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. " 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. Related Boards: Boom Beach Hack And Cheats-Ultimate Gaming.
Billboard ranked Conti's version as the No. 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). 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. The song is often played at sporting events, especially in Philadelphia.The song (whose lyrics are only 30 words long) was nominated for Best Original Song at the 49th Academy Awards.
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. Rocky III included an updated disco influenced arrangement during the training montage on the beach. The American Film Institute placed it 58th on its AFI's 100 Years.100 Songs list.In Rocky II, an alternative version of the song was used, with a children's choir singing the chorus.
The theme was subsequently remixed and rearranged every few years, until sometime in the 2000s.The song was also used in a 1994 episode of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, during Will Smith's visit to Philadelphia.The daily French radio program Les Grosses Têtes, on the RTL French radio network, uses an arrangement by Gaya Bécaud from “Gonna Fly Now”. Creed samples the first few notes of the track during the film's last fight, as does its sequel, Creed II.Chart performance Weekly charts Rhythm Heritage Chart (1977)Due to its original use, the song (or a soundalike of it) 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.American politician and former Vice President Walter Mondale used "Gonna Fly Now" as his presidential campaign song in 1984.Renditions of the song without lyrics were used by the groundbreaking Toronto newscast CityPulse beginning in 1976, with an arrangement by Maynard Ferguson. The soundtrack for that film also includes a vocal remix performed by Natalie Wilde. In Rocky Balboa, a slightly different version of the song used more trumpets and different vocal tones.
Retrieved August 10, 2013. ^ " Charts.nz – Bill Conti – Gonna Fly Now". St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book.
^ Bill Conti – Gonna Fly Now – Awards. ^ Cash Box Top 100 Singles, June 25, 1977 Top Adult Contemporary: 1961–1993. ^ Whitburn, Joel (1993). Retrieved August 10, 2013.
Library and Archives Canada. ^ "Top 200 Singles of '77 – Volume 28, No. Archived from the original on. ^ "Forum – 1970 (ARIA Charts: Special Occasion Charts)". ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100".
^ Cash Box Top 100 Singles, June 18, 1977 St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.).