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"Spirit In The Sky" is a song that has been performed by three different artists, all of which reached number 1 in the UK: first with Norman Greenbaum in 1970 from the album of the same name; then by Doctor and the Medics in 1986; and most recently by The Kumars and Gareth Gates in 2003 for Comic Relief. It was also covered by German artist Nina Hagen and by Bauhaus. It also appears on the 2005 album Atom Bomb by the Blind Boys of Alabama. The song's repetitive bassline was appropraited by British electronic artist Goldfrapp in their 2005 single, Ooh La La. The song was also covered by the Kentucky Headhunters and appears on "Still Pickin" released 1994.

Lyrics

The song contains lyrics about spirituality and the afterlife, making several tongue-in-cheek reference to Jesus and Christianity:

Prepare yourself, you know it's a must

Gotta have a friend named Jesus

So you know that when you die

He's gonna recommend you to the Spirit in the sky

However, elsewhere the lyrics appear superficially Christian but in fact depart significantly from mainstream Christian doctrine:

Never been a sinner, I've never sinned

I've got a friend in Jesus

The lyrics' ambiguous interpretation of Christian doctrine can be attributed to the fact that Norman Greenbaum was Jewish, not Christian; the song was never intended to proselytize for Christianity (or indeed for Judaism or any other religious group), but was a send-up of what he perceived as naïveté on the part of religious people in general.

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Movies

"Spirit In The Sky" was used in movies like; "Remember The Titans" and "The Longest Yard.

• 1970s rock song stubs
• Charity singles
• Number one singles