Gonna Fly Now
| "Gonna Fly Now" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Single by Bill Conti | ||||
| from the album Rocky - Original Motion Picture Score | ||||
| B-side | "Reflections" | |||
| Released | February 28, 1977 | |||
| Format | 7" | |||
| Genre | Orchestral | |||
| Length | 2:48 | |||
| Label | United Artists | |||
| Writer(s) | Bill Conti, Carol Connors, Ayn Robbins | |||
| Producer(s) | Bill Conti | |||
| Certification | Gold (RIAA) | |||
| Bill Conti singles chronology | ||||
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"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 Little (the sister of actor Cleavon Little) and Nelson Pigford. Released in February 1977 with the movie Rocky, the song became part of American popular culture after main character 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. The song was written in Philadelphia. The song is also often played at sporting events, especially at sporting events in the city of Philadelphia or featuring sports teams from there.
Reception
The song (whose lyrics are only 30 words long) was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song in 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 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.[1] 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. Due to its charting success, in a rarity for a movie soundtrack, "Gonna Fly Now" is on the regular playlist on '70s on 7 on Sirius XM Radio.
Uses
In Rocky II, an alternate 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 "Gonna Fly Now" and "Reflections" from the first film 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.
Chart performance
| Year | Chart | Peak position |
|---|---|---|
| 1977 | Canadian RPM Top Singles | 8 |
| New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[2] | 22 | |
| US Billboard Hot 100[3] | 1 | |
| 2007 | US Hot Ringtones (Billboard)[4] | 19 |
In popular culture
Due to its original use, the song (or soundalikes) is used frequently in various forms of popular media where a main character is forced to train hard in order to defeat an opponent, often during a montage sequence.
The alternate version featuring the children's choir was used in the 1983 film Mr. Mom.
American politician and former Vice President Walter Mondale used this as his campaign song in 1984.
The song has been used as the main theme for France's daily radio comedy program Les Grosses Têtes since 1977.
Former UFC Heavyweight Champion Junior Dos Santos uses this as his entrance theme.
References
- ↑ Billboard Year-End Hot 100 singles of 1977
- ↑ "Charts.org.nz – Bill Conti – Gonna Fly Now". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved August 10, 2013.
- ↑ "Bill Conti – Chart history" Billboard Hot 100 for Bill Conti. Retrieved August 10, 2013.
- ↑ Bill Conti – Gonna Fly Now – Awards. Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Accessed on August 10, 2013.
External links
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- Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics
| Preceded by | Billboard Hot 100 number one single July 2, 1977 |
Succeeded by "Undercover Angel" by Alan O'Day |
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