| "A Fifth of Beethoven" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Walter Murphy and the Big Apple Band | ||||
| from the album A Fifth of Beethoven and Saturday Night Fever | ||||
| B-side | "California Strut" | |||
| Released | 1976 | |||
| Studio | Sound Ideas (New York)[1] | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 3:02 | |||
| Label | Private Stock | |||
| Songwriter(s) | ||||
| Producer(s) | Thomas J. Valentino | |||
| Walter Murphy and the Big Apple Band singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Official audio | ||||
| "A Fifth of Beethoven" on YouTube | ||||
"A Fifth of Beethoven" is a disco instrumental recorded by Walter Murphy and the Big Apple Band, adapted from the first movement of Ludwig van Beethoven's Symphony No. 5. The record was produced by production music and sound effects recording producer Thomas J. Valentino.[4] 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 liquor, as well as Beethoven's Fifth Symphony from which the song was adapted.
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 one of Murphy's few Top 40 hits.
- ^ "Interview with George Klabin, President of the Rising Jazz Stars Foundation and the new Resonance Records jazz label". Audiophile Audition. March 31, 2008. Retrieved December 30, 2021.
- ^ Bentkowski, Tom (March 28, 1977). "Ludwig on the Charts". New York Magazine. Vol. 10, no. 13. p. 65. ISSN 0028-7369.
- ^ a b Breihan, Tom (September 16, 2019). "The Number Ones: Walter Murphy & The Big Apple Band's "A Fifth Of Beethoven"". Stereogum. Retrieved June 30, 2023.
..."A Fifth Of Beethoven" is a deeply silly piece of work, a pure novelty record...Beethoven's Fifth Symphony turns out to be a perfect vehicle for noodly funk riffage.
- ^ "Thomas J. Valentino Is Dead; Early Sound Effects Producer". The New York Times. August 6, 1986. Retrieved April 23, 2010.
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