Spirit in the Sky

For a deity whose portfolio includes or is limited to the sky, see Spirit of the sky.

Not to be confused with Spirits in the Sky.

"Spirit in the Sky"
Single by Norman Greenbaum
from the album Spirit in the Sky
Released	1969
Format	7"
Recorded	1969
Genre	Psychedelic rock, gospel
Length	3:57
Label	Reprise 0885 Reprise RS20885 (UK)
Producer	Erik Jacobsen
Music sample "Spirit in the Sky"

"Spirit in the Sky"
Single by Doctor and the Medics
from the album Laughing at the Pieces
B-side	Laughing at the Pieces
Released	1986
Format	7"
Recorded	1986
Genre	Rock, neo-psychedelia
Length	3:28
Doctor and the Medics singles chronology
"Spirit in the Sky" (1986) "Burn" (1986)

"Spirit in the Sky" is a song written and originally recorded by Norman Greenbaum and released in 1969. The single sold two million copies in 1969 and 1970 and reached number three in the U.S. Billboard chart, as well as number one on the UK, Australian and Canadian charts in 1970. Rolling Stone ranked "Spirit in the Sky" #333 on their list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. The song was featured on the 1969 album of the same name. Cover versions by Doctor and the Medics and Gareth Gates have also made the number 1 spot in the UK.

Original version by Norman Greenbaum

Greenbaum had previously been a member of psychedelic jug band Dr. West's Medicine Show and Junk Band. When they split up he won a solo contract with producer Erik Jacobsen, who had previously worked successfully with The Lovin' Spoonful. He was inspired to write the song after watching Porter Wagoner on TV singing a gospel song. Greenbaum later said : "I thought, 'Yeah, I could do that,' knowing nothing about gospel music, so I sat down and wrote my own gospel song. It came easy. I wrote the words in 15 minutes."

"Spirit in the Sky" contains lyrics about the afterlife, making several references to Jesus, although Greenbaum himself is Jewish. Greenbaum recorded his first solo album with Jacobsen for Reprise Records. The song's arrangement came together in the studio in San Francisco where lead guitarist Russell DaShiell, bass player Doug Killmer from the band Crowfoot and drummer Norman Mayall worked with Greenbaum. According to one source and to DaShiell, Greenbaum used a Fender Telecaster with a fuzz box built into the body to generate the song's characteristic guitar sound. Moreover, DaShiell explained how he created the song's distinctive "beeping" fills:

"I actually played the lead guitar parts on Spirit, using a 61-62 SG Les Paul, a 68 Marshall Plexi 100w half stack and a home-made overdrive box in front of the Marshall. Regarding the 'beep beeps' as I call them, when the producer asked me to play some fills in between the verses, as a joke I said how about something spacey like this and I did the pickup switch/string bending thing. I saw him stand up in the control booth and he said "that's it! let's record that!" so we did. (There was no slide involved, just my fingers, and I used the bridge humbucker and the pickup switch). The fuzz part is Norman with a built-in overdrive circuit built into his Tele pickguard."

"I've been asked a lot over the years how I did the 'beep beep' guitar parts on Spirit, so for any guitar players out there who would like to learn how, try the following: Using a 2-pickup Gibson, set the neck pickup volume to zero, bridge pickup volume to max, with the pickup switch in the middle position (with Gibson wiring this gives you silence in the middle position). Do a string bend, picking the B & E strings together with one hit, just ahead of the beat, then use the pickup switch to kick in the bridge pickup in triplets (6 per bar) as you let the B string bend down two frets."

"I mainly used two positions on Spirit, which is in the key of A. For the low position, fret a stationary C note (8th fret) on the E string while bending the B string up to an A note for your starting-position, then pick the two strings together once while the guitar is silent and work the pickup switch as you let the A note bend downwards to a G. For the high position, do the same thing at the 15th fret holding a stationary high G note on the E string while bending down from E to D on the B string."

"I must give credit to Jimi Hendrix as my inspiration for this technique (as well as for the double-string riffs I did at the beginning of the Spirit solo tail section). I saw him perform live in a small club in Madison, Wisconsin and loved the way he used his Strat pickup switch to create staccato feedback on songs like Voodoo Child. The difference is, on a Gibson you can start from silence and create the on/off effect, which worked well with the downward string bending thing I did on Spirit."

The resulting sound was an innovative and compelling combination of gospel and psychedelic rock music, with loud drums, distorted electric guitar, clapping hands, and tambourines. The production team brought in the Stovall Sisters, an Oakland-based gospel trio, to sing backing vocals. Because of its unusual lyrics and style, the record company was initially reluctant to issue it, but was finally released as a single after two other singles from the album had poor sales. "Spirit in the Sky" became a worldwide hit, and was at the time the best-selling single ever for the Reprise label. Of the song, Greenbaum once said, in an interview: "It sounds as fresh today as when it was recorded".^{[citation needed]}

Cultural impact

During John Lennon's famously scathing 1970 Rolling Stone "Beatles break-up" interview with Jann S. Wenner, while highly critical of the recent work of many of his peers, including Bob Dylan and ex-bandmate Paul McCartney, Lennon professed to liking the then-current radio single, "Spirit in the Sky," stating that he "always liked simple rock and nothing else."

"Spirit in the Sky" is a precursor to the sound of early 1970s British glam rock pioneers in numerous respects. It features:

• high-pitched backing vocals similar to those in almost all hit singles by glam bands T. Rex or Sweet;
• a prominent shuffle rhythm with handclaps and a double emphasis in the third bar, exactly like that used in Gary Glitter's later worldwide hit "Rock and Roll, Parts One and Two";
• the use of nascent synthesizer technology more for its novelty/effects value than its musicality, as heard later in Roxy Music's "Virginia Plain" and Chicory Tip's "Son of My Father".
• Alvin Stardust's first single "My Coo-Ca-Choo" uses the chord pattern of "Spirit in the Sky": each song can be sung along with the other quite easily. The guitar break in Alvin's second single, "Jealous Mind", is also very similar to the guitar break in "Spirit in the Sky".

The song has been featured in the video game Rock Band 2 and many films, including Supernatural (TV series), House M.D. (TV series), My Name Is Earl, Superstar, Saving Grace, Contact, Michael (trailer only), Apollo 13, Remember the Titans, Ocean's Eleven, Jesus Camp, Wayne's World 2, The Sandlot 2, The Longest Yard, Knocked Up, Miami Blues, Universal Soldier II: Brothers In Arms, The War, The Wolves of Kromer, The Huntress, Forrest Gump, Evan Almighty, December Boys, Sunshine Cleaning, Angel Baby, When I Die, W. and Ben Stein's 2008 documentary "Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed". "Spirit in the Sky" was ranked #85 in VH1's 100 Greatest One-hit Wonders. It was included on the list of songs deemed 'questionable' by Clear Channel following the September 11, 2001 attacks.

The song was covered by DC Talk for Jesus: Music from & Inspired by the Epic Mini Series soundtrack and was released as a B side with LeAnn Rimes' song "I Need You".

Bauhaus covered the song in their 1983 single "Sanity Assassin".

Gareth Gates (With The Kumars) Version

"Spirit in the Sky"
Single by Gareth Gates with The Kumars
from the album Go Your Own Way
B-side	Dance Again Will You Wait For Me?
Released	March 14, 2003
Format	CD Single
Recorded	2003
Genre	Pop, rock
Length	3:29
Label	Sony BMG/RCA
Producer	Steve Mac
Gareth Gates with The Kumars singles chronology
"What My Heart Wants To Say" (2002) "Spirit In The Sky" (2003) "Sunshine" (2003)

"Spirit In The Sky" served as the first single from Pop Idol runner-up Gareth Gates' second studio album, Go Your Own Way. The single was released on March 14, 2003, and was the official Comic Relief charity single for 2003. The song features guest vocals from The Kumars. The song peaked at #1 on the UK Singles Chart, giving Gates his fourth number one from five singles.

Tracklisting

UK CD1

1. "Spirit In The Sky" - 3:29
2. "Dance Again" - 4:06
3. "Spirit In The Sky" (Gareth Only Version) - 3:25
4. "Spirit In The Sky" (Video) - 4:00

UK CD2

1. "Spirit In The Sky" - 3:29
2. "Will You Wait For Me?" - 4:13
3. "Interview With Gareth" - 5:00

UK DVD

1. "Spirit In The Sky" (Video) - 4:00
2. "Dance Again" (Video) - 4:06
3. "Spirit In The Sky" (Making Of The Video) - 3:25

Preceded by "All Kinds of Everything" by Dana	UK number-one single (Norman Greenbaum version) May 2, 1970 (2 weeks)	Succeeded by "Back Home" by England national football team
Preceded by "The Chicken Song" by Spitting Image	UK number-one single (Doctor & The Medics version) June 3, 1986	Succeeded by "The Edge of Heaven" by Wham!
Preceded by "Beautiful" by Christina Aguilera	UK number-one single (Gareth Gates & The Kumars version) March 16, 2003 - March 29, 2003	Succeeded by "Make Luv" by Room 5 featuring Oliver Cheatham