Jock Jams, Volume 4: How does the Jock series hold up today?

At its release, Jock Jams, Volume 4 was the most contemporized of all installments in the Jock series. Its oldest track was originally released in 1987, its second-oldest in 1992 and its third-oldest in 1996.

The rest came on their respective artists’ albums in 1997 or 1998, the year ESPN came out with the compilation on August 25.

Yet in a strange, uncharacteristic twist, the two elders have aged the best on sports sound systems. One was heard in a high-end baseball venue deep into this century. The other frequents football and hockey games of all levels to this day.

The artists behind those songs had not previously appeared in the Jock series. Those behind four other Volume 4 tracks had. Two others had established mainstream recognition going in, and would return for the Fox Sports-issued Jock Jams, Volume 5.

For those returning contributors, a preceding Jock Jam had immensely better play on public-address systems, if any worth writing home about at all. The best years were likely behind the series, which was getting more outside company on high-level arena DJs’ cues.

As one testament to that notion, ESPN’s last Jock Jams go-round had 2 Unlimited hitting for the cycle. But for its fourth leadoff hit in as many compilations, the dance duo arguably bunted. On that note, it leads off our review of every Volume 4 track’s short- and long-term sound-system steam.

 

“Unlimited Megajam”

This mash-up was implicitly inspired by the preceding “Jock Jam Megamix” on Volume 3. With the two hodgepodges, “Get Ready for This” and “Twilight Zone” each completed a hat trick of appearances in the series.

“Unlimited Megajam” also bears bits of “Tribal Dance” and “No Limit” from the third and second volume, respectively. Its first-time snippets with the Jock Jams circles include “Let the Beat Control Your Body” and “Workaholic.”

Interspersed with Austin Powers exclamations, this offered another option for player introductions. In addition, the opening “Ding-dong-ding-dong” sample or a variation on it has been used to signal a power play in hockey, among other in-game developments. In the wake of JJV4, Powers’ subsequent “Yeah baby!” giving way to the “Twilight Zone” riff had some moments on the loudspeakers as well.

But for pregame pump-up purposes, most DJs stuck with Volume 1’s tried-and-true Michael Buffer/2 Unlimited collaboration. That and the duo’s other contributions to the Jock series worked better as standalone sound-system staples.

“Mo Money Mo Problems”

This was a posthumous release by Notorious B.I.G. featuring Puff Daddy, Mase and Kelly Price. But it started with a sampled Diana Ross, which made the bulk of what most fans heard whenever this was played. Unless a DJ timed it for certain occasions or lucked out with a protracted stoppage, they would not get around to much else.

Before long, arena sound crews were not getting around to any of it at all. One notable exception is the Los Angeles Kings crew, which played this a dozen times in the 2018-19 regular season.

“Can You Feel It”

At this point in the Jock series and the evolution of in-game presentations in general, this song may have been victimized by simple ill timing. The comparatively obscure 3rd Party produced something that would be a decent half-minute stoppage filler. Or it could have been one of those warm-up songs that comes before the music heats up and the players re-emerge for introductions.

But the key turn of phrase there is “one of those.” The selection pool was too deep for this to swim far in 1998, let alone the next century. This author, for one, cannot remember hearing it in any public setting these past two decades. Not even in the background during a game’s telecast, radio broadcast or webcast.

 

“Space Jam”

Might the namesake movie’s long-awaited sequel give this song a second wind? Zach LaVine of the Minnesota Timberwolves already got that going at the NBA’s 2015 All-Star festivities.

For understandable reasons, this Quad City DJ’s tune is largely considered a hoops-only track. It was not unheard of to hear it at other sporting events for a while, but those moments were few and far between. Generally, one can make its case for an alternative to “Sirius” as a timeless basketball intro track.

“Raise the Roof”

Released as a single on March 10, 1998, “Raise the Roof” was all of five and a half months old when it made the JJV4 cut. With most of the track consisting of Luke issuing the title directive, it suited almost any general mid-game stoppage in any sport. It still does for those who are in the mood for a throwback.

“Gettin’ Jiggy Wit It”

Yet another same-year song, this more or less marked ESPN’s renewed commitment to featuring mainstream pop artists. In this case, Will Smith delivers his eventual Grammy winner for best rap solo.

As far as association with sports goes, “Gettin’ Jiggy Wit It” mustered plenty of steam. Its general recognition doubtlessly helped it as a sound-system selection in its formative years. But even as its overall peak wore off, it persisted between plays.

As a couple of bonuses, it had some cultural resurgences at its five- and 10-year mark. During the 2003 Stanley Cup playoffs, the Anaheim Mighty Ducks made it a de facto theme for goaltender Jean-Sebastien Giguere (aka Jiggy). In 2008, the song appeared in the video game Backyard Football.

“Everybody (Backstreet’s Back)”

Lewis Black once sarcastically said, “when I think of football, I think ’N Sync!” when another boy band performed at the Super Bowl. Logic suggests the same sentiment held sway in this scenario, as Jock Jams took this off the Backstreet Boys’ year-old debut album.

Yet to the astonishment of more than a few, some sound crews actually made “Everybody (Backstreet’s Back)” a regular for a handful of years afterward. Smith is one thing when it comes to catching casual fans’ ears with mainstream music. But this?

“Going Out of My Head”

In general and in sports settings, this never reached “Rockafeller Skank” proportions. Although in 2013, Complex included it among a selection of the top 10 Jock Jams series songs.

Within the window of Jock Jams trendiness, you could hear this Fatboy Slim jam in some venues. Sometimes it merely rolled right after the album’s preceding spoken interstitial by J.K. Simmons, “No one pushes us around.”

Later in said window, it may or may not have been hurt by its presence on the Like Mike soundtrack. But perhaps the greatest mystery is why, with its steady and zesty instrumental refrain, “Going Out of My Head” never caught on as a scoring-play song anywhere.

“Mueve La Cadera (Move Your Body)”

Like other repeat artists in the Jock series, the bilingual Reel 2 Real had a hard time besting itself.

There has never been anything that would make “Mueve La Cadera” sound out of place at a sporting event. It just never staked a regular seat in the cue the way “I Like to Move It” of Volume 2 did.

“Push It”

It makes sense that this song precedes the album’s first of two interstitials by the late Yankee Stadium public-address announcer Bob Sheppard. Before switching to “Hip Hop Hooray” of Volume 1 fame, the Pinstripes frequently cued this old-school Salt-n-Pepa beat’s instrumental hook after a home run.

 

“Jump Around”

When Billboard included “Jump Around” among its picks for the 100 greatest sports anthems, it quoted three big-league music specialists on the song’s resonance.

One of them, Laura Johnson of the San Francisco 49ers, told the publication, “This collegiate and professional sports staple not only whips the crowd into a frenzy, but it also gets the players pumped.” Meanwhile, Cleveland’s Josh Sabo noted, “You can play this at almost anytime of a game and get people jumping around and going nuts.”

House of Pain’s magnum opus is by far Volume 4’s most lasting Jock Jam. For starters, it was the only non-Volume 1 song of its kind to return for 2001’s All Star Jock Jams.

Its unmistakable, inimitable rhythm is so good that several prominent college athletic programs cue it up to give the pep band a breather. Although the band is usually only inclined to give its instruments a rest, as no one can help but follow the song’s directive.

“Jump Around” is so timeless that, in 2016, the NHL’s San Jose Sharks considered it for their new goal song. In addition, a quarter-century after its release and nearly two decades after Jock Jams, Volume 4, the expansion Vegas Golden Knights gave it a regular spot on their home-game playlist.

“One More Night”

Amber’s de facto Jock Jams follow-up on Volume 2’s “This Is Your Night” could not gain the same traction. It did not so much as appear in any cult classics along the lines of A Night at the Roxbury. It does not even have its own Wikipedia page.

As it happened, both songs appeared on her 1996 debut album, so “One More Night” may have suffered as a Jock Jam by not hopping on quickly enough. Or it might not have waited long enough for conditions conducive to a second win. Or it might have been a combination of both. Just look at all of Volume 4’s other 1996 and 1997 tracks.

“Beautiful Day”

Game-goers and music fans alike are more likely to think of U2 than Hypertrophy when this song title is mentioned.

The former group, which released a wholly different song of the same name, has been mainstream worldwide since the 1980s. Going back to the lack of Wikipedia pages, the latter is in small company with 3rd Party as JJV4’s only contributing artists with that dishonor.

Surely this “Beautiful Day” was played at some arena or stadium at least once before U2’s “Beautiful Day” burst out in 2000. But even without that, Hypertrophy never got a real chance to hype sports audiences.

“Get Ready to Bounce”

Between its titular hook and general rhythm, this song was perfectly suited for warm-ups or other portions of the pre-game phase. It is more energizing than Jock Rock’s “Get Ready” but not up to the full-fledged flare of “Get Ready for This.”

Brooklyn Bounce would see its share of action in that context in the first handful of years after this album. But like so many fellow Jock Jams, this song could not last in the canned-music canopy.

“Tubthumping”

Barely a year old as a single when it latched onto this compilation, “Tubthumping” was an equally instant fixture at games. This author remembers hearing it in its entirety during Zamboni shifts at minor-league hockey arenas in the winter of 1999.

Before long, it had established itself (for obvious reasons) as a rally cry when the home team suffers a setback. If the situation is not terribly serious, it can also work when injured or shaken-up players skate or walk off under their own power.

Because of that niche, Chumbawamba defiantly lingers at the games. Whether ticketholders like it or not, no one is ever going to keep this song down. Even if it is not as prominent or widespread, it still has its place in the crowd.

“Son of a Jock Jam (Mega Mix)”

The sequel to Volume 3’s closing mash-up, this delivers a little symmetry by incorporating “Tribal Dance.” A slew of other songs from the first three volumes, most of which did not make the first Mega Mix, function chiefly as a celebration of the series’ continued success.

Or, at least, a celebration of the series’ continuation, period.

Like its predecessor, it got little, if any game-presentation action outside of low-budget scholastic or junior venues. Even in a gym barely cracking a three-digit capacity, it is hard to imagine this song playing today.

Ultimately, it was a harmless, what-the-heck capper for ESPN, which would relinquish the last Jock Jams album to Fox Sports.