Spirit In The Sky – Norman Greenbaum
In his classic song “Spirit in the Sky,” Norman Greenbaum, who is Jewish, crafted an unusual blend of gospel references to Jesus. Despite knowing nothing about gospel music, he was inspired to write the song after seeing Porter Wagoner perform on TV.
Greenbaum claims that he created the lyrics in about 15 minutes. Rolling Stone named the song number 333 on their list of the “500 Greatest Songs of All Time.”
Greenbaum also provided an interesting anecdote regarding the song’s popularity, adding, “I’ve gotten letters from funeral directors telling me that it’s their second-most-requested song to play at memorial services, next to ‘Danny Boy.'”
Spirit In The Sky – Norman Greenbaum
You Can Close Your Eyes – James Taylor
James Taylor, a songwriter, has previously stated that his approach to writing is rather subconscious. In a hotel room, Taylor spontaneously wrote down the lyrics to “You Can Close Your Eyes” and then played the tune that occurred to him. He composed the song for Joni Mitchell, a fellow musician who was then his fiancée, when he was filming the racing movie Two-Lane Blacktop.
You Can Close Your Eyes – James Taylor