My wife Patty didn’t remember Norman Greenbaum, and I imagine most of you don’t either. As soon as I shared his hit, she remembered! If your curious, let’s go back to 1970 and the song that kind of, for a moment, made him famous Video
…Norman Greenbaum is best known for writing and performing the 1969 song “Spirit in the Sky“. It was certified gold by the RIAA on 4/23/70 and honored here with a classic Disc Award Ltd. In-House gold 45…
The song, with its combination of ‘heavy’ guitar, hand-clapping, and spiritual lyrics, was released by Reprise Records in 1969. It sold two million copies in 1969 and 1970, and has subsequently been used in many films, advertisements, and television shows.
Although “Spirit in the Sky” has a clear Christian theme, Greenbaum was and remains an observant Jew. Greenbaum says he was inspired to write the song after watching country singers singing a song on television. In an interview Greenbaum stated that western movies were the real inspiration for “Spirit in the Sky”:
Norman Greenbaum: If you ask me what I based “Spirit In The Sky” on … what did we grow up watching? Westerns! These mean and nasty varmints get shot and they wanted to die with their boots on. So to me that was spiritual, they wanted to die with their boots on.
Ray Shasho: So that was the trigger that got you to write the song?
Norman Greenbaum: Yes. The song itself was simple, when you’re writing a song you keep it simple of course. It wasn’t like a Christian song of praise it was just a simple song. I had to use Christianity because I had to use something. But more important it wasn’t the Jesus part, it was the spirit in the sky. Funny enough … I wanted to die with my boots on.
Though Greenbaum is generally regarded as a one-hit wonder, several of his records placed prominently in the charts, including “Canned Ham” in 1970, which reached number 46 on the Billboard pop chart. In 1966, as the leader and composer of Dr. West’s Medicine Show and Junk Band, he recorded the novelty hit “The Eggplant That Ate Chicago”.
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