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"A Fifth of Beethoven"
#1 weeks: 1
weeks: 1976-10-09
genre: disco
artist: Walter Murphy and the Big Apple Band
producers: Thomas J. Valentino
lengths: 3:02

"A Fifth of Beethoven" is a disco instrumental recorded by Walter Murphy and the Big Apple Band. It was adapted by Murphy from the first movement of Beethoven's . The record was produced by noted production music and sound effects recording producer Thomas J. Valentino. It was one of the most popular and memorable pieces of music from the disco era. The "Fifth" in the song's title is a pun, referencing a liquid measure approximately equal to one-fifth of a gallon (757 ml), a popular size for bottles containing hard liquor, as well as Beethoven's Fifth Symphony from which the song was adapted.

"Fifth" was released in 1976. It was featured on the Saturday Night Feversoundtrack (1977) and was a huge hit, becoming Murphy's best known work and his only Top 40 hit on the BillboardHot 100, where it reached the #1 position for one week. It also went to number 10 on Billboard's Black Singles chart in the same year.

The song was listed at #94 on Billboard's Greatest Songs of all time.

The song was sampled by the rapper A+ for his 1999 hit "Enjoy Yourself." It reached #5 in the Official UK Singles Chart and #63 on the Hot 100.

It was also sampled by Robin Thicke for his song "When I Get You Alone", which became moderately popular in 2002.

In 2009 Soulwax remixed the song, receiving support from the likes of Erol Alkan, Fake Blood and Azzido Da Bass, as well as appearing in Soulwax's own 2 Many DJs DJ sets.

The song has made many appearances in film and television. Notable film appearances include a fight scene from (involving The Shoveler versus the Disco Boys), Austin Powers in Goldmember(during the Studio 69 Disco scene), the 2004 version of The Stepford Wives(during the "Claire-obics" scene when the housewives do a washing machine workout), Ice Castles, Semi-Proand Man On Wire, as well as in the song "When I Get You Alone" by Robin Thicke for the movie The Rules of Attraction. The song appears in a party scene in the BBC's 2009 drama, Micro Menwhen the Acorn team win the BBC contract. On television, the song featured in The Simpsons("The Sweetest Apu" and "Lisa's Wedding"), Malcolm in the Middle("Rollerskates"), Glee(the pilot), in "Chapter 2" of Eastbound & Down. The song also appears on Dance Dance Revolution Universe 3. It also was remixed on America's Best Dance Crew (season 5)during the show's fourth week, as part of the "Disco Challenge". and it was dance by a group named Static Noyze.