Original Issue

Battle of the Ballads

Author:
SI Staff

This Saturday, at the 142nd Kentucky Derby, the Churchill Downs crowd will sing "My Old Kentucky Home" as it has for 95 years. Twenty-two days later, about 120 miles to the north, another crowd will sing "Back Home Again in Indiana" at the 100th Indianapolis 500. Here's how the two songs stack up.

[This article contains a table. Please see hardcopy of magazine or PDF.]


"My Old Kentucky Home"		"Back Home Again in Indiana"
1853	Published	1917
Stephen Foster	Writer	Ballard MacDonald and James F. Hanley
Abolitionism: Foster, a Pittsburgh native, was inspired by Uncle Tom's Cabin	What's it about?	Nostalgia: Hanley was from Indiana, MacDonald was not.
1921, when Kentucky-bred horse Behave Yourself won and the song was played in celebration	Tradition origin	1946, when then Indianapolis Motor Speedway president Tony Hulman first asked James Melton to sing it
Louisville Cardinals Marching Band	Backup	Indianapolis Children's Choir
None, just the band	Lead singer	Jim Nabors, 36 times between 1972 and 2014; The Voice winner Josh Kaufman this year
A big bold hat	Headphones	Headphones

THEY SAID IT

"I'LL NEVER GROW UP."

John Daly

The golfer, who turned 50 on April 28, answering a question about how he's changed as he prepares for his Champions tour debut, at the Insperity Invitational on May 6.