"Gonna Fly Now" is a song by composer Bill Conti, written as the main theme for the "Rocky" film.
The lyrics were provided by Ayn Robbins and Carol Connors and included singers DeEtta Little and Nelson Pigford. It was released as a single from the "Rocky – Original Motion Picture Score" album on the 28th of February, year 1977. The initial release was on the 7 inch format. This orchestral song was released by the United Artists label, produced by Conti himself and eventually got certified Gold.
Released as part of the soundtrack of "Rocky", it became a popular song, because of the Balboa character, that inspired the entire American culture with his training at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. His training and confidence in his own strength, aided by the build-up of the song, is one of the most memorable scenes in American movie history.
The song has then become a sports anthem, in Philadelphia most of all, since that is the place where it was written.
"Gonna Fly Now" by Bill Conti was nominated for the Best Original Songs Academy Award, on the 49th edition. The initial version, used in the movie, has managed to hit the number one spot on the Billboard Hot 100 charts, in 1977. A cover version by Maynard Fergusson, a jazz instrumentalist, reached the top thirty. Some disco versions soon appeared, by Current, and by Rhythm Heritage, which managed to chart as well.
Billboard made a list of the best songs from 1977 and "Gonna Fly Now" was placed at number 21. The American Film Institute ranked it at number 58 in their list called "AFI’s 100 Years… 100 Songs".
It has been used by the radio station Sirius XM Radio, due to its success.
The next Rocky movie, called "Rocky II", used a different version of "Gonna Fly Now", sung by a choir of children. The next movie, "Rocky III", included a more disco oriented version of the song. In the movie "Rocky Balboa", a new version of the song, including trumpets and various vocals, was also used. The soundtrack featured Natalie Wilde on the remix of the original version.
In 1977, "Gonna Fly Now" by Bill Conti managed to hit the eighth place on the Canadian RPM Singles, as well as rank 22 in New Zealand. In 2007, it made reappearance on the charts in the United States, ranking at 19 on the Billboard Hot Ringtones charts.
"Gonna Fly Now" by Bill Conti is an inspiring piece of music that can now be played on the piano as well. Enjoy the piano sheet listed on this page and browse BossPiano for more!
