The songs in my head: I'm Shipping Up to Boston

I am not a Red Sox fan, possess maybe a teaspoon of Gaelic blood, and have absolutely no connections to the city of Boston.

So how did I suddenly become a Dropkick Murphys fan? And a rabid one at that?

If you are a Red Sox fan, a hard-core Bostonian, so Irish that three-quarters of your blood is Guinness, or any or all of the above, then you know about Dropkick Murphys. Their song "I'm Shipping Up to Boston" is the walk-out song for Sox pitcher Jonathan Papelbon, who does a jig to this very song.

Not long ago, the Boston Pops released The Red Sox Album, which features music that is synonymous with their hometown team. Among the tracks on the album? A cover of "I'm Shipping Up to Boston."

The Boston Pops covered a Celtic punk band. OK, that was a selling point for me.

Now, Sister Kitten is a hard core Red Sox fan. So much so that she has requested Dropkick Murphys CDs for Christmas and birthday gifts. So one day, in Borders, I found their Tessie EP on sale. I bought it for her for Easter. "Tessie" was a song that was sung at Red Sox games around 1918, the last time the Sox won the series prior to 2004. During the 2004 series, Dropkick Murphys reworked "Tessie", it started getting played at games, and--well, you know what happened.

I've met various people over the years who absolutely worship Dropkick Murphys, and insist that I give them a listen. And finally, I have.

It took this year's NHL Winter Classic for me to finally get a taste of them. Granted, NBC only played 30 seconds of their live performance, but it was enough for me. I was hooked.

I downloaded their live album, recorded on Saint Patrick's Day. They perform in Boston each year on Saint Patrick's Day weekend, and their concerts are legendary--or, so I hear. I have not been to one yet. It's the perfect album to listen to when you need to get pumped for the day.

So, without further ado, here are Dropkick Murphys with "I'm Shipping Up to Boston."



P.S. Since I am a new fan, some of my facts may not be 100% straight. If you need to clarify some history for me, please let me know. You can also click here to go to their official website.