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A Fifth of Beethoven

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"A Fifth of Beethoven"
SinglebyWalter Murphyand the Big Apple Band
from the albumA Fifth of BeethovenandSaturday Night Fever
B-side"California Strut"
Released1976
StudioSound Ideas (New York)[1]
Genre
Length3:02
LabelPrivate Stock
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Thomas J. Valentino
Walter Murphyand the Big Apple Band singles chronology
"Disco Bells"
(1975) 		"A Fifth of Beethoven"
(1976) 		"Flight '76"
(1976)
Official audio
"A Fifth of Beethoven"onYouTube

"A Fifth of Beethoven"is adiscoinstrumentalrecorded byWalter Murphyand the Big Apple Band, adapted from the first movement ofLudwig van Beethoven'sSymphony No. 5.The record was produced byproduction musicandsound effectsrecording producerThomas J. Valentino.[4]The "Fifth" in the song's title is apun,referencinga liquid measureapproximately equal to one-fifth of agallon,a popular size for bottles containingliquor,as well as Beethoven's Fifth Symphony from which the song was adapted.

Released as a single byPrivate Stock Recordsin 1976, the song debuted at number 80 on theBillboardHot 100chart and climbed to number 1 within 19 weeks, remaining there for one week. In 1977, it was licensed toRSO Recordsfor inclusion on the best-sellingSaturday Night Feversoundtrack.The song is one of Murphy's few Top 40 hits.

Background and recording

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In college, Murphy's interests includedrock music,particularly that which was adapted fromclassical music,such as "Joy" byApollo 100and "A Lover's Concerto"byThe Toys.Later, in 1976, while writing a disco song for a commercial, a producer suggested the idea of "updating classical music", which "nobody [has] done lately".[5]He then recorded a demo tape of five songs—three were ordinary pop songs, while the fourth was adiscorendition ofBeethoven'sFifth Symphonytitled "A Fifth of Beethoven"[6]—mailing it to various record labels in New York City.

The response was underwhelming, but "Fifth" caught the interest ofPrivate Stock RecordsownerLarry Uttal.Murphy signed on to Private Stock and recorded the albumA Fifth of Beethoven,containing the title track and first single of the same name. The single was credited to "Walter Murphy & The Big Apple Band" upon encouragement from Private Stock, which believed it would be more successful if credited to a group rather than an individual. However, two days following the record's release, Private Stock discovered the existence of another Big Apple Band (which promptly changed its name toChic). The record was later re-released and credited to "The Walter Murphy Band", then simply to "Walter Murphy".[7]

The 1998 single "Enjoy Yourself"byA+samples this song.

Reception

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"A Fifth of Beethoven" started at number 80 on theBillboardHot 100and eventually reached number 1 within 19 weeks, where it stayed for one week. The single sold two million copies, while the album sold about 750,000 copies. The second single, a rendition ofNikolai Rimsky-Korsakov's "Flight of the Bumblebee",titled" Flight '76 ", reached number 44 on the Hot 100.[7]

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The music was used in a recruitment campaign by theIrish Defence Forcesin the early 1980s.[8]

The song is used as the theme of the television miniseriesMrs. America.

An a cappella arrangement ofA Fifth of BeethovenbyTobias Hugas recorded byThe Swingles,was used for the pilot episode ofGlee,which was first aired onFoxin May 2009.[9][10]

Charts and certifications

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See also

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References

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  1. ^"Interview with George Klabin, President of the Rising Jazz Stars Foundation and the new Resonance Records jazz label".Audiophile Audition.March 31, 2008.RetrievedDecember 30,2021.
  2. ^Bentkowski, Tom (March 28, 1977)."Ludwig on the Charts".New York Magazine.Vol. 10, no. 13. p. 65.ISSN0028-7369.
  3. ^abBreihan, Tom (September 16, 2019)."The Number Ones: Walter Murphy & The Big Apple Band's" A Fifth Of Beethoven "".Stereogum.RetrievedJune 30,2023.... "A Fifth Of Beethoven" is a deeply silly piece of work, a pure novelty record...Beethoven's Fifth Symphony turns out to be a perfect vehicle for noodly funk riffage.
  4. ^"Thomas J. Valentino Is Dead; Early Sound Effects Producer".The New York Times.August 6, 1986.RetrievedApril 23,2010.
  5. ^Campbell, Mary (October 15, 1976). "Beethoven Arranger Having Ball".The News and Courier.p. 48.
  6. ^Itzkoff, Dave(November 4, 2007)."A Satirical Sit-Com's Memorable Music".The New York Times.RetrievedDecember 6,2016.
  7. ^ab""A Fifth of Beethoven" by Walter Murphy ".RetrievedDecember 6,2016– via Superseventies.
  8. ^O'Connell, Hugh (May 12, 2012)."Video: Why don't the Defence Forces make recruitment ads like this any more?".TheJournal.ie.RetrievedFebruary 23,2023.
  9. ^"Tobias Hug".ingeniumacademy.com.RetrievedSeptember 8,2024.
  10. ^"Tobias Hug Biography".singers.com.RetrievedSeptember 8,2024.
  11. ^ab"National Top 100 Singles for 1976".Kent Music Report.December 27, 1976.RetrievedJanuary 15,2022– viaImgur.
  12. ^ab"Forum – ARIA Charts: Special Occasion Charts – Top 100 End of Year AMR Charts – 1970s".Australian-charts.com. Hung Medien. Archived fromthe originalon November 6, 2013.RetrievedJune 1,2014.
  13. ^"Walter Murphy & The Big Apple Band – A Fifth Of Beethoven "(in German).Ö3 Austria Top 40.Retrieved June 3, 2013.
  14. ^"Top RPM Adult Contemporary: Issue 4280."RPM.Library and Archives Canada.Retrieved June 3, 2013.
  15. ^"Top RPM Singles: Issue 4340a."RPM.Library and Archives Canada.Retrieved June 3, 2013.
  16. ^"Nederlandse Top 40 – week 34, 1976"(in Dutch).Dutch Top 40.Retrieved June 3, 2013.
  17. ^"Walter Murphy & The Big Apple Band – A Fifth Of Beethoven "(in Dutch).Single Top 100.Retrieved June 3, 2013.
  18. ^"Walter Murphy & The Big Apple Band – A Fifth Of Beethoven ".Top 40 Singles.Retrieved June 3, 2013.
  19. ^"Walter Murphy & The Big Apple Band – A Fifth Of Beethoven ".VG-lista.Retrieved June 3, 2013.
  20. ^"South African Rock Lists Website SA Charts 1969 – 1989 Acts (M)".Rock.co.za.RetrievedJune 3,2013.
  21. ^"Walter Murphy & The Big Apple Band – A Fifth Of Beethoven ".Singles Top 100.Retrieved June 3, 2013.
  22. ^"Walter Murphy & The Big Apple Band – A Fifth Of Beethoven ".Swiss Singles Chart.Retrieved June 3, 2013.
  23. ^"Official Singles Chart Top 100".Official Charts Company.Retrieved June 3, 2013.
  24. ^abc"A Fifth of Beethoven – Awards".AllMusic.RetrievedJune 3,2013.
  25. ^Whitburn, Joel(1993).Top Adult Contemporary: 1961–1993.Record Research. p. 169.
  26. ^"Cash BoxTop 100 Singles – Week ending October 9, 1976 ".Cash Box.Archived fromthe originalon September 2, 2012.
  27. ^"The Singles Chart"(PDF).Record World.September 25, 1976. p. 25.ISSN0034-1622.RetrievedSeptember 17,2017.
  28. ^"Offiziellecharts.de – Walter Murphy & The Big Apple Band – A Fifth Of Beethoven "(in German).GfK Entertainment charts.Retrieved June 3, 2013. To see peak chart position, click "TITEL VON Walter Murphy & The Big Apple Band"
  29. ^"Top 200 Singles of '76".RPM.Vol. 26, no. 14 & 15. January 8, 1977.RetrievedJune 13,2014.
  30. ^"End of Year Charts 1976".Recorded Music New Zealand.RetrievedJanuary 13,2016.
  31. ^"Top 100 Hits for 1976".The Longbored Surfer.Archived fromthe originalon May 21, 2011.RetrievedJune 13,2014.
  32. ^"TheCash BoxYear-End Charts: 1976 ".Cash Box.Archived fromthe originalon August 25, 2012.
  33. ^"Hot 100 60th Anniversary".Billboard.RetrievedFebruary 22,2020.
  34. ^"Canadian single certifications – The Walter Murphy Band – A Fifth of Beethoven".Music Canada.
  35. ^"American single certifications – Murphy_ Walter and The Big Apple Band – A Fifth of Beethoven".Recording Industry Association of America.
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