B-side "California Strut" Genre Disco Label Private Stock | Released 1976 Length 3:02 | |
Writer(s) Ludwig van Beethoven
Walter Murphy | ||
"A Fifth of Beethoven" is a disco instrumental recorded by Walter Murphy and the Big Apple Band, adapted from the first movement of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony. The record was produced by noted production music and sound effects recording producer Thomas J. Valentino. The "Fifth" in the song's title is a pun, referencing a liquid measure approximately equal to one-fifth of a gallon, a popular size for bottles containing hard liquor, as well as Beethoven's Fifth Symphony from which the song was adapted.
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Released as a single by Private Stock Records in 1976, the song debuted at number 80 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and climbed to number 1 within 19 weeks, remaining there for one week. In 1977, it was licensed to RSO Records for inclusion on the best-selling Saturday Night Fever soundtrack. The song is Murphy's best known work and one of his few Top 40 hits, and is considered one of the most popular and memorable pieces of music from the disco era.
Background and recording
In college, Murphy's interests included rock music, particularly that which was adapted from classical music, such as "Joy" by Apollo 100 and "A Lover's Concerto" by The Toys. Later, in 1976, he was writing a disco song for a commercial, when a producer gave him the idea of "updating classical music", which "nobody had done lately". He then recorded a demo tape of five songs—three were ordinary pop songs, while the fourth was a disco rendition of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony titled "A Fifth of Beethoven"—and mailed it to various record labels in New York City.
Response was generally unimpressive, but "Fifth" caught the interest of Private Stock Records owner Larry Uttal. Murphy signed on to Private Stock and recorded the album A 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, who 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 to Chic). The record was later re-released and credited to "The Walter Murphy Band", then simply "Walter Murphy".
Reception and legacy
Following its release, "A Fifth of Beethoven" was a hit, starting out at number 80 on the Billboard Hot 100 and eventually reaching 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 of Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov's "Flight of the Bumblebee" titled "Flight '76", was less successful, reaching only number 44 on the Hot 100.
The song was featured in the video games LittleBigPlanet 2 and DJ Hero 2 (mixed with "Welcome to Jamrock") and the movies Mystery Men, Semi-Pro, and The Stepford Wives. It was also featured in the 2006 Family Guy episode "Hell Comes to Quahog", where at the roller rink scene, Peter Griffin and his friends dance to the song. This is a tongue-in-cheek gag, as Murphy is also one of the composers for Family Guy.
Robin Thicke's 2002 song "When I Get You Alone" and A+'s 1999 song "Enjoy Yourself" both sample "A Fifth of Beethoven". A snippet of "A Fifth of Beethoven" can be heard during Chicago Bulls games, whenever the opposing team loses possession of the ball. It is the official song of the Worcester College, Oxford JCR, and was notably played during visits by alumni Emma Watson and Rupert Murdoch during the college's Tercentenary year, and yearly at the end of year bop.