"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.
Reception Gonna Fly Now (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 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.Billboard Year-End Hot 100 singles of 1976 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."
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.
17th-century origin of Rocky theme Conti's iconic dual introductory trumpet piece for the "Rocky" character (and the opening of "Gonna Fly Now") was directly transferred from an anonymous 17th-century sonatina written for use in the Italian royal dinner court. Conti's Rocky trumpet pieces are easily identifiable from the 17th-century "Three Sonatinas for 2 Clarini" released by Warner Records' Nonesuch label, on the 1966 album The Art of the Baroque Trumpet (see track 1).
Personnel Writing – Bill Conti, Carol Connors, Ayn Robbins Producer – Bill Conti Recording engineer – Ami Hadani Vocals – DeEtta Little West and Nelson Pigford Drums – John Guerin Bass – Max Bennett Guitar – Dennis Budimir Piano – Mike Melvoin
Charts Weekly charts Rhythm Heritage Chart (1977)PeakpositionCanada Top Singles (RPM)92US Hot 100 (Billboard)Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955–1990 - 94US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)49
Bill Conti
Chart (1977)PeakpositionAustralia (KMR)13Canada Adult Contemporary (RPM)14US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)20US Top 100 (Cash Box)1
Chart (2007)PeakpositionUS Hot Ringtones (Billboard)Bill Conti – Gonna Fly Now – Awards. Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Accessed on August 10, 2013.19
Year-end charts Chart (1977)RankAustralia67Canada 82US Billboard Hot 100Musicoutfitters.com21
Maynard Ferguson Chart (1977)PeakpositionAustralian (Kent Music Report)Canada Top Singles (RPM)55US Hot 100 (Billboard)28US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)46US Top 100 (Cash Box)31
Current Chart (1977)PeakpositionUS Hot 100 (Billboard)94
Certifications
In popular culture
The daily French radio program Les Grosses Têtes, on the RTL French radio network, uses an arrangement by Gaya Bécaud from "Gonna Fly Now".
American businessman Donald Trump 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."
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