Album · Norman Greenbaum
Spirit in the Sky by Norman Greenbaum
Spirit in the Sky is an album by Norman Greenbaum, released in 1969. 1 song from it has charted on rock radio countdowns, with 37 countdown appearances in total. The biggest is “Spirit in the Sky”, on 37 lists with a best position of #160.
Spirit in the Sky is Norman Greenbaum's debut solo album, cut for Reprise in 1969 with Erik Jacobsen producing, and the title track is the reason it lives on: a stomping, fuzzed-out gospel-rock boogie with handclaps and a guitar tone like a chainsaw revving in a church hall. Greenbaum would be known ever after for that one song.
The album has had a long afterlife on reissue. The 2001 Varèse Sarabande CD tacked on seven extra songs, among them "Canned Ham", which also turned up on his next album, Back Home Again, and it came back on vinyl for Record Store Day on April 19, 2014.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
Songs from Spirit in the Sky on radio countdowns
| # | Song | Strength | Lists | Best | #1s | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Spirit in the Sky | 37 | #160 | – | 1991–2026 |
Only songs that appear on at least one countdown are listed. Release data from MusicBrainz.