B-side "Spirit of Summer" Format 7" | Released 1973 Genre Jazz-funk | |
Recorded September 1972, Van Gelder Studios, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey Length 9:00 (Album version)
5:06 (Single version) | ||
"Also Sprach Zarathustra (2001)" is an instrumental by Brazilian musician Eumir Deodato, from his 1973 album Prelude. It is a heavily jazz-funk styled rendition of the introduction from the Richard Strauss composition Also sprach Zarathustra.
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Released as the album's first single in early 1973, his rendition peaked at #2 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 singles chart on 31 March 1973 (behind Roberta Flack's "Killing Me Softly") and #7 on the UK Singles Chart. It won the 1974 Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Performance.
The track has appeared on many compilation and re-issue albums since 1973.
In popular culture
The track was used in the 1979 film Being There starring Peter Sellers, as his character leaves home for the very first time in his life.
In 2001 it was used by the University of South Carolina Gamecocks football team in their entrance onto the field. The song is used by professional wrestler "Nature Boy" Ric Flair as his entrance theme music.
In the spirit of Deodato's original composition, the band Phish frequently plays various renditions of "Also Sprach Zarathustra (2001)" in their live shows.
Lead musicians
(For full musician credits, see Prelude)