PART  545



            NORMAN GREENBAUM - Spirit in The Sky  (1970) 
            DOCTOR AND THE MEDICS  -  Spirit In The Sky  (1986)
            GARETH GATES  -  Spirit In The Sky (2003) 




              "Spirit in the Sky" is a song written and originally recorded by Norman Greenbaum and released in late 1969. The single sold two million copies in 1969-1970 and reached number three in the U.S. Billboard chart (April 18, 1970) where it listed for 15 weeks in the Top 100. It also climbed to number one on the UK, Australian and Canadian charts in 1970. Rolling Stone ranked "Spirit in the Sky" #333 on their list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. The song was featured on the 1969 album of the same name. Cover versions by Doctor and the Medics and Gareth Gates have also made the number 1 spot in the UK. During John Lennon's scathing 1970 Rolling Stone "Beatles break-up" interview with Jann S. Wenner, while highly critical of the recent work of many of his peers, including Bob Dylan and ex-band mate Paul McCartney, Lennon professed to liking the then-current radio single, "Spirit in the Sky," stating that he "always liked simple rock and nothing else."