Richard Adler and Jerry Ross were rising stars in Broadway composition in the 1950s, producing three hit musicals (John Murray Anderson’s Almanac, The Pajama Game, and Damn Yankees) three years in a row, for which they won critical acclaim and slew of Tony Awards. Many of their songs were also recorded by pop stars of the day, including Tony Bennett and Sarah Vaughan. Ross’s untimely death (1926-1955) cut their partnership short. Adler (1921-2012) continued to be involved in Broadway, but never had another hit musical. Perhaps his most famous post-Ross production was the 1962 birthday party for President John F. Kennedy in which Marilyn Monroe famously sang “Happy Birthday.”

Damn Yankees appeared on Broadway in 1955 to public and critical enthusiasm. It retells the Faust legend through the lens of 1950s baseball. Joe Boyd desperately wants his beloved but hapless Washington Senators to win, which requires them to beat “those damn Yankees.” A man named Applegate (The Devil) appears and offers to turn Joe into Joe Hardy, the star hitter the Senators need – under the condition that, if he finishes the season, he has to remain in his new identity forever, thus leaving his beloved wife behind. What follows is a pastiche of hilarity, seduction, disappointment, and no shortage of dramatic tension. Spoilers: the Devil loses, Joe goes home to his wife, and the Senators win the pennant. Damn Yankees played for more than 1000 performances in its original run, and won 8 Tony Awards. It has been staged countless times since then.

Paul Yoder arranged a concert band selection from Damn Yankees shortly after its Broadway debut. It appears to now be out of print, but it remains in many band libraries around the USA and beyond. Here it is in a 2019 performance in San Francisco:

The medley includes many of the hits from the show. After a brief introduction, it begins with “Near to You” (from the 1994 Broadway revival):

Next comes the Senators’ rallying cry, “Heart” (from the 1958):

This is followed by “Whatever Lola Wants,” perhaps the most famous song from the show. Here it is from the 1958 film, with Gwen Verdun as Lola – she also originated the role on Broadway:

The famous Sarah Vaughan recording:

The medley begins and ends with “Shoeless Joe from Hannibal MO” (1994 Tony Awards performance):

See more about the show at Wikipedia (show and film), Playbill, Broadway Musical Home, and the Shaw Festival.