"Spirit in the Sky" is a song by American singer-songwriter

Norman Greenbaum Norman Joel Greenbaum (born November 20, 1942) is an American singer-songwriter. He is primarily known for his 1969 song "Spirit in the Sky". Early life Greenbaum was born in Malden, Massachusetts. He was raised in an Orthodox Jewish household ...

, originally written and recorded by Greenbaum and released in late 1969 from the album of the same name. The single became a

gold record Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile me ...

, selling two million copies from 1969 to 1970, and reached No. 3 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 where it lasted for 15 weeks in the Top 100. ''Billboard'' ranked the record the No. 22 song of 1970. It also climbed to No. 1 on the UK,

Australian Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists ** Aboriginal A ...

and Canadian charts in 1970. ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

'' ranked "Spirit in the Sky" No. 333 on its list of the " 500 Greatest Songs of All Time". Cover versions by

Doctor and the Medics Doctor and the Medics is a British glam rock band formed in London in 1981. The group was most successful during the 1980s and is best known for their cover of Norman Greenbaum's "Spirit in the Sky" which reached No. 1 in the UK Singles Chart. The ...

and

Gareth Gates Gareth Paul Gates (born 12 July 1984) is an English singer-songwriter and actor. He was the runner-up in the first series of the ITV talent show ''Pop Idol'' in 2002. As of 2008, Gates had sold over 3.5 million records in the UK. He is ...

have also made the No. 1 spot in the UK. The song is also known for being one of the top

one-hit wonder A one-hit wonder or viral hit is any entity that achieves mainstream popularity, often for only one piece of work, and becomes known among the general public solely for that momentary success. The term is most commonly used in regard to music p ...

s of all time.

Original version by Norman Greenbaum

"Spirit in the Sky" makes several religious references to

Jesus Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...

, although Greenbaum himself is

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

. In a 2006 interview with ''The New York Times'', Greenbaum told a reporter he was inspired to write the song after watching

Porter Wagoner Porter Wayne Wagoner (August 12, 1927 – October 28, 2007) was an American country music singer known for his flashy Nudie and Manuel suits and blond pompadour. In 1967, he introduced singer Dolly Parton on his television show, ''The Po ...

singing a gospel song on TV. Greenbaum 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." The song is in the Key of A. Greenbaum had previously been a member of psychedelic

jug band A jug band is a band employing a jug player and a mix of conventional and homemade instruments. These homemade instruments are ordinary objects adapted to or modified for making sound, like the washtub bass, washboard, spoons, bones, stovepi ...

Dr. West's Medicine Show and Junk Band. When they split up he won a solo contract with producer

Erik Jacobsen Erik Jacobsen (born May 19, 1940) is an American record producer, song publisher and artist manager. He is best known for his work in the 1960s with Tim Hardin, the Lovin' Spoonful, the Charlatans, and Sopwith Camel, and later with Norman Greenba ...

for

Reprise Records Reprise Records is an American record label founded in 1960 by Frank Sinatra. It is owned by Warner Music Group, and operates through Warner Records, one of its flagship labels. Artists currently signed to Reprise Records include Enya, Michael ...

. Jacobsen had previously worked with

The Lovin' Spoonful The Lovin' Spoonful is an American rock band popular during the mid- to late-1960s. Founded in New York City in 1965 by lead singer/songwriter John Sebastian and guitarist Zal Yanovsky, the band is widely known for a number of hits, including ...

and the song was included on Greenbaum's first solo album. The song's arrangement came together in the studio in

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

where lead guitarist

Russell DaShiell Russell DaShiell (born July 23, 1947) is an American guitarist who has recorded as a solo artist as well as playing in bands such as Crowfoot and the Don Harrison Band, and with Harvey Mandel, Phil Everly and Norman Greenbaum. Russell was also on ...

, bass player

Doug Killmer Douglas "Doug" Killmer (July 18, 1947 – August 29, 2005) was an Americans, American blues and rock music, rock bass guitarist active from the 1960s to the late 1990s. He is sometimes credited as Douglas Kilmer or Doug Kilmer. He is best rem ...

from the band

Crowfoot Crowfoot (1830 – 25 April 1890) or Isapo-Muxika ( bla, Issapóómahksika, italics=yes; syllabics: ) was a chief of the Siksika First Nation. His parents, (Packs a Knife) and (Attacked Towards Home), were Kainai. He was five years old when ...

and drummer Norman Mayell from the band

Sopwith Camel The Sopwith Camel is a British First World War single-seat biplane fighter aircraft that was introduced on the Western Front in 1917. It was developed by the Sopwith Aviation Company as a successor to the Sopwith Pup and became one of the b ...

worked with Greenbaum. According to ''The New York Times'' article, Greenbaum used a

Fender Telecaster The Fender Telecaster, colloquially known as the Tele , is an electric guitar produced by Fender. Together with its sister model the Esquire, it is the world's first mass-produced, commercially successful Les Paul had built a prototype solid bo ...

guitar with a

fuzz box Distortion and overdrive are forms of audio signal processing used to alter the sound of amplified electric musical instruments, usually by increasing their gain, producing a "fuzzy", "growling", or "gritty" tone. Distortion is most commonly ...

built into the body to generate the song's characteristic guitar sound. The resulting sound was an "oddly good and compelling" combination of gospel and

hard rock Hard rock or heavy rock is a loosely defined subgenre of rock music typified by aggressive vocals and distorted electric guitars. Hard rock began in the mid-1960s with the garage, psychedelic and blues rock movements. Some of the earliest hard ...

music, with loud drums, distorted electric guitar, clapping hands, and tambourines. The production team brought in

the Stovall Sisters The Stovall Sisters were a gospel trio of recording artists consisting of Lillian, Netta, and Joyce Stovall. Definitive works include the album ''The Stovall Sisters'' ( Reprise Records 1970) which included the funk/soul track “Hang on in There ...

, an Oakland-based gospel trio, to sing backing vocals. Because of the song's length and lyrics, the record company was initially reluctant to issue it, but it 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. There is a music video with Greenbaum singing the song. About the song, Greenbaum has been quoted as saying, "It sounds as fresh today as when it was recorded. I've gotten letters from funeral directors telling me that it's their second-most-requested song to play at memorial services, next to ' Danny Boy'." The song was featured in the soundtrack to the 2013 film ''

This is the End ''This Is the End'' is a 2013 American apocalyptic stoner action fantasy black comedy film written, directed and produced by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, in their directorial debuts. It is a feature-length film adaptation of the short film ...

'' and was included in the soundtrack for the 2014 film ''

Guardians of the Galaxy The Guardians of the Galaxy is a fictional superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. It may more specifically refer to: Comic book teams * Guardians of the Galaxy (1969 team), the original 31st-century team fr ...

'', and the 1995 film ''

Apollo 13 Apollo 13 (April 1117, 1970) was the seventh crewed mission in the Apollo space program and the third meant to land on the Moon. The craft was launched from Kennedy Space Center on April 11, 1970, but the lunar landing was aborted aft ...

''.

Charts

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Year-end charts

Certifications

Doctor and the Medics version

In June 1986,

reached No. 1 in the UK singles chart with their version of the song, where it spent three weeks at the top. In New Zealand, the song reached No. 2 on the

RIANZ Singles Chart Recorded Music NZ (formerly the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand (RIANZ)) is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell recorded music in New Zealand. Membership of Recorded Mu ...

, while in Canada, it peaked at No. 1 for a week and was the fifth-highest-selling single of 1986. The song has been certified silver by the

British Phonographic Industry British Phonographic Industry (BPI) is the British recorded music industry's Trade association. It runs the BRIT Awards, the Classic BRIT Awards, National Album Day, is home to the Mercury Prize, and co-owns the Official Charts Company with ...

(BPI) and platinum by the

Canadian Recording Industry Association Music Canada (formerly Canadian Recording Industry Association (CRIA)) is a non-profit trade organization that was founded 9 April 1963 to represent the interests of companies that record, manufacture, produce, and distribute music in Canada. It ...

(CRIA).

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Gareth Gates (with the Kumars) version

"Spirit in the Sky" served as the first single from ''

Pop Idol ''Pop Idol'' is a British music competition television series created by Simon Fuller which ran on ITV from 2001 to 2003. The aim of the show was to decide the best new young pop singer (or "pop idol") in the UK based on viewer voting and par ...

'' runner-up

's second studio album, ''

Go Your Own Way "Go Your Own Way" is a song by British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac from their eleventh studio album, '' Rumours'' (1977). The song was released as the album's first single in December 1976 on both sides of the Atlantic. Written and sung ...

''. The single was released on March 14, 2003, and was the official ''

Comic Relief Comic relief is the inclusion of a humorous character, scene, or witty dialogue in an otherwise serious work, often to relieve tension. Definition Comic relief usually means a releasing of emotional or other tension resulting from a comic episo ...

'' charity single for 2003. The song features guest vocals from the Kumars. The song peaked at number one on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

, becoming Gates' fourth number-one single. Gates' version has been certified platinum by BPI in the UK.

Track listing

UK CD1 # "Spirit in the Sky" (with the Kumars) # "Dance Again" # "Spirit in the Sky" # "Spirit in the Sky" (video) UK CD2 # "Spirit in the Sky" (with the Kumars) # " Will You Wait for Me?" # Interview with Gareth Gates UK cassette single # "Spirit in the Sky" (with the Kumars) # "Dance Again" # "Will You Wait for Me?" UK DVD single # "Spirit in the Sky" (video) # Making of "Spirit in the Sky" (video) # "Dance Again" (video) # Interview with the Kumars (video)

Charts

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Certifications

Other versions

A version by

Dorothy Combs Morrison Dorothy Combs Morrison (born Dorothy Marie Combs, May 8, 1944) is an American gospel music singer. She sang lead vocal on the song "Oh Happy Day" recorded in 1967 by the Edwin Hawkins Singers. Biography She was born in Longview, Texas, and grew ...

reached No. 99 on ''Billboard'''s Hot 100 in October 1970, and No. 47 in Canada during November of that same year.

Nina Hagen Catharina "Nina" Hagen (; born 11 March 1955) is a German singer, songwriter, and actress. She is known for her theatrical vocals and rose to prominence during the punk and new wave movements in the late 1970s and early 1980s. She is known as ...

recorded two versions of the song, one in English and one in German. Each was released in 1985 on the same language version of her album ''

Nina Hagen in Ekstasy ''Nina Hagen in Ekstasy'' is the third solo (and fifth overall) studio album by German singer Nina Hagen. It was released on January 10, 1985, by CBS Records. The German version of the album ''Nina Hagen in Ekstase'' was released simultaneously. ...

''. Both were also released as singles. In 2013, Rolling Stones bassist Bill Wyman revealed that he recorded a demo of the song in November 1985 and had sent it to a film company for the prospective use in a new film. The demo cassette was not returned and Doctor and the Medics' version was released in June of the following year.Bill Wyman (2013) ''Bill Wyman's scrapbook''. ''Accompanying audio CD''. Canadian rock musician Sam Roberts released a version of the song as part of his 2015 EP ''Counting the Days.''

References

{{Authority control 1969 singles 1970 singles 1986 singles 2003 singles Gareth Gates songs Norman Greenbaum songs Cashbox number-one singles UK Singles Chart number-one singles Number-one singles in Scotland Number-one singles in Germany Number-one singles in Australia Irish Singles Chart number-one singles Comic Relief singles RPM Top Singles number-one singles 19 Recordings singles Bertelsmann Music Group singles RCA Records singles Reprise Records singles Syco Music singles Songs about death Songs about Jesus 1969 songs Song recordings produced by Erik Jacobsen Gospel songs

Original version by Norman Greenbaum

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Doctor and the Medics version

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Gareth Gates (with the Kumars) version

Track listing

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Other versions

See also

References