Confused by the Phillies using “Dancing On My Own” as their unofficial theme song this Major League Baseball postseason?
Well, you’re not alone. (Seriously, no pun intended.)
Former Red Sox catcher Kevin Plawecki couldn’t help but question Kyle Schwarber — his former Boston teammate who now plays for Philadelphia — about how the tradition took shape. After all, the Red Sox used the same song as their anthem in 2021. Is nothing sacred anymore?
“It was just weird. And I talk to Kyle a lot,” Plawecki recently revealed on Audacy’s “Baseball Isn’t Boring” podcast. “It kind of started coming about with their first celebration with that song. I texted Kyle, I was like, ‘Buddy, what the hell’s going on here? We just were doing this a year ago.’ And he’s like, ‘I feel bad. I played it for the guys early on in the year. They obviously loved it and it’s kind of stuck in the playlist.’ I mean, I can’t get mad about it, the song is very good.”
The song — originally performed by Swedish artist Robyn, covered by British singer Calum Scott, then remixed by Dutch DJ Tiësto — became a staple of Red Sox clubhouse celebrations throughout their run to the American League Championship Series in 2021. Plawecki was the ringleader, even using it as his walk-up song well before Boston embarked upon its playoff journey.
Schwarber, an integral part of Boston’s improbable 2021 ALCS berth following a midseason trade from the Washington Nationals, clearly liked what he heard, and thus brought the beat to the City of Brotherly Love after signing with the Phillies in free agency last offseason. Again, the song caught fire, with Philadelphia blaring it in the clubhouse and at Citizens Bank Park as the Phillies marched to the World Series.
The development wasn’t lost on Plawecki — or Christian Vázquez, a member of the Houston Astros who texted his former Boston backstop buddy after hearing the song played in Philly during the Fall Classic — but there’s definitely no ill will. It simply is what it is.
“It’s hard for me to get too upset because Schwarber’s my guy. I love him to death,” Plawecki said. ” … He felt bad. He felt bad. I think there was the genuine — but at the same time, it’s kind of out of his hands, it was kind of started. I don’t know. I love Kyle way too much to get too upset about it. So, that’s kind of where I’m at.”
Years from now, the “Dancing On My Own” phenomenon might be forgotten — in Boston and Philadelphia, seeing as both the Red Sox and Phillies lost to the Astros and fell short of championship glory. But for a brief time, at least, questions were raised after a clear musical hijacking.
