Norman Greenbaum Spirit in the Sky: How a Cook Made a Hit
Here’s a breakdown of the key information from the text, organized for clarity:
The Story of “Spirit in the Sky”
* Inspiration: Norman Greenbaum was inspired to wriet religious lyrics after hearing Porter Wagoner (who discovered Dolly Parton) sing a gospel song on TV. Despite a semi-religious Jewish upbringing, he wrote Christian-themed lyrics like “When I die…I’m going to the place that’s the best” and “Gotta have a friend in Jesus.”
* Fast Creation: The song came together very quickly.
* Discovery: Erik Jacobsen, producer for the Lovin’ Spoonful, discovered Greenbaum at the Troubadour club in LA. Jacobsen had a deal with Warner Brothers.
* Initial Resistance: Warner Brothers initially doubted a four-minute song about Jesus would get radio play.
* Success: “Spirit in the Sky” was released in 1969 and sold two million copies.
* Later Revivals:
* 1986: Dr and the Medics took it to No.1 in the UK.
* 2003: Gareth Gates also reached No. 1 in the UK with a version of the song.
* The song has appeared in numerous films (Apollo 13,Oceans 11,Guardians of the Galaxy).
Norman Greenbaum’s current Life
* Age: 82 years old.
* Near-Death Experience: He survived a car crash and spent three weeks in a coma.
* Current Faith: He now prays and gives thanks to “the spirit in the sky” daily, feeling he was granted another life.
Erik Jacobsen’s Perspective (Producer)
* First Encounter: He saw greenbaum at a hootenanny at the Troubadour, where Greenbaum claimed to have many songs.
* Greenbaum’s Background: Greenbaum had a minor hit (“The Eggplant That Ate Chicago”) with a band called Dr west’s Medicine Show and Junk Band and wrote quirky songs.
* Jacobsen’s Goal: He wanted to make records that people would actually enjoy.