"Gonna Fly Now", also known as "Theme from ''Rocky''", is the theme song from the movie '' Rocky'', composed by Bill Conti with lyrics by Carol Connors and Ayn Robbins, and performed by DeEtta West and Nelson Pigford. Released in 1976 with ''Rocky'', the song became part of 1970s American popular culture after the film's main character and namesake

Rocky Balboa Robert "Rocky" Balboa (also known by his ring name The Italian Stallion), is a fictional title character and the protagonist of the ''Rocky'' film series. The character was created by Sylvester Stallone, who has also portrayed him in all eigh ...

as part of his daily training regimen runs up the 72 stone steps leading to the entrance of the

Philadelphia Museum of Art The Philadelphia Museum of Art (PMoA) is an art museum originally chartered in 1876 for the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia. The main museum building was completed in 1928 on Fairmount, a hill located at the northwest end of the Benjamin Fr ...

in Philadelphia and raises his arms in a victory pose, while the song plays. The song was written in Philadelphia. The song is often played at sporting events, especially in Philadelphia. Most notably, the Philadelphia Eagles play the song before the opening kick-off of every home game at Lincoln Financial Field.

Reception

The song (whose lyrics are only 30 words long) was nominated for Best Original Song at the

49th Academy Awards The 49th Academy Awards were presented Monday, March 28, 1977, at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles, California. The ceremonies were presided over by Richard Pryor, Ellen Burstyn, Jane Fonda, and Warren Beatty. ''Network'' and ''All ...

. The version of the song from the movie, performed by Conti with an orchestra, hit number one on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart in 1977, while a version by jazz trumpeter

Maynard Ferguson Walter Maynard Ferguson CM (May 4, 1928 – August 23, 2006) was a Canadian jazz trumpeter and bandleader. He came to prominence in Stan Kenton's orchestra before forming his own big band in 1957. He was noted for his bands, which often served ...

hit the top 30.

Disco Disco is a genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the 1970s from the United States' urban nightlife scene. Its sound is typified by four-on-the-floor beats, syncopated basslines, string sections, brass and horns, electric pia ...

versions by

Rhythm Heritage Rhythm Heritage was a 1970s American disco-funk band, best known for their 1976 US number one single " Theme from ''S.W.A.T.''". It sold over one million copies and was awarded a gold disc by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIA ...

and Current were on the chart at the same time (Conti's own version reveals some early disco influence in the orchestration). ''Billboard'' ranked Conti's version as the No. 21 song of 1977. Conti's single was certified Gold by the

RIAA The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

, for shipments exceeding one million in the United States. The

American Film Institute The American Film Institute (AFI) is an American nonprofit film organization that educates filmmakers and honors the heritage of the motion picture arts in the United States. AFI is supported by private funding and public membership fees. Leade ...

placed it 58th on its AFI's 100 Years...100 Songs list. '' New York Times'' critic John Rockwell called it "a classic bit of movie-music pomposity" but said it had a "cheesy inspirational appeal."

Variations

In ''

Rocky II ''Rocky II'' is a 1979 American sports drama film written, directed by, and starring Sylvester Stallone. It is the sequel to ''Rocky'' (1976) and is the second installment in the ''Rocky'' franchise. It also stars Talia Shire, Burt Young, Carl We ...

'', an alternative version of the song was used, with a children's choir singing the chorus. '' Rocky III'' included an updated disco influenced arrangement during the training montage on the beach. This recording is however missing from the soundtrack album, the sleeve notes of which say "All music on this album selected by

Sylvester Stallone Sylvester Enzio Stallone (; born Michael Sylvester Gardenzio Stallone, ) is an American actor and filmmaker. After his beginnings as a struggling actor for a number of years upon arriving to New York City in 1969 and later Hollywood in 1974, h ...

", who instead opted to reprise the original versions of "Reflections" from the first film, and "Gonna Fly Now" and "Conquest" from the second installment. '' Rocky IV'' was scored by Vince DiCola who mainly introduced new themes of his own but "Gonna Fly Now" returned with its composer for later installments. In '' Rocky V'', two different versions of the song are played: an instrumental horn version and a different orchestral version. In ''

'', a slightly different version of the song used more trumpets and different vocal tones. The soundtrack for that film also includes a vocal remix performed by

Natalie Wilde Natalie may refer to: People * Natalie (given name) * Natalie (singer) (born 1979), Mexican-American R&B singer/songwriter * Shahan Natalie (1884–1983), Armenian writer and principal organizer of Operation Nemesis Music Albums * ''Natal ...

. ''

Creed A creed, also known as a confession of faith, a symbol, or a statement of faith, is a statement of the shared beliefs of a community (often a religious community) in a form which is structured by subjects which summarize its core tenets. The ea ...

'' samples the first few notes of the track during the film's last fight, as does its sequel, '' Creed II''.

Personnel

*DeEtta West - vocals *Nelson Pigford - vocals * Johnny Guerin - drums * Max Bennett - bass * Dennis Budimir - guitar * Mike Melvoin - piano

Chart performance

Weekly charts

;Rhythm Heritage ;Bill Conti

Year-end charts

;Maynard Ferguson

In popular culture

Due to its original use, the song (or a soundalike of it) is used frequently in various forms of popular media where a main character is forced to train hard in order to defeat an opponent, often during a montage sequence. American politician and former Vice President Walter Mondale used "Gonna Fly Now" as his presidential campaign song in

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeast A ...

. Renditions of the song without lyrics were used by the groundbreaking Toronto newscast ''

CityPulse ''CityNews'' (corporately styled City''News'') is the title of news and current affairs programming on Rogers Sports & Media's Citytv network in Canada. The newscast division was founded on September 28, 1975 as ''CityPulse'' as a standalone loc ...

'' beginning in 1976, with an arrangement by

. The theme was subsequently remixed and rearranged every few years, until 2002. The song was also used in a 1994 episode of '' The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air'', during Will Smith's visit to Philadelphia. Elements of "Gonna Fly Now" are incorporated in "

Bucky Done Gun "Bucky Done Gun" is the third single from musician M.I.A.'s album ''Arular''. The song was composed in London in 2004 as one of the last compositions for her debut album and credited to Maya "M.I.A." Arulpragasam, Carol Conners, Bill Conti, W ...

", a song off of M.I.A.'s album ''

Arular ''Arular'' is the debut studio album by British recording artist M.I.A. It was released on 22 March 2005 in the United States, and one month later in the United Kingdom, with a slightly different track listing. In 2004, the album's release was ...

''.

French radio

The daily French radio program ''Les Grosses Têtes'', on the RTL French radio network, uses an arrangement by Gaya Bécaud from “Gonna Fly Now”.

Ice hockey

The Finnish professional ice hockey team Jokerit from the Kontinental Hockey League, KHL uses "Gonna Fly Now" as their goal song.

References

External links

* * {{authority control Songs from Rocky (film series) Film theme songs 1976 songs Songs written by Bill Conti Songs written by Carol Connors (singer) Boxing music United Artists Records singles Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles Cashbox number-one singles