Story behind the Greatest Classic Rock One Hit Wonder of The 1970s | Professor of Rock

Norman , Spirit in the Sky . One of my favorite.

he said a long time ago a friend put a pair of fuzz boxes in his tele, he didnt know what they were or anything about them... then the guitar was stolen on tour, which is why he could never recreate that sound.

I always took "Never been a sinner" as Jesus washed away my sins, a baptism if you will.

It's a fuzz guitar for krype sake!

Well if you are " born "again you are no longer a sinner.

Just lost a friend to Cancer a few days ago. I thought of and posted the chorus line of this song to his memorial video, I did for him. Great song.

NOT YELLING ALMOST COMPLETELY BLIND CAPS HELP THE LINE IVE NEVER SINNED CAN ALSO BE A METAPHYSICAL REFERENCE TO THE FORGIVENESS OF JESUS IN A WAY THAT MAKES US CLEAN IN GODS EYES SPIRITUALLY FROM A NEURODIVERGENT POINT OF VIEW REGARDLESS TRUELY A CLASSIC EPIC TIMELESSNESS SONG VERY BRAIN FREQUENCY ADDICTIVE CAN EASILY PLAY ON REPEAT ANYWAY GREAT VIDEO THX FOR COVERING IT
GODS BLESSINGS ON US ALL AND HEAVENS PANTRY SET ALL OUR TABLES TOGETHER ALWAYS MARANATHA 💯🖖🤙🪶💚🙂

😮CAN YOU IMAGINE HOW MANY PEOPLE HE SERVED WHO HAD ZERO CLUE WHO WAS SERVING THEM WOWWWW WHAT A REAL HONOR THAT RESTURANT SHOULD HAVE BEEN MUCH MORE THANKFULL THAT HE APPARENTLY LANDED THEM ON THE MAP THATS CALLED A MISSED OPPERTUNITY JUST SAYING 💯🫡😉🖖🤙🪶💚

😂🎉❤HES NOT A ONE HINT WONDER HES THE ULTIMATE HIT WONDER😂🎉❤😉🫡💯🖖🤙🪶💚SOOO MUCH MORE TO IT AS NEURODIVERGENT PERSON ❤ TY SO MUCH FOR COVERING THIS

❤❤❤

Endaquote

Spirit in the Sky was one of our favorites at school dances/sock hops...

Best song ever, thanks Norman.

I think the controversial verse works. The doctrine of justification is when Christ pays your debt you are cleared of all debt. Just as if you had never sinned.

You kinda sound like Casey.

Best song ever, get tingles everyday from this song. God Bless You All! Jesus=Pure Love 💚 btw Jesus washes your sins away, so never sin and have a friend in Jesus

my all time favorite .....going to the place that's the best, .....i only wish that i never left . Thank you JESUS ...for paying my rent, you are, my best friend!!!!

Maybe Norman was supposed to be a rock gospel music composer performer but didn't realize it? God Bless him. Hopefully he has a friend named Jesus so he can go to the Spirit in the Sky.

I love love love the song and sing it doing housework and laundry. Of course I changed the words when it came to that 'sinner' part [God doesn't like liars] haha! - but I have to admit the music video was one of the worst I ever saw. The song will live on forever

Many thanks for this Professori. I remember hearing the song when it first came out on a juke box in a Catholic Church basement, which hosted youth every Friday night in a community drop-in. It was one of our memorable faves... that, and the Jackson Five's ABC, Ball of Confusion by the Temptations, and War by Edwin Starr.

Jews dont sin, we disobey. No salvation, atonement

Even if you are not a "God" believer, you are when you listen to that song. Every word.

Great hit.

Probably still my favourite pop song. I loved it when I first heard it in 1970 and the intro still gives me goose bumps. It was adjudged the biggest hit of 1970 on radio here in Brisbane, Australia.

Petaluma ! Just down the road from my hometown!

It was the shittiest #1 hit ever. Don't care about his history as a goat farmer.

Back in the day, it made me think of the Canned Heat song (On the Road Again), due to the psychedelicized boogie aspect.

As a DJ and music lover, this song is one of the set savers. The intro alone catches everyone’s attention!

In my late 60s the first time I heard spirit in the sky was when it first came out on radio here in australia in my early teens loved the song then and still do.❤

My mom just died at age 90. She wanted her funeral service to end with everyone singing and clapping along to this song. It was a joyful way to send her off ❤

He did not write it to be religious. He did not write it to be anti-religious. It was taken as both by different people at different times.
He wrote a delightful tune beautifully put together, and to be a fun listen.

I was at a stop sign one day when I looked over to see a old green Plymouth fury that had "Green Bomb" written on it.

Thanks! Love this. I graduated in '65& this song was Formative for a High School Grad. Keep transporting us!

So I am one that did not enjoy the song but after listening to the story behind it, I can now have new found respect for it. SPIRIT, live on

Starting back in late 1973 I worked as a roadie for a Sonoma County, California, band, Crossfire. They were based in Petaluma, CA. Norman Greenbaum had been producing some of Crossfire’s demos. They all decided to use the congregated group of Norman Greenbaum and Crossfire as a vehicle to Norman’s comeback and to raise the band’s celebrity. We played all over the SF Bay Area, California and did showcase gigs in LA at the Whiskey A Go Go. The was a producer at ABC Dunhill, Bob Monaco, who had just worked with Chaka Chan & Rufus. So Monacho had leverage and momentum for more hits. Norman & Crossfire did some wonderful demos. Then the negotiations started. Then President of ABC Dunhill had dealt with Norman over at Reprise, I believe, and didn’t personally like Norman. So that deal fell through. Jeff Dornfeld, who managed Crossfire(later managed BOSTON in the 80’s) thought that Norman and Crossfire should split up. Crossfire continued but finally broke up in late 1975. I got to know Norman back then.

Additionally, I saw Norman here and there around Sonoma County. Even ate dishes he prepared as a chef/cook at a couple places he worked. The guitarist for Crossfire, Gary Pihl, later was Sammy Hagar’s lead guitarist for eight years before Sam went to Van Halen and has spent since 1985 playing in the band BOSTON. One of the Crossfire keyboardists, Mitch Froom, became a successful producer of Los Lobos, Sheryl Crow, Bonnie Raitt, Elvis Costello, Crowded House and many others. As I said before Crossfire manager Jeff Dornfeld managed BOSTON for many years in the 80’s.

I was 14 years old when I heard this song in 1970 and I love it till this day probably one of my all-time number one hit wounder songs of all time 😊

This Song wake me every day up ❤

Thank you for this important Content❤

Been listening to Spirit in the sky for 50 plus years it never gets played out like most 1 hit wonders ,it lasts

omg! I just re-watched your video (enjoyed it!) and was about to write a comment when - lo and behold - I saw that I had already done so 3 years ago! Senior moment. That last comment about Pete Townsend was my mistake. I recently discovered it was Thunderclap Newman's "Something in the Air" - another great song from 1969 that recently was on the soundtrack of "The Instigators" - a cool choice for a very good movie!

While our mom was finishing her degree at Western State College in Gunnison, Colorado, we lived in student housing and, because our father, a country-western fan, was in Grand Junction, working, we were free to enjoy the college radio station's avant-garde rock format. The station took listener requests, and my older sister would always call in and ask for The Rolling Stones' "Honkey Tonk Woman" and Greenbaum's "Spirit in the Sky." A study in opposites! But the subject matter of the songs was not what drew her to them, but the distinctive electric guitar in each. Today she plays guitar herself.

Not a sinner, never sinned, makes complete sense. It’s the reason for the death of Jesus, to wipe clean the sin of man. Makes perfect sense to me.

Often wonder what the royalties were for Sloop John B by the Beach Boys one of the greatest songs recorded & written although Brian Wilson had little input of the hit song he was in the right place at the right time..

It is a great song! I am amazed by all artists that create something out of their own vision. Songs, books, movies, art in every form. Blows my mind how they come up with it. I am really good at business and math, but art? I suck at it, but I 100% appreciate it in all forms.🤣Great video, The Professor Of Rock, well, Rocks! Great memories my man, Thanks! All the comments of folks losing their loved ones is both heartbreaking and uplifting.😇

You talk to much

The 70's (1971-1980) There is no year zero.

A suggestion, Adam. Your exposition of "Canned Heat", please.