I had recorded all these other songs, and we didn’t have anything that came close to the sound. This was something that really came out of left field. I didn’t fit into a particular niche of music. But while it gave him massive success, he also struggled about its follow-up. Greenbaum also admitted that it’s a timeless track and one that still sounds fresh today. He finished writing the lyrics in just 15 minutes but the music and arrangement took longer. He used “Jesus” in the lyrics because he “decided there was a larger Jesus gospel market out there than a Jehovah one.” I’ve written some oddball songs, but some serious song, I can do that.” I just sat down, and it all came together.” E-mail from Norman Greenbaum explaining SPIRIT IN THE SKY tone Texas Picker 1 2 Next 1 T Texas Picker Tele-Meister Joined Posts 275 Location Nashville I was cleaning out my studio and found this email from Norman Greenbaum in which he answered my question about how he got his tone on Spirit In The Sky. I said to myself, “Well, I’ve never written a religious song. “Then I started thinking about the Hopi Indians, the pastor’s on vacation, and as a kid watching cowboy shows and hearing that the bad guys - when they were dying from a shootout - always wanted to be buried with their shoes on. So he took his viola, came all the way back into town, and when he got to the church, there was a note on the door that said, “The pastor’s on vacation.” And for some reason, he decided it was time to go back. He hadn’t been to church prayed for, like, years and years. One particular day, he did a song about a miner that was up in the hills, digging for gold. He had a TV show, and he did a religious song halfway through the show. He continued, “Then I happened to be watching Porter Wagoner. Spirit In The Sky by Norman Greenbaum on Amazon Music - Spirit In The Sky Norman Greenbaum Janu112 ratings See all 17 formats and editions Streaming Unlimited MP3 9.49 Listen with our Free App Audio CD 13.57 7 Used from 9.00 8 New from 12.74 Listen Now Buy MP3 Album 9.49 Sold by Services LLC. And there was an image of American Indians with a teepee and bonfire. Musically, I never knew quite what to do with it.”Īs for the title, he saw a greeting card with “Spirit in the Sky” on it. You pack it away in the back of your head and know that you’ll get back to it. He said, “Songwriters occasionally have an idea but not a complete one. In a new interview with the Rolling Stone magazine, Greenbaum discussed the track that catapulted him to greater stardom.
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