Composed by Norman Greenbaum, at the end of the 60s, Spirit in the Sky got famous all around the world by lyrics, tune and cultural impact as well. The writer of Spirit in the Sky was inspired by a TV show where he listened to some gospel singing, and he put the lyrics down in fifteen minutes. It speaks about the life after death and the essence of Christ's sacrifice. Despite Greenbaum's Jewish origins, the Christian dimension of the song did not remain hidden even if the author claimed that his intention was not that of imbuing the song with religious fervor.
The explanation for the Christian references to sinning that are obvious in Spirit in the Sky are explained by Greenbaum as an attempt to reach to broader audiences, particularly since the concept of evil doing is common to all cultures and religions, and it is far from being limited or regulated by Christianity only. In terms of sound print, the guitar dominates the rhythm of the song. It seems that the producers used a Fender Telecaster with a fuzz box in order to generate the preponderance of the guitar sound.
The characteristics of Spirit in the Sky are incredible by the new sound imprint: psychedelic rock music meets gospel distorted guitar playing, tambourines, drums and hand clapping. Though Spirit in the Sky became a hit, the start was rather small as the record company showed was skeptical about its success because of the uncommon lyrics and original style. Spirit in the Sky actually came to the rescue of the album it was part of, since it followed two other single releases which were rated as failures. In a sort of way, the producing company felt compelled to try and save the boat, but even so they were far from anticipating the success of the song.
John Lennon rated Spirit in the Sky as a great song, while the Rolling Stones gave it only a 333rd place in the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. Even so, the song was listened to everywhere in UK, Canada, US or Australia, and it had an impact for the foundation stone of glam rock evolution and the more extensive usage of electronic technologies in music making. Due to its message and sound uniqueness, Spirit in the Sky applied to the necessities of film making too, being performed in more than twenty films.
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