Gonna Fly Now

"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. Released in 1976 with Rocky, the song became part of 1970s American popular culture after the film's main character and namesake 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.[2] The song was written in Philadelphia. The song is often played at sporting events, especially in Philadelphia. Most notably, the Philadelphia Eagles play the song before the opening kickoff of every home game at Lincoln Financial Field.

"Gonna Fly Now"
Single by Bill Conti
from the album Rocky: Original Motion Picture Score
B-side"Reflections"
ReleasedFebruary 1977[1]
Genre
Length2:48
LabelUnited Artists
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Bill Conti
Bill Conti singles chronology
"Gonna Fly Now"
(1977)		 "Redemption"
(1979)

Reception

The song (whose lyrics are only 30 words long) was nominated for Best Original Song at 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[3] 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.[4] 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.

New York Times critic John Rockwell called it "a classic bit of movie-music pomposity" but said it had a "cheesy inspirational appeal."[5]

Variations

In Rocky II, an alternative 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 "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. 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, as does its sequel, Creed II.

Personnel

Charts

Weekly charts

Rhythm Heritage

Chart (1977) Peak
position
Canada Top Singles (RPM)[7] 92
US Hot 100 (Billboard)[8] 94
US Adult Contemporary (Billboard) 49

Bill Conti

Maynard Ferguson
Chart (1977) Peak
position
Australian (Kent Music Report)[22]
57
Canada Top Singles (RPM)[23] 55
US Hot 100 (Billboard)[8] 28
US Adult Contemporary (Billboard) 46
US Top 100 (Cash Box)[24] 31

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[25] Silver 200,000‡
United States (RIAA)[26] Gold 1,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

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.

Renditions of the song without lyrics were used by the groundbreaking Toronto newscast CityPulse beginning in 1976, with an arrangement by Maynard Ferguson. The theme was subsequently remixed and rearranged every few years, until 2002.

The song was also used in a 1994 episode of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, during Will Smith's visit to Philadelphia.

Elements of "Gonna Fly Now" are incorporated in "Bucky Done Gun", a song off M.I.A.'s album Arular.

The song was used in the 2007 flash game The Impossible Quiz, playing when you first start the game.

French radio

The daily French radio program Les Grosses Têtes, on the RTL French radio network, uses an arrangement by Gaya Bécaud from "Gonna Fly Now".[27]

Ice hockey

The Finnish professional ice hockey team Jokerit from the KHL uses "Gonna Fly Now" as their goal song.

Politics

American politician and former Vice President Walter Mondale used "Gonna Fly Now" as his presidential campaign song in 1984.

American President Donald Trump also used "Gonna Fly Now" at his 2016 presidential campaign rallies. When composer Bill Conti was asked what he thought of Trump's use of the song, Conti stated: “I think it’s great. I’m an equal opportunity kind of guy. The song is my creation. And anytime something I create is used, I am happy about that. Music has no politics attached to it."[28]

References
  1. "Bill Conti singles".
  2. "The Number Ones: Bill Conti's "Gonna Fly Now (Theme from 'Rocky')"". 6 November 2019.
  3. Whitburn, Joel (1993). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961–1993. Record Research. p. 199.
  4. Billboard Year-End Hot 100 singles of 1976
  5. Rockwell, John (June 17, 1977). "Top 10 Singles Are All Eclectic". Charlotte Observer. p. 10D. Retrieved 2022-06-21 – via newspapers.com.
  6. "INTERVIEW: Bill Conti "I always wanted to play the big loud stuff"". Gigslutz. 2016-11-07. Retrieved 2019-06-05.
  7. "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. 1977-04-16. Retrieved 2019-10-16.
  8. Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955–1990 - ISBN 0-89820-089-X
  9. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  10. "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. 1977-07-02. Retrieved 2022-01-24.
  11. "Bill Conti – Gonna Fly Now". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved August 10, 2013.
  12. "Bill Conti Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved August 10, 2013.
  13. Whitburn, Joel (1993). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961–1993. Record Research. p. 58.
  14. Cash Box Top 100 Singles, June 25, 1977
  15. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Gonna Fly Now". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved January 24, 2022.
  16. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 16, 2019.
  17. Bill Conti – Gonna Fly Now – Awards. Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Accessed on August 10, 2013.
  18. "Forum – 1970 (ARIA Charts: Special Occasion Charts)". Australian-charts.com. Archived from the original on 2016-06-02. Retrieved 2017-05-07.
  19. "Kent Music Report No 183 – 26 December 1977 > National Top 100 Singles for 1977". Kent Music Report. Retrieved 8 January 2022 – via Imgur.com.
  20. "Top 200 Singles of '77 – Volume 28, No. 14, December 31 1977". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. 17 July 2013. Retrieved October 21, 2017.
  21. Musicoutfitters.com
  22. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 110. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  23. "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. 1977-07-09. Retrieved 2019-10-16.
  24. Cash Box Top 100 Singles, June 18, 1977
  25. "British single certifications – Bill Conti – Gonna Fly Now (Theme from Rocky)". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved April 14, 2023.
  26. "American single certifications – Bill Conti – Gonna Fly Now (Theme from". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved April 14, 2023.
  27. "Référence à Bill Conti et Gaya Bécaud sur le site des fans des Grosses Têtes". Archived from the original on 2016-09-25. Retrieved 2018-11-20.
  28. Fiorillo, Victor (27 September 2016). "We Asked Rocky Composer Bill Conti About Donald Trump Using His Music". Philadelphia Magazine.
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