A Fifth Of Beethoven – Walter Murphy & The Big Apple Band | Top 40 Chart Performance, Story and Song Meaning
Chart Performance: Pop (#1) & R&B (#10); 1976
Story Behind The Song By Ed Osborne
Instrumentals were a mainstay of Top 40 throughout rock ‘n’ roll’s early years, among them reworkings of classical pieces, notably Nut Rocker by B. Bumble & The Stingers (#23; 1961)and Asia Minor by Kokomo (#8; 1961).
In the 1970’s Apollo 100 charted with Joy as did Deodato with Also Sprach Zarathustra (2001). The next artist to score a hit by mixing a contemporary beat with a classical melody was Walter Murphey, a one-time arranger for Doc Severinsen and “The Tonight Show” Orchestra.
Born in New York, Walter studied jazz and classical piano at the Manhattan School of Music, and had a dream of bringing pop and the classics together, a dream made real when he retooled Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 in C Minor to a disco rhythm.
A Fifth took five months to reach #1, the first pop/classical single to hit the top, then did so again in 1978 as part of the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack album.
This content and all Song Meaning articles were created and written by Top 40 Contributing Editor Ed Osborne. © 2024 Ed Osborne. All Rights Reserved. In addition to these song meaning articles, Ed has written our “Year in Music 1960s-1990s” articles.
Produced by:
- Thomas J. Valentino
Lyrics Written by:
- Ludwig van Beethoven
- Walter Murphy
Ed Osborne
Hi. I got my first record at age two and never looked back, spending a decades-long career in radio and the music business. Even after years of reading about and listening to all types of music, I am still fascinated by it. Apart from that, I’m endlessly intrigued by art, nature, and the inner lives of people (and dogs).