A Fifth of Beethoven 12/28/19

Today's "Great Song of the '70s" is a REAL classic.

Between 1804 and 1808, Ludwig von Beethoven composed one of the most recognizable pieces of classical music ever written: Symphony #5, Opus 67. Dozens of orchestras recorded it over the years, and they all pretty much sounded the same--until 1976.

A record producer suggested to musician Walter Murphy that it might be cool if someone would jazz up some classical stuff because, well, "No one had tried that lately." Murphy took up the challenge, and with disco music just starting to get popular, he thought he'd see what would happen if he combined the two genres. The result? A #1 hit in both the U.S. and Canada!

Here's Walter and his Big Apple Band with a "Great Song of the 1800s...and 1976."