I read an interview with Sly where he said he wished he stopped after "Rocky" and then thirty years later made "Rocky Balboa", I don't believe a truer statement has ever been made. While that might seem like an over exaggeration, if you knew me you would know just how strongly I feel about the Italian Stallion's first installment, and how strongly I think the second through fifth are a total waste of time. Few movies have capture the essence of "Heart" as perfectly, few movies bring me to tears without fault on every viewing. It has everything, it is life itself encapsulated. There's the love story of two social rejects, there's the redemption of an old man trying to grasp some portion of his dream before dying, the illustration of just how important luck can be in a man's life...and how to be ready to capitalize on it when it calls.
The movie itself was an underdog, no one wanted to produce it, the financing was minimal, most of the extras were friends and family of Stallone. Sly gets a bum rap but it amazes me that the person we think of him as wrote such a marvelous screenplay. If this movie was a novel it would be up there as a work of American art, the dialogue is precise, the subplots succinct. It is my personal belief that Rocky (the character) himself is a modern philosopher. Every line that comes out of his mouth is pure and true, it resonates without malice and is flooded with goodwill.
To model oneself after Rocky's life in the film would lead to a life of virtue and personal contentment, trust me and watch the film closely the next time it is on.
But this blog is about music and I'll try not to digress. Bill Conti's score is a masterpiece, it translates the writer's intent with surgical precision and gave birth to one of the most recognized songs in history in "Gonna Fly Now". The training montage, often so copied, was introduced here with full intensity, the slow walks through the dark Philadelphia night, the night before the fight with Rocky in the ring alone; all these scenes would be worthless sans Conti's scene stealing score.
In the film the song begins a montage displaying the war that professional boxing used to be before it was corrupted. It starts at the end of the second round when the viewer and Creed realize that Rock is not going down easy. Scenes of various rounds progress with trumpets and subtle guitar riffs interjecting the sounds of grunts and blows, the trumpets escalate and violins come in strong until Rocky, badly beaten in the next to last round gets knocked to the mat with a huge right hook. Rock is down, Micky is yelling to stay down, the music rises rises again, Adrian walks into the area for the first time and turns away while Rocky is crawling around on the canvas, the camera flashes back to a close up of her concerned face while a slick bass run comes in on the track. Rocky arises, Creed turns around after jumping up and down with raised arms and has a look of disbelief on his battered face. The music slows, the violins and horns come back in full volume and Rock delivers a multitude of body blows to end the round.
A long time ago in my garage I used to hit the bag with this tune in my head, years later I would run on the beach with it as a training partner. Every time there was nothing left inside there was always some place I could dig down and find some more juice, it was this song. This 106 Octane-Amino Acid-Protein infused-Steroid always helped me work through the stitches and the lactic acid when my VO2 Max was sky high and the knees where giving way. Take heed what I wrote here and then throw it on next time you are at the gym and be fully confident you can go the distance.
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