Gonna Fly Now

Last updated
"Gonna Fly Now"
Gonna Fly Now cover.jpg
Single by Bill Conti
from the album Rocky: Original Motion Picture Score
B-side "Reflections"
ReleasedFebruary 1977 [1]
Genre Philly soul
Length2:48
Label United Artists
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s) Bill Conti
Bill Conti singles chronology
"Gonna Fly Now"
(1977)		"Redemption"
(1979)

"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 as part of his daily training regimen runs up the 72 stone steps leading to the entrance of the Philadelphia Museum of Art in Philadelphia and raises his arms in a victory pose, while the song plays. [2] 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 kickoff of every home game at Lincoln Financial Field.

Contents

Reception

Gonna Fly Now (whose lyrics are only 30 words long) was nominated for Best Original Song at the 49th Academy Awards. 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 hit the top 30. Disco versions by Rhythm Heritage [3] 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. [4] Conti's single was certified Gold by the RIAA, for shipments exceeding one million in the United States. The American Film Institute 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." [5]

Variations

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

17th century origin of Rocky theme

Bill Conti's iconic dual introductory trumpet piece for the Rocky character (and the opening of Gonna Fly Now) was directly transferred from an anonymous 17th century sonatina written for use in the Italian royal dinner court. Conti's Rocky trumpet pieces are easily identifiable from the 17th century Three Sonatinas for 2 Clarini released by Warner Records' Nonesuch label, on the 1966 album The Art of the Baroque Trumpet (see track 1). [6]

Personnel

Charts

Weekly charts

Rhythm Heritage

Chart (1977)Peak
position
Canada Top Singles ( RPM ) [8] 92
US Hot 100 ( Billboard ) [9] 94
US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)49

Bill Conti

Maynard Ferguson
Chart (1977)Peak
position
Australian (Kent Music Report) [23]
57
Canada Top Singles ( RPM ) [24] 55
US Hot 100 ( Billboard ) [9] 28
US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)46
US Top 100 (Cash Box) [25] 31

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI) [26] Silver200,000‡
United States (RIAA) [27] Gold1,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

The song was used as the theme of the viral 2007 Flash game The Impossible Quiz .

The daily French radio program Les Grosses Têtes , on the RTL French radio network, uses an arrangement by Gaya Bécaud from "Gonna Fly Now". [28]

American businessman Donald Trump used "Gonna Fly Now" at his 2016 presidential campaign rallies. When composer Bill Conti was asked what he thought of Trump's use of the song, Conti stated: “I think it’s great. I’m an equal opportunity kind of guy. The song is my creation. And anytime something I create is used, I am happy about that. Music has no politics attached to it." [29]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bill Conti</span> American composer and conductor

William Conti is an American composer and conductor, best known for his film scores, including Rocky (1976), Rocky II (1979), Rocky III (1982), Rocky V (1990), Rocky Balboa (2006), The Karate Kid I (1984), The Karate Kid, Part II (1986), The Karate Kid Part III (1989), The Next Karate Kid (1994), For Your Eyes Only (1981), Dynasty, and The Right Stuff (1983), which earned him an Academy Award for Best Original Score. He also received nominations in the Best Original Song category for "Gonna Fly Now" from Rocky and for the title song of For Your Eyes Only. He was the musical director at the Academy Awards a record nineteen times.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Me and Bobby McGee</span> Song by Kris Kristofferson and Fred Foster

"Me and Bobby McGee" is a song written by American singer-songwriter Kris Kristofferson and originally performed by Roger Miller. Fred Foster shares the writing credit, as Kristofferson wrote the song based on a suggestion from Foster. A posthumously released version by Janis Joplin topped the Billboard Hot 100 in 1971, making the song the second posthumously released No. 1 single in U.S. chart history after "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay" by Otis Redding. Gordon Lightfoot released a version that reached number 1 on the Canadian country charts in 1970. Jerry Lee Lewis released a version that was number 1 on the country charts in December 1971/January 1972 as the "B" side of "Would You Take Another Chance on Me". Billboard ranked Joplin's version as the No. 11 song for 1971.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Still the One</span> 1976 single by soft rock group Orleans

"Still the One" is a song written by Johanna Hall and John Hall, and recorded by the soft rock group Orleans on their album Waking and Dreaming, released in 1976; it reached No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tonight's the Night (Gonna Be Alright)</span> 1976 single by Rod Stewart

"Tonight's the Night (Gonna Be Alright)" is a song written by Rod Stewart, and recorded at Muscle Shoals Sound Studio in Sheffield, Alabama for his 1976 album A Night on the Town. The song, controversial at the time of release, proved to be a massive commercial success and became his second US chart topper on the Billboard Hot 100. It made its debut at number 81 on 2 October 1976 and rose quickly, climbing from number eight to the top of the chart on 13 November 1976, and remained on top for eight consecutive weeks until 8 January 1977. It was the longest stay of any song during 1976, the longest run at the top for a single in the US in over eight years (since the Beatles’ "Hey Jude" in November 1968), and the longest stay at number one for Rod Stewart in his entire recording career, and the final number one of the US Bicentennial year. The song also peaked at No. 5 in the UK, No. 1 for six weeks in Canada, No. 3 in Australia and charted well in other parts of the world. It was the number 1 song on both Billboard's 1977 year-end chart and the year-end Canadian singles chart. It became the best-selling single of 1977 in the United States. As of 2018, it is the 19th-most popular song in the history of the chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Turn Your Love Around</span> 1981 single by George Benson

"Turn Your Love Around" is a pop/R&B single by George Benson. The song was written by Grammy winners Bill Champlin of Chicago, Steve Lukather of Toto and producer and guitarist Jay Graydon to help fill out Benson's 1981 greatest hits album, The George Benson Collection. The song won a Best R&B Song Grammy Award at the 25th Grammy Awards in 1983 for Champlin, Graydon, and Lukather as its co-writers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Another Saturday Night</span> 1963 Sam Cooke single

"Another Saturday Night" is a 1963 hit single by Sam Cooke from the album Ain't That Good News. The song was written by Cooke while touring in England when staying in a hotel where no female guests were allowed. It reached No. 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was No. 1 on the R&B chart for a single week. In the UK, the song peaked at No. 23 on the UK Singles Chart.

"Wedding Bell Blues" is a song written and recorded by Laura Nyro in 1966. The best known version was a number one hit for the 5th Dimension in 1969.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sunshine (Jonathan Edwards song)</span> 1971 single by Jonathan Edwards

"Sunshine" is a country folk song from 1971 by Jonathan Edwards, released as the first single from his debut album Jonathan Edwards. The single reached No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart on January 15, 1972, and earned a gold record.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Goodbye Girl (David Gates song)</span> 1977 single by David Gates

"Goodbye Girl" is a song by David Gates, lead singer of Bread, which was released as a single in December 1977 following the premiere of the hit film of the same name. As the theme song to the film, the song reached number 15 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming the biggest hit of Gates' solo career. It also reached number three on the Adult Contemporary chart. The song is from Gates' third solo album of the same name, released the following year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now</span> 1979 single by McFadden & Whitehead

"Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now" is a 1979 disco song performed by American R&B duo McFadden & Whitehead, from their debut album McFadden & Whitehead (1979). They wrote and produced the song along with keyboard player Jerry Cohen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cupid (Sam Cooke song)</span> 1961 song by Sam Cooke

"Cupid" is a song by American singer Sam Cooke, released on May 16, 1961. It charted at number 17 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 20 on the Hot R&B Sides chart; the track performed best in the United Kingdom, peaking at number seven on the UK Singles Chart. The song is featured on Cooke's greatest hits album, The Best of Sam Cooke (1962). Cooke's producers had asked him to write a song for a girl they had seen on a Perry Como TV show—but once they heard her sing, they kept "Cupid" for Cooke himself.

"Mercy, Mercy, Mercy" is a jazz song written by Joe Zawinul in 1966 for Cannonball Adderley and which appears on his album Mercy, Mercy, Mercy! Live at "The Club". The song is the title track of the album and became a surprise hit in February 1967. "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy" went to #2 on the Soul chart and #11 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Holly Holy</span> 1969 single by Neil Diamond

"Holly Holy" is a song written and recorded by Neil Diamond with instrumental backing provided by the American Sound Studio house band in Memphis. Released as a single on October 13, 1969, it was a successful follow up to "Sweet Caroline", reaching #6 on the U.S. pop singles chart by December. The song also reached #5 on the Easy Listening chart. It became a gold record and then eventually a platinum record.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Never Gonna Fall in Love Again</span> 1976 single by Eric Carmen

"Never Gonna Fall in Love Again" is a song co-written and recorded by American pop rock artist Eric Carmen. It was released as the second single from Carmen's self-titled debut solo album and peaked at No.11 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart in June 1976, remaining in the Top 40 for ten weeks. The song reached No.1 on the Billboard Easy Listening chart. In Canada, it was a hit at No. 1 on both charts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">That's Rock 'n' Roll</span>

"That's Rock 'n' Roll" is a song written and originally recorded by Eric Carmen in 1976. It became a popular Billboard top 10 hit in 1977 for teen idol Shaun Cassidy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flip, Flop and Fly</span> 1955 single by Big Joe Turner

"Flip, Flop and Fly" is a song recorded by Big Joe Turner in 1955. Called a "prototypical rocker", it was recorded by several early rock and roll performers. In 1973, a version by the Downchild Blues Band reached the record singles chart in Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">How You Gonna See Me Now</span> 1978 single by Alice Cooper

"How You Gonna See Me Now" is a song written by Alice Cooper, Bernie Taupin, and Dick Wagner, performed by Cooper and produced by David Foster. It was released on Cooper’s album, From the Inside.

<i>Conquistador</i> (Maynard Ferguson album) 1977 studio album by Maynard Ferguson

Conquistador is the ninth album by Canadian jazz trumpeter Maynard Ferguson on Columbia Records. The album is notable for its inclusion of the hit single "Gonna Fly Now ".

<i>Rocky: Original Motion Picture Score</i> 1976 soundtrack album by Bill Conti

Rocky: Original Motion Picture Score is a soundtrack album for the 1976 American film Rocky, composed by Bill Conti. It was released on vinyl in the United States on November 12, 1976, by United Artists Records, followed by a CD release by EMI Records on November 7, 1988. The soundtrack is notable for its inclusion of "Gonna Fly Now", the theme song from Rocky.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Don't Throw It All Away</span> Song written by Gary Benson

"Don't Throw It All Away" is a song written by British musician Gary Benson and first released by the Shadows on their 1975 album Specs Appeal. Benson released his version as a single later the same year, which reached number 20 on the UK Singles Chart in the fall of 1975.

References

  1. ↑ "Bill Conti singles".
  2. ↑ "The Number Ones: Bill Conti's "Gonna Fly Now (Theme from 'Rocky')"". 6 November 2019.
  3. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (1993). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961–1993. Record Research. p. 199.
  4. ↑ Billboard Year-End Hot 100 singles of 1976
  5. ↑ Rockwell, John (June 17, 1977). "Top 10 Singles Are All Eclectic". Charlotte Observer. p. 10D. Retrieved 2022-06-21– via newspapers.com.
  6. ↑ The Art of the Baroque Trumpet, Internet Archive, 16 August 2021, retrieved 5 August 2024
  7. 1 2 3 4 "INTERVIEW: Bill Conti "I always wanted to play the big loud stuff"". Gigslutz. 2016-11-07. Retrieved 2019-06-05.
  8. ↑ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. 1977-04-16. Retrieved 2019-10-16.
  9. 1 2 Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955–1990 - ISBN   0-89820-089-X
  10. ↑ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 . St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN   0-646-11917-6.
  11. ↑ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. 1977-07-02. Retrieved 2022-01-24.
  12. ↑ "Bill Conti – Gonna Fly Now". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved August 10, 2013.
  13. ↑ "Bill Conti Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved August 10, 2013.
  14. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (1993). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961–1993. Record Research. p. 58.
  15. ↑ "Cash Box Top 100 Singles, June 25, 1977". Archived from the original on October 24, 2019. Retrieved October 15, 2019.
  16. ↑ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Gonna Fly Now". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved January 24, 2022.
  17. ↑ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 16, 2019.
  18. ↑ Bill Conti – Gonna Fly Now – Awards. Allmusic . Rovi Corporation. Accessed on August 10, 2013.
  19. ↑ "Forum – 1970 (ARIA Charts: Special Occasion Charts)". Australian-charts.com. Archived from the original on 2016-06-02. Retrieved 2017-05-07.
  20. ↑ "Kent Music Report No 183 – 26 December 1977 > National Top 100 Singles for 1977". Kent Music Report . Retrieved 8 January 2022– via Imgur.com.
  21. ↑ "Top 200 Singles of '77 – Volume 28, No. 14, December 31 1977". RPM . Library and Archives Canada. 17 July 2013. Retrieved October 21, 2017.
  22. ↑ Musicoutfitters.com
  23. ↑ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 110. ISBN   0-646-11917-6.
  24. ↑ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. 1977-07-09. Retrieved 2019-10-16.
  25. ↑ "Cash Box Top 100 Singles, June 18, 1977". Archived from the original on October 3, 2012. Retrieved October 15, 2019.
  26. ↑ "British single certifications – Bill Conti – Gonna Fly Now (Theme from Rocky)". British Phonographic Industry . Retrieved April 14, 2023.
  27. ↑ "American single certifications – Bill Conti – Gonna Fly Now (Theme from". Recording Industry Association of America . Retrieved April 14, 2023.
  28. ↑ "Référence à Bill Conti et Gaya Bécaud sur le site des fans des Grosses Têtes". Archived from the original on 2016-09-25. Retrieved 2018-11-20.
  29. ↑ Fiorillo, Victor (27 September 2016). "We Asked Rocky Composer Bill Conti About Donald Trump Using His Music". Philadelphia Magazine.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.