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Me too—-and loved when I found out his name was....Norman Greenbaum! (Very cool song/very nerdy name.)
To Bill- re: your comment about how it became a hit -Musicians(guitarists I mean, it's a natural hand position) have this riff ingrained from birth, he caught the lightning to get it out there at the right time in the right way. That's why it was a hit.
I think I've mentioned elsewhere on RP that "La Grange " by ZZ Top is somewhat similar, it's just where your hands naturally go when you pick up a guitar, not influenced by any style of music, I mean the way your hands physically lay down on the fretboard.
The "crotch" of your hand lays at the top of the guitar on the neck where the strings ground(OK-it's called the nut for any Beavis types), and your index or maybe your 3rd finger or maybe even your 4th if you're cool naturally lays on the 3rd and 4th(4th finger natural strength =gift from God,Mark Knopfler type stuff)strings at the 2nd fret and your pinkie is hangin out on 5th Fret and Bronze Street.
Greenbaum set out to write a religious rock song. He is Jewish, but instead of using a Jewish word for God, he used "Jesus" because he thought it would be more marketable.
The original inspiration for this was a song about a preacher by Country singer Porter Waggoner. Greenbaum was also influenced by Folk revival music and traditional Southern Blues.
It took months for Greenbaum to finish the music, but the lyrics came really quickly. (thanks to Norman for telling us about this song)
Greenbaum began his musical career while a student at Boston University, playing area coffeehouses before relocating to the West Coast during the mid-'60s and forming Dr. West's Medicine Show and Jugband. The now-defunct band had one hit, "The Eggplant That Ate Chicago," and broke up in 1968. The group was characterized as a psychedelic jug band - "jugs" like Southern moonshiners used were blown to make sound. The band also used a washboard bass. (thanks, Stevie - louisville, KY)
Greenbaum used to run a goat farm.
This has been used in many TV shows and films, including Contact and Wayne's World II. It was also used in a popular American Express commercial. (thanks, Amy - Chicago, IL)
How is that possible?
It's been over 50 years.
Someone must have 'em!