Also Sprach Zarathustra (2001)

The piece is the introduction to Richard Strauss's tone poem of 1896, with the "(2001)" referring to Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey. It was recorded at Van Gelder Studio on September 12 to 14, 1972 with Creed Taylor producing, and runs 9:00 on the album and 5:06 as a single, released in 1973 as the album's first single with "Spirit of Summer" on the B-side. Deodato said, in an interview with PRS's M magazine seen only in a search summary, that Taylor suggested Holst's The Planets, which he disliked, and he suggested 2001. The single line-up was Deodato, Ron Carter on electric and double bass, Stanley Clarke on electric bass, Billy Cobham on drums, John Tropea and Jay Berliner on guitar, Airto Moreira on percussion and Ray Barretto on congas, with uncredited strings and brass.

It reached number two on the US Hot 100 on March 31, 1973, behind Roberta Flack's "Killing Me Softly with His Song", number three in Canada, number seven in the UK, number five on US Easy Listening and number four in Australia, and won the Grammy for best pop instrumental performance at the 16th awards in 1974. Phish have played a cover over 200 times, it is heard in Being There (1979) when Peter Sellers's character leaves home, and Ric Flair has used versions as entrance music. Alan Kurtz at jazz.com calls it the only one in the Nietzsche, Strauss and Kubrick chain that is actually fun.