Spirit in the Sky

"Spirit in the Sky"
Song

"Spirit in the Sky" is a song written and originally recorded by Norman Greenbaum and released in 1969. The single sold 2 million copies in 1969 and 1970 and reached number 3 in the U.S. Billboard chart, as well as number 1 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. However, Greenbaum, who is Jewish, stated that he had no particular religious intentions with the song.

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 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".

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-70s British glam rock pioneers in numerous respects. It features:

• high-pitched backing vocals similar to those in almost all hit singles by 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" even 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 many movies, including 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 (1995 film)", When I Die and in 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 inappropriate by Clear Channel following the September 11, 2001 attacks.

Other recordings

"Spirit in the Sky"
Song
B-side	"Laughing at the Pieces"

Many artists have released cover versions of the song. In 1986, Doctor and the Medics released a version which went to number 1 in 32 countries, including the UK. In 2003, a version was released by pop-singer Gareth Gates and The Kumars, in aid of the charity Comic Relief. It reached number 1 in the UK charts for two weeks.

• Top of the Poppers covered the song in 1970. Their version can be found on their album The Best of Top of the Pops '70.
• 1970s Manchester band The Cheetahs covered the song on their album.
• The Stovall Sisters included their own interpretation on their eponymous album (Reprise 6446).
• The Citizen Band covered the song in 1980.
• In 1970, the band Soul Brothers covered the song.
• Also covered in 1986 by UK all-girl indie band FUZZBOX (short for "We've Got A Fuzzbox And We're Gonna Use It").
• In 1991, the song was recorded by country rock group Kentucky HeadHunters on their album Electric Barnyard.
• In 1998, a successful recording of the song was released by Travis Allen White.
• In 2000, the song was covered by the Christian rock group dc Talk, for the CBS mini-series entitled Jesus: The Epic Miniseries.
• In 2005, song was released on the album Atom Bomb by the The Blind Boys of Alabama.
• In 2005, the song's repetitive bassline was appropriated by British electronic artist Goldfrapp in their single "Ooh La La".
• The song was also covered by Henry Lee Summer on his live album.
• Blues guitarist Charlie Jones covered it on his 2003 self-titled album.
• The song was also covered by German artist Nina Hagen, and covered by Bauhaus.
• The song was also covered by the Howard Stern band, The Losers.
• The song was also covered by the Joy Riders.
• In 2006, the song was covered by Tom Cochrane on his album No Stranger.
• In 2006, Elton John did a version in his album 16 Legendary Covers from 1969/70, as Sung by Elton John.
• In 2007, The Havingas did a version in their up-and-coming CD Girl of My Dreams.
• A cover of the song by Plumb with MIKESCHAIR appears on the Evan Almighty soundtrack..
• Also, a remix was made by Emjay and the Atari Babes called "Stimulate".

Use of the song in other contexts

• Was played during a Season 5 episode of the television series Supernatural entitled "Good God, Ya'll!"
• "Spirit in the Sky" is played at Los Angeles of Anaheim Angels home games as the starting lineups are announced.
• The song was played in Apollo 13 throughout the film.
• Nike, Inc. used the song in a commercial featuring Deion Sanders, Matt Leinart, Steve Young, and LaDainian Tomlinson among others.
• "Spirit in the Sky" is featured at the end of a 30 second commercial featuring Gatorade Tiger. Tiger Woods appears in the commercial.
• On August 20, 2005, the song was played as the late Hunter S. Thompson's ashes were fired out of a cannon at his home, Owl Farm,in Woody Creek, Colorado.
• It is used in the opening scene for the movie Sandlot 2
• It is used on several commercials for the Tigua Indian casino and gaming center.
• The video game Rock Band 2 featured this song as a playable song.
• "Spirit in the Sky" was also featured in the movie "Remember the Titans" (2000)
• "Spirit in the Sky" was also used at the beginning of Law & Order: Criminal Intent in the episode "Brother's Keeper."
• In July 2007, Jim Davidson used this song as his encore for a series of gigs in Dubai.
• In November 2007, the song was featured at the end of the House episode "Games."
• In 2008 "Spirit in the Sky" was featured in the SoapNet series MVP. It also featured at the end credits of The Channel Four Broadcast of "Jesus Camp."
• The Longest Yard uses the song during the scene where the guards and police prepare for the big game and the end of Caretaker's funeral.
• Part of "Spirit in the Sky" is played at the end of each episode of the US version of the TV show "Life On Mars".
• The song was played in the episode called Chaz Dalton's Space Academy on "My Name Is Earl" on March 5, 2009.
• "Spirits in the Sky" was used as the name of a one-time performance super group formed by members of The Electric Prunes and Smashing Pumpkins in order to commemorate the life of psychedelic musician Sky Sunlight Saxon. The song also served as the opening number to the memorial concert held on July 24, 2009.

External links

• Norman Greenbaum
• Russell DaShiell