Norman Greenbaum On New ‘Spirit In The Sky’ Video, Mix, Vinyl Reissue

As one of the most licensed songs of all time, Norman Greenbaum’s “Spirit in the Sky” is the rare tune that has managed to resonate across generations, finding placement in movies, commercials, video games and more over the course of the last 55 years.

Released in 1969, the song reached #3 on the Billboard Hot 100, continually popping up in films like Apollo 13 and, more recently, the trailer for Guardians of the Galaxy, while appearing in countless commercials as well as video games like Rock Band 2.

Despite initial reservations by label Reprise Records, who worried the song was too long for AM radio at four minutes, “Spirit in the Sky’s” classic tone immediately grabbed fans, a fingerpicked sound which grew from acoustic roots and took on a whole other dimension when run through a fuzz box built into an electric guitar, one triggered by a switch as opposed to a pedal.

Inspired in part by both a greeting card and gospel music, the song began to grow when that iconic guitar sound was set against a series of handclaps and the backing vocals of gospel trio the Stovall Sisters by Greenbaum and producer Erik Jacobsen (The Lovin’ Spoonful, Chris Isaak).

That Fender Telecaster was lost long ago and Greenbaum was left with the unenviable task of trying to follow up a one of a kind hit.

“It was steps from a greeting card that said ‘spirit in the sky’ with American Indians in front of the tepee – basically praying to their god the spirit in the sky – to Porter Wagoner singing a gospel song halfway through his show every week,” Greenbaum explained during a recent video call. “The riff I had was something I had diddled around with since high school – without the fuzz box. I learned it really when I was going to college in Boston. And I changed it. It’s not a copy of anything. That was my progression. And you need a progression,” said the songwriter. “After ‘Spirit in the Sky,’ I had a couple of ‘duds’ as they say. And then everybody is calling me a one hit wonder. And it made it hard for my career to succeed after that,” said Greenbaum. “One of the reasons is they wanted another ‘Spirit in the Sky.’ However, you can’t do it. I mean, it’s gonna look like an attempt to do it and it’s just not the same. The song stood out too much. But the record company didn’t see it that way. So, it was hard.”

Today, Greenbaum, 82, lives and occasionally performs in northern California, interacting with fans via his website. And following the release of a brand new mix of the song in Dolby Atmos, Craft Recordings has reissued Greenbaum’s debut album on vinyl, releasing the song’s first ever official music video (one directed by Laurence Harlan Jacobs featuring Greenbaum alongside actors Conor Sherry and Abby Ryder Fortson).

I spoke with Norman Greenbaum about the process behind creating a slice of Americana and the enduring legacy of “Spirit in the Sky.” A transcript of our video call, lightly edited for length and clarity, follows below.

Jim Ryan: So you grew up in Massachusetts – but I’ve heard that early on you were discovering southern blues and folk music. Where were you discovering that prior to the onset of rock and roll?

Norman Greenbaum: Well, the delta blues was from hanging out and playing at folk houses. And there was a college circuit where those types of entertainers were booked at different colleges. The delta blues was just there as part of it. The rest of it was kind of boring: old folk songs that everybody sang.

But I just started playing the folk style of music and I was writing songs. Those were my first gigs doing my own songs. Then I had friends that had moved from my hometown to Hollywood. And they were visiting. And they said, “Do you really like it here?” I said, “I could move…” And they said, “Well, then let’s all go back to Hollywood.” That’s where I went. And that’s where I started my first band Dr. West’s Medicine Show – which was a goofy band. But we actually had a small hit: “The Eggplant That Ate Chicago.”

Ryan: That pre-rock and roll era is really fascinating to me. Because you were only 9 years old when “Rocket 88” hit in 1951. What was it like discovering new sounds like that at such a young age?

Greenbaum: Well, I got tired doing the Dr. West thing. And so I formed rock and roll bands.

I was different. Rock was starting to come in. I was interested in doing more than that. I listened to a lot of music! So, I had a lot of influences. But, of course, I didn’t have horns and background girls back then – it was just a five piece rock band. By chance, we’re playing at the Troubador and after our set, backstage, a gentleman walks in and says, “Hi, I’m Erik Jacobsen. I produced the Lovin’ Spoonful. I like you. I’m based in San Francisco.” So, I moved my operation from New York to San Francisco. He said, “I’d like to work with you…” It was out of nowhere. It was really cool.

So, we started a relationship. And that led to “Spirit in the Sky.”

Ryan: When people talk about the song, they always seem to talk about religion. But, to me, it’s not so much religion, it’s spirituality that really defines the song. How does that idea kind of inform the song to you?

Greenbaum: Well, that’s exactly what it is – and what it was when I wrote it.

But I had to make it accessible. So, the words are accessible. Of course, everybody wants to die with their boots on. I learned that from watching western movies. And, to me, the record was more about the track. And it turned out to be the same for most people that listened to it. They just bypassed the words. Later on, the words became more significant as everybody got older. So, it took more of a religious theme at that point.

But I still meet people that go, “I’d recognize that song everywhere – just that first note!” I believe that that intro made it. It got you immediately into it. And, at the time, there was nothing like it.

So, I didn’t know it but I wrote a masterpiece. I didn’t. I didn’t know.

Ryan: You talk about the track and certainly there’s that juxtaposition of the beautiful gospel singers set against that fuzzy guitar. I know it started as a more folk, more jug band oriented thing. How did you kind of settle on that guitar tone for “Spirit in the Sky?”

Greenbaum: I kind of fooled around. When I wrote it, I didn’t have the fuzz tone yet. Whatever I played, it just didn’t go. It was just another song. Then one of my guitar players invented this little alternative fuzz box that he put right into the guitar. A switch. It wasn’t a pedal. And, once I had that, it just kind of came to me: “That’s what I’ll do with the song!”

And, as we’ve said… it really made it. It was different. And it stood out. It was ahead of its time.

Ryan: What was the collaborative process like working in the studio with Erik Jacobsen?

Greenbaum: Well, we didn’t change a lot of the song. The production was him – mostly. And, of course, he had so many hits before me. He was a great producer. We recorded it at one of the studios that existed in 1969 in San Francisco called Coast Recorders. Maybe it was a magical place? You probably know, back then, the machines were like five feet tall. The tape was an inch. And you needed a shaving blade to cut and splice. But, interestingly enough, I think that had a lot to do with it. It’s very hard to get that sound with what we have now – since everything went digital. But Erik was really good at putting it together.

In recording, you get to the point where it’s, “OK. Here it is. We’ve got the basics. What else can we put in it?” And that’s where the gospel girls came to thought. And, so, we got the three Stovall Sisters. And that was quite good too. And then we put in the clapping. And that was definitely Erik’s idea. The rest of it was pretty basic. We didn’t really use any gizmos. The sound was in the guitar.

The guitar player, his little knobby thing was not a gizmo thing. A lot of people thought I had split the speakers in my amp to get my sound – but it wasn’t. And, to this day, it’s, “How’d you get that sound?” I don’t know. It was magical! Sometimes, it’s that way in the studio. It just comes together. You make a few changes here and there. And, when you finish, you go, “Wow! This is good.”

So, Erik Jacobsen was the genius behind the recording. For sure.

Ryan: I love this age old story of artist walking into label with a finished song that eventually becomes a mega hit. And yet the initial response is, “Well, we don’t know…” What was your reaction upon delivering that final mix to Reprise and receiving their tepid response?

Greenbaum: Well, they were. Because it was four minutes long. And AM radio was still at two minutes and 20 seconds: “We play more music than any station in town!” And they go, “Well, how are we going to fit this on? Can you make it shorter?” And I said, “No!” And, yeah, they were very hesitant. They liked it – but hesitant. They didn’t think anyone would play it because it was too long – and it wouldn’t fit into their programming.

Eventually, they did put it out and it did fit in. The sales at first were probably enough for them to keep playing it and keep it in the top 10. But it was starting to fade – and they were gonna drop it from programming… until they got a call from one of Warner Bros.’ promotion men. And they said, “Do not, take it off the playlist! I got 20,000 sitting here.” And they go, “OK!” And so they kept it up. And, within like two or three weeks, it was #1.

Ryan: I read that you didn’t sign one of those legendarily horrendous publishing deals. So you get half the publishing, is that correct?

Greenbaum: Yeah. I wasn’t the publisher. I got the half as being the writer. I didn’t care at the time. I knew I wasn’t being screwed. I was really coming out of nowhere – but with a person that wasn’t going to screw me. It was OK. He discovered me, he got me in the studio. To me it was OK. And the relationship moneywise was always quite good.

Ryan: It’s obviously rare for a song to cross multiple generations. But “Spirit in the Sky” has. What’s it been like watching that play out now over five decades?

Greenbaum: Yeah, that was interesting! The song got a life of its own. I wasn’t so important anymore to the song. It was the song – and wow!

What a thing to happen. It was in a movie – and that was a whole new area to get into. And then it got into a television commercial. And just more movies and all kinds of things were happening. I go, “Well, that’s OK! I’m gonna just go with that.” It’s been in more than 70 movies and probably 30 commercials. And some of them are very memorable.

Here’s a good story: I was having a burger with my friend. We were in a place that had a jukebox. And maybe a 10 year old kid goes up to the jukebox and he plays “Spirit in the Sky.” And we saw him! I go, “God, that’s interesting. How in the hell does he know this song?” I went up to him and I said, “Hi. Can I talk to you? How come you played that song?” And he said, “Oh, I saw it in Remember The Titans. That’s my favorite song!” I said, “Oh! That’s so cool. Thank you.” He said, “Why did you thank me?” I said, “That’s my song!” He nearly fell on the floor.

But that’s the greatest example of how it was going through the generations and how movies helped that. Before that, when it was in Apollo 13, that was just amazing. And totally memorable. Because here it is, long before Guardians of the Galaxy, here’s the cassette floating through the air. It was too cool. And it got other movies and everything to go, “Wow, this song is great. This track is great. We could use it.” And that’s what happened.

It became a terrific thing. And how could you not be happy with that? “Spirit in the Sky” is still going. It’s incredible.