My favorite Jewish gospel composer and one-hit wonder, Norman Greenbaum, turns 65 today. You know him for the indelible 1969 single "Spirit in the Sky," which contains what may be the greatest fuzz-tone guitar riff ever recorded. Bonus points for the giant muttonchops Greenbaum sported in the video below.
Spirit In The Sky – Click here for more blooper videos
How did a nice Jewish boy ever come to write such a sincere-sounding rock-gospel tune (sample lyric: "I got a friend in Jesus")? Turns out he was inspired by listening to Porter Wagoner sing a gospel tune on TV, figured a Christian lyric would get more radio play than a Jewish one, and came up with words in just 15 minutes. (The song’s signature guitar sound took much longer, with much tinkering in the studio before Greenbaum and his session guitarist hit upon that grungy tone and those bent-note Doppler-effect fills.) Alas, Greenbaum never scored another chart smash, but he’s made a decent living off performance royalties for "Spirit," since you’ve heard it re-used so many times in commercials and movies. So happy 65th, Norman, enjoy your royalties, and have fun introducing your fans to that goat-racing game.
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It was a number one hit pretty much due to the successes of the musicals “Jesus Christ Superstar” and “Godspell”. Also in hopes to putting an end to the Vietnam War, some folk rock artists like “Ocean” and “Brewer and Shipley” used religion as a counter attack. The concept made people feel comfortable during a nasty war. Greenbaum’s song was the big bright star that stood out from the rest. He’s still cashing in on this hit because not only is it being played by clasic rock stations, commericals use this song a lot. Happy b-day Mr. Greenbaum.
Happy B-Day, Norman! When I was a teenager, I was the church organist. (Hey, it paid better than babysitting.) I used to slip Spirit in the Sky in the offertory and communion meditations. The older priest never knew what was going on and half the church would wink at me as they left. Good times, good times.
I love this song.