Conti celebrated his 72nd birthday four days ago on April 13th. Ferguson, born Walter Maynard Ferguson, (1928 - 2006) and Mr. The same week it had entered the Top 100 at #84 Maynard Ferguson's covered version also entered the chart at four positions higher, at #80. Barry from Sauquoit, NyOn April 17th 1977, "Gonna Fly Now" by Bill Conti entered Billboard's Hot Top 100 chart at position #84 and on June 26th it peaked at #1 (for 1 week) and spent 20 weeks on the Top 100 (and for 8 of those 20 weeks it was on the Top 10).George from Vancouver, CanadaThe version I know is by Maynard Ferguson.Markas from Lunenburg, Ma.Is that a tuba hitting those low notes at the very beginning? Can't think of many other Top 40 songs featuring one of those.The song quickly climbed the charts and rose to #1 in the US on July 2, 1977, eight months after the movie hit theaters. Conti worked out a deal to release "Gonna Fly Now" as a single and include it on a soundtrack album for the film. He went to Germany to work on his next project, and when he got back, the movie, which was released on December 3, 1976, was a hit. Conti says he grossed $15,000, which was a huge payday for him. The final scene ended up running 2:45, the equivalent of a full-length song.Ĭonti recorded it, along with the rest of the score, in one three-hour session - he was being thrifty because he had to pay for the musicians and studio time out of his $25,000. After he started editing, Avildsen asked for another 30 seconds. Montages rely almost exclusively on music, so they serve as a guide for the visuals. The director, John Avildsen, asked him to provide about 90 seconds of music so he could edit the training scene together. It's the work of composer Bill Conti, who was paid $25,000 to score the film. Like the movie, the song was made on the cheap. Even if you haven't seen the movie, you know what the song represents. The song quickly became iconic and grew its own roots outside of the film. It's also one of the most celebrated works in film history, an example of a movie with heart that succeeds on every level. It was made for less than one million dollars but made over $200 million. Stallone was scraping by as an actor when he wrote the screenplay, which he insisted on starring in himself. Rocky is an underdog story that itself overcame long odds to succeed. It's a classic scene, and it's inextricably entwined with the music. It ends with a classic shot of him running up the steps to the Philadelphia Art Museum and raising his arms in celebration. It soundtracks the training montage in the first Rocky movie as Sylvester Stallone runs through the streets of Philadelphia, does one-armed pushups, pounds a slab of beef, and does some impressive sit-ups. "Gonna Fly Now" is perhaps the most inspirational, motivational song ever recorded.
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