Rocky is one of the best examples in movie history of portraying the "American Dream". It's the story of a small time boxer who is given the chance of a lifetime to face the world heavyweight champion in a title fight. This was the movie that made Sylvester Stallone a star and garnered Oscar nominations for practically every member of the cast. And rightfully so, it was and remains one of Stallone's greatest films. Anyone who has seen the film can never forget the images it brings to mind. Rocky running in the streets of Philadelphia, drinking raw eggs for breakfast and going the distance by lasting the full 15 rounds with Apollo Creed. Another part of the movie that remained with audiences long after the film was the incredible score by Bill Conti.
Within three weeks of getting the assignment to score the relatively low-budgeted film, Conti returned with a score that I personally rank among the greatest ever written. Undoubtedly, the main theme for Rocky, titled Fanfare for Rocky, is one of the best marches written. I often compare it to the Olympic fanfare and indeed I don't think it would seem out of place if it was heard at the Olympics. While Fanfare for Rocky is the orchestral arrangement of the theme, Gonna Fly Now is the vocal rendition of this main theme. Heard during Rocky's training sequence before the fight, it is a great theme that inspires you to want to drink raw eggs and run up the stairs of the Art Museum in Philadelphia.
But Conti doesn't allow the audience to think that Rocky is a great fighter from the beginning. In contrast to Gonna Fly Now there is Philadelphia Morning which is heard when Rocky first starts training. It is in sharp contrast to the later training theme which shows the transition Rocky undergoes as he becomes more confident and focused on his goals. His drive is never more exemplified than in Going the Distance. This theme accompanies the final fight and is just exciting to listen to without the film as it is to listen to while watching the film.
The love theme for Rocky and Adrian is presented in two versions also. There is the vocal version, You Take My Heart Away performed by DeEtta Little and Nelson Pigford and the orchestral version heard in First Date. Although I like both, I feel that the orchestral version is more dynamic in conveying the budding romance between Rocky and Adrian. It is simple yet effective. The final two tracks, The Final Bell and Rocky's Reward are two of my favorite tracks. The Final Bell takes place at the end of the fight and is a reprise of the Rocky theme heard as Adrian races to the ring to embrace Rocky at the end of the fight. Rocky's Reward is a very different track. It is a string rendition of the Rocky theme. It's different because it elevates the score to a sort of sophisticated level. Hearing this after witnessing two men box for their lives in a boxing ring is something that is totally unexpected and works surprisingly well. At times it reminds me of a string rendition of Pachebel's Canon. I highly recommend this score to anyone who likes good music it's sure to be a favorite part of your collection.
Total time: 31:35
1: Gonna Fly Now (Theme from Rocky) (2:48) - DeEtta Little & Nelson Pigford
2: Philadelphia Morning (2:23)
3: Going the Distance (2:41)
4: Reflections (3:20)
5: Marines' Hymn/Yankee Doodle (1:45)
6: Take You Back (Street corner song from Rocky) (1:50) - Valentine
7: First Date (1:53)
8: You Take My Heart Away (4:45) - DeEtta Little & Nelson Pigford
9: Fanfare from Rocky (2:35)
10: Butkus (2:12)
11: Alone in the Ring (1:09)
12: The Final Bell (1:56)
13: Rocky's Reward (2:12)