Conti, an Italian American, was born in Providence, Rhode Island, United States, the son of Lucetta and William Conti. He graduated from North Miami High School in 1959. He is a past winner of the Silver Knight Award presented by the Miami Herald. He is a graduate of Louisiana State University, and also studied and gained honors at the Juilliard School of Music, including a master's degree.
As early as 1971, Bill was orchestrating pop recordings by Italian artists, such as the album "Si .. incoerenza" (yes to incoherence) by Italian singer Patty Pravo. He was also a ghostwriter of the scores for Spaghetti Westerns. Conti's big break into celebrity came in 1976, when United Artists hired him to compose the music for a small film called Rocky. The film became a phenomenon and won three Oscars at the 49th Academy Awards, including Best Picture. The same ceremony was also the first time Conti served as musical director for the telecast, a role he reprised 19 times, more than any other person. His training montage tune, "Gonna Fly Now", topped the Billboard singles chart in 1977, and earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song.
Conti also composed music for the sequels Rocky II (1979), Rocky III (1982), Rocky V (1990) and Rocky Balboa (2006).
Conti also worked for some other films and, eventually, for television series. In 1981, he wrote the music for the James Bond film, For Your Eyes Only, when John Barry was unwilling to return to the United Kingdom for tax reasons, and provided the score for playwright Jason Miller's film version of his Pulitzer Prize winning play That Championship Season the following year.
In 1983, Conti composed the score for HBO's first film, The Terry Fox Story. He then did Bad Boys and Mass Appeal. In 1984, he won an Academy Award for composing the score to 1983's The Right Stuff, after which he wrote the music for the TV series North and South in 1985. He also scored the Masters of the Universe live action film. Another score was the 1987 film Happy New Year.
In 1991, Conti composed for Necessary Roughness, a college football film. In 1993, he wrote the music for The Adventures of Huck Finn starring Elijah Wood and directed by Stephen Sommers. In 1999, he composed the score for The Thomas Crown Affair remake, starring Pierce Brosnan and Rene Russo. That year, he scored Inferno, starring Jean-Claude Van Damme.
Conti composed the themes to television's Dynasty, The Colbys, Falcon Crest and Cagney & Lacey. He wrote the theme song to the original version of American Gladiators, worked with CBS on its 1980s film jingle, composed one of the early themes of Inside Edition, and wrote the Primetime Live theme for ABC News. He composed the score to the studio altered American version of Luc Besson's The Big Blue.
Two of Conti's previously composed works were reused for the show Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous. These were the love theme "Come with Me Now" from the soundtrack for Five Days from Home (used for the show's main theme), and "Runaway", from For Your Eyes Only (used for in-show content).
Conti has been nominated for three Academy Awards, winning one in the Best Original Score category for The Right Stuff. He also received nominations in the Best Original Song category for "Gonna Fly Now" from Rocky and for the title song of For Your Eyes Only.
He had three Golden Globe nominations; two for Best Original Score for Rocky and An Unmarried Woman, and one for Best Original Song for the title song of For Your Eyes Only.
Conti also received thirteen Emmy nominations, all but one for his role as musical director at the Academy Awards (the exception, his first nomination, was for his music for the 1985 series North and South). He won five Emmy Awards for Outstanding Musical Direction for the 64th, 70th and 75th Academy Award ceremonies.
On April 22, 2008, at the LSU Union Theatre at Louisiana State University, Conti was inducted into the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame.
Gonna Fly Now
Bill Conti Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's so hard now
Trying hard now
Gettin' strong now
Coming on, now
Gettin' strong now
Flyin' high now
Gonna fly, fly, fly
The lyrics in Bill Conti's "Gonna Fly Now" express the feeling of perseverance and determination that Rocky Balboa feels as he undergoes intense training in preparation for his big fight. The repetition of "Trying hard now" emphasizes that the process is difficult and requires effort. However, the subsequent line "Gettin' strong now" shows that the hard work is paying off and he is becoming more capable. The repetition and authoritative tone of "Gettin' strong now" create a sense of momentum and progress.
The chorus, "Gonna fly now, flyin' high now, gonna fly, fly, fly," takes on a more triumphant tone. It represents Rocky's newfound confidence and soaring spirit. He sees himself as achieving something great and flying towards his goal. This can be interpreted as a metaphor for overcoming obstacles and finally reaching success. The repetition of "fly" makes the chorus catchy and memorable, while the constant use of "now" creates a sense of urgency and immediacy.
Overall, the lyrics in "Gonna Fly Now" capture the emotion and determination of Rocky Balboa as he trains to reach his goal. It sets up the scene for the iconic ending where Rocky triumphantly runs up the steps at the Philadelphia Art Museum.
Line by Line Meaning
Trying hard now
Putting in a lot of effort at this moment
It's so hard now
This task is proving to be quite challenging at the current time
Trying hard now
Continuing to give it my all despite difficulties
Gettin' strong now
Starting to feel more powerful and capable
Coming on, now
Making progress and gaining momentum
Gettin' strong now
Becoming even more capable and confident
Gonna fly now
I am going to soar and achieve great things
Flyin' high now
Currently experiencing great success and feelings of accomplishment
Gonna fly, fly, fly
I am going to continue to rise higher and higher towards my goals
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: AYN ROBBINS, CAROL CONNORS, BILL CONTI
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@kathrynshimmura2884
I'm having surgery next week and I will fight that cancer!
@chrislopezx1884
Good lick to ya
@MrDeepfox
Kathryn Shimmura play this song during surgery and you'll be fine.
@zulfanrizky8601
Kathryn Shimmura eyy what happen now?
@pepperpotts5663
Kathryn Shimmura Hey, are you still with us ?
@MehdiBRS
+Kathryn Shimmura R.I.P
@kouzaris579
Millions of miles have been ran and millions of weights have been lifted to this song
@brodycaldwell9678
Millions of ups have been pushed.
Millions of ropes have been jumped.
@michaelbrunner6951
I got the aux and played this over my school weight room speakers today. This and You're The Best from Karate Kid.
@fredericcjm7
And my fat ass is still here...