- A Fifth of Beethoven
Infobox Song
Name = A Fifth of Beethoven
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Artist =Walter Murphy and the Big Apple Band
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Released = 1976
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Length = 3:02
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Composer =Ludwig van Beethoven , Walter Murphy
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Producer = Thomas J. Valentino
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Misc = Extra tracklisting
Album = Saturday Night Fever
Type = soundtrack
prev_track = "If I Can't Have You "
prev_no = 5
this_track ="A Fifth of Beethoven "
track_no = 6
next_track = "More Than a Woman"
next_no = 7"A Fifth of Beethoven" is adisco instrumental recorded byWalter Murphy and the Big Apple Band. It was adapted by Murphy from the first movement of Beethoven's "5th Symphony". The record was produced by notedproduction music andsound effects recording producer Thomas J. Valentino. [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9A0DE0D71439F935A3575BC0A960948260] It was one of the most popular and memorable pieces of music from thedisco era . The "Fifth" in the song's title is a pun, referencing a liquid measure approximately equal to one-fifth of agallon (757 ml), a popular size forbottles containing hard liquor, as well as Beethoven's Fifth Symphony from which the song was adapted."Fifth" was released in 1976. It was featured on the "
Saturday Night Fever " soundtrack (1977) and was a huge hit, becoming Murphy's best known work and his only Top 40 hit on the "Billboard"Hot 100 , where it reached the #1 position for one week.The song was listed at #94 on "Billboard's Greatest Songs of all time." [http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/specials/hot100/charts/top100-titles-00.shtml]
Use by other artists
The song was sampled by the rapper A+ for his 1999 hit "Enjoy Yourself." It reached #5 in the Official UK Singles Chart and #63 on the Hot 100.It was also sampled by
Robin Thicke for his song "When I Get You Alone ", which became moderately popular in 2002. It was also covered by the Chicago-based rock bandUmphrey's McGee . [http://www.umphreys.com/home/setlists.php?year=2000#show_id_238]Appearances in popular culture
The song has made many appearances in film and television. Notable film appearances include a fight scene from "Mystery Men" (involving The Shoveler versus the Disco Boys), "
Austin Powers in Goldmember " (during the Studio 69 Disco scene), the 2004 version of "The Stepford Wives." (during the "Claire-obics" scene when the housewives do a washing machine workout), "Ice Castles " and "Semi-Pro ". On television, the song featured in "The Simpsons " ("The Sweetest Apu " and "Lisa's Wedding ), and "Family Guy " ("Hell Comes to Quahog "). The use of the song in "Family Guy " came as a direct reference to its composer Murphy, who also composed the "Family Guy" theme and much of the show's incidental music.
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