been ruined in the minds of so many fans because it is wholly inappropriate for playing it during a baseball game.  While The Foundations (a great band, by the way) surely meant for it to be a sort of fun, poppy tune about loving a girl who just can’t commit, it has become emblematic for fans of having their hopes built up and then dashed by their team.

Let’s examine some of the lyrics, shall we?

Oh look, a mildly abusive relationship in which we the fans are the long-suffering swain and our team is the faithless girl.  I think a good general rule would be to not play a song that includes the term “break my heart” at any sporting event.

Is Buttercup the reason the Angels are losing?  Or the reason that we haven’t made it back to the World Series?  Likely not.  But we are baseball fans, Arte.  We are by far the most superstitious group of people in the world.  Why give the fans something bad to focus on?  Why continue to play a song with a negative connotation?  Why continue to destroy The Foundations otherwise wonderful legacy?

If we need a fun song to play during the seventh, may I humbly suggest Good Vibrations by the Beach Boys as a replacement?

Here are my top three reasons for thinking Good Vibrations is a great pick!

#1 It’s positive!  Look at the lyrics.  No more “let me down” and “break my heart,” instead we have:

Arte, not only are these happy, positive lyrics…there are oom bops! You cannot, I repeat, cannot go wrong with oom bops!

#2 It’s singable as all heck.  Not only are the melody and lyrics singable, the Electro-Theremin solo is rocking.  Can you imagine an entire stadium full people singing along to an Electro-Theremin solo, Arte? I can. It. Would. Be. Epic!

#3 The Beach Boys are a local band.  Yes, they’re from L.A. County (they are “The Hawthorne Five,” after all) not Orange County, but that’s pretty darn local (more so than the British-based Foundations certainly).  So many of their songs reference the OC, not the least of which is “Surfin’ USA.”  Also, Brian Wilson wrote “Surf City,” which is a song about Huntington Beach.  I think anyone would agree that the Wilson/Beach Boys sound helps define southern California culture.

I think Angels fans would love to hear something positive during the seventh inning.  If you’re going to play a song at the stadium you want it to be something that can unify fans (look at Boston’s “Sweet Caroline” as an example), not something that makes fans feel frustrated and let down.  Let’s rally around the positive experience that is “Good Vibrations.”

Sincerely,

An Angels Fan