Elton John gives Benny "The Jet" Zobrist his walk-up song approval

Ben Zobrist at the plate, moments after his wife’s version of “Benny and the Jets” played as his walk-up music.

To some baseball players, walk-up music is important. It can set the tone for their entire at-bat, or get them hyped up to hit the cover off the ball. (Jayson Werth of the Washington Nationals has used the theme to Game of Thrones in the past, which probably makes him feel like he’s a king about to charge into righteous battle.) Some players like a more personal touch, though. Ben Zobrist, second baseman (and sometimes outfielder) for the Chicago Cubs, is one of those players. And his new walk-up song, which debuted Saturday during Game 2 of the Cubs’ NLDS against the San Francisco Giants, combines that personal touch with the perfect song and an all-time great musician.

Up until this past weekend, Zobrist had used a song recorded by his wife, Julianna, a Christian musician. But according to John Hickey of the Mercury News, Julianna recently recorded a new song for her husband, and she used an all-time great tune as her jumping off point.

It’s pretty adorable that she used Elton John’s “Benny and the Jets” as the basis of her song, since it’s instantly recognizable and includes Zobrist’s first name. (What could be more personal than that?) But Julianna took it one step further — she didn’t just record a straight cover of “Benny and the Jets,” she recorded a version with Cubs-specific lyrics.

With all that awesomeness crammed into one song, Zobrist absolutely wanted to use it as his walk-up music. And he got his wish this weekend when the man himself, Sir Elton John, gave his permission for the song to be played publicly. Zobrist was pretty thrilled by the whole thing, as he told the Mercury News:

Zobrist doesn’t believe that walkup music is the Holy Grail, but the fact that he likes the song and that fact that Julianna not only sings it but has added a Cubs spin to him pleases him no end.

 “It’s pretty cool, it really is,” he said. “There’s something special about it.

So if Zobrist catches on fire at the plate, he knows who to thank: his wife and Elton John.