American singer/songwriter Norman Greenbaum’s 1969 anthem “Spirit in the Sky” helped define the thinking and sound of the late 60s. Craft Recordings is celebrating the song with two special releases: a new Dolby Atmos® mix of the single available to stream/download, and a vinyl reissue of Greenbaum’s debut album, Spirit in the Sky, arriving June 13, 2025.
Long out-of-print, Greenbaum’s 1969 debut returns to vinyl in a replica tip-on jacket with lacquers cut from the original tapes (AAA) by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio. Anchored by its title track, “Spirit in the Sky,” the album fuses Rock, Gospel, and Psychedelia, including songs like “Marcy,” “Tars Of India” and “Skyline” that highlight Greenbaum’s songwriting style.
The single “Spirit in the Sky” premiered in December 1969 and soon reached the No. 1 spot on charts across the globe, including the U.S., Australia, Canada, Ireland, the U.K., and Germany. Eventually selling over two million copies worldwide, the gold-certified track marked a major commercial and creative breakthrough for Greenbaum, fusing elements of Rock & Roll, Gospel, Pop, and Psychedelia.
A Massachusetts native who got his start performing in Boston coffeehouses, Greenbaum launched his career with the formation of Dr. West’s Medicine Show and Junk Band, a short-lived, Los Angeles-based psychedelic jug band whose 1966 single “The Eggplant That Ate Chicago” reached No. 52 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Soon after the band’s dissolution, Greenbaum played a gig at The Troubadour in West Hollywood and caught the attention of producer Erik Jacobsen (known for his work on The Lovin’ Spoonful’s hit singles “Do You Believe in Magic,” “You Didn’t Have to Be So Nice,” and more). With Jacobsen at the helm as producer, Greenbaum soon set to work on Spirit in the Sky.
As he revealed in a 2020 interview with Rolling Stone, Greenbaum borrowed the title to “Spirit in the Sky” from a greeting card. After watching an episode of The Porter Wagoner Show, he composed the song’s lyrics in just 15 minutes, mining inspiration from Wagoner’s performance of a Country Gospel tune titled “Pastor’s Absent on Vacation.” Although conceived as a Folk song, “Spirit in the Sky” took on an entirely new life in the studio, thanks in part to Greenbaum’s use of a Fender Telecaster with a fuzz box built directly into the guitar’s body.
To accentuate the song’s Gospel roots, Greenbaum and Jacobsen enlisted a Kentucky-born gospel trio called The Stovall Sisters, whose harmonies provide a counterpart to the track’s rhythms and fuzzed-out guitar tones.
Since “Spirit in the Sky” first moved its way up the charts, the song has made an indelible mark on pop culture and appeared in countless ads, TV shows, and films.
Norman Greenbaum reflects:
I’m humbled and deeply grateful that “Spirit in the Sky” continues to connect with people. It means so much that people have taken the song to heart, and I’m excited to see its journey continue.
Spirit in the Sky album Tracklist:
Side A:
1. Junior Cadillac
2. Spirit in the Sky
3. Skyline
4. Jubilee
5. Alice Bodine
Side B:
1. Tars Of India
2. The Power
3. Good Lookin’ Woman
4. Milk Cow
5. Marcy
