What were Red Sox fans singing every time Shane Victorino stepped to home plate in Game 1 of the World Series?
“Don’t worry about a thing, ‘cause every little thing gonna be all right.”
If you’re one of the millions who own a copy of “Legend: The Best of Bob Marley and the Wailers,” you might recognize that’s the opening line of “Three Little Birds,” one of Marley's most optimistic and uplifting songs.
But what is reggae's enduring icon doing in the land of “Sweet Caroline,” “Shipping Up To Boston” and “Dirty Water”?
As Peter Abraham of The Boston Globe explained at the time, Victorino is a Marley fan and he switched his at-bat music to “Three Little Birds” from another Marley song, “Buffalo Soldier,” in July. The change in routine got an instant response from Fenway fans, who have been singing along ever since.
They were singing again when Victorino, who had been struggling at the plate, came to bat late in Game 6 of the ALCS. Moments later, his grand slam gave Boston its third AL pennant in 10 years.
“To hear a home crowd get behind that song and talk about every little thing’s gonna be all right, especially that part ... yeah, it’s definitely special to me,” Victorino told NESN on Tuesday. “You live for those kind of moments."
Did a Bob Marley song help Victorino hit a season-defining home run?
“(I’m) not saying that’s what led to what happened, but it definitely gave me some kind of motivation,” he told NESN.
Bob Marley: "Three Little Birds" from "Legend: The Best of Bob Marley and the Wailers." (iTunes | Amazon)