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"Eye of the Tiger" is a song by the American rock band Survivor. It was written as the theme song for the 1982 film Rocky III and released that year as a single from Survivor's third album, Eye of the Tiger.
Sylvester Stallone, the director and star of Rocky III, enlisted Survivor to write the song after Queen denied him permission to use "Another One Bites the Dust". They derived lyrics, including the title, from dialogue in the film, and conceived a riff with chord changes to match the punches in the film's boxing scenes.
"Eye of the Tiger" reached number one on the charts of many countries. In the US, it was number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for six weeks, spent 15 consecutive weeks in the top ten, and was the second-bestselling single of 1982. It was certified platinum in August 1982, for sales of two million copies. In the UK, "Eye of the Tiger" sold 956,000 copies and was number one on the UK Singles Chart for four consecutive weeks.
At the 25th Annual Grammy Awards, "Eye of the Tiger" won Best Rock Performance by Duo or Group with Vocal and was nominated for Song of the Year. At the 55th Academy Awards, it was nominated for Best Original Song.
Writing[]
In 1982, the American band Survivor had released two unsuccessful albums, and were concerned they would be dropped by their record label.[1] The director and actor Sylvester Stallone enlisted them to write a song for his 1982 film Rocky III, after Queen denied him permission to use "Another One Bites the Dust".[1][2] Stallone told them he wanted "something street"[1] with a pulse to match the punches of the boxing scenes.[3] He sent them a copy of the montage used in the film's introduction, depicting the boxer Rocky Balboa and the ascent of his rival, Clubber Lang.[1][2]
"Eye of the Tiger" was written by the guitarist, Frankie Sullivan, and the keyboardist, Jim Peterik.[4] They conceived a riff based on chord changes to mirror the timing of punches.[1][2] They took the title from a line spoken by Rocky's coach, Apollo Creed: "You had that eye of the tiger, man, the edge ... You gotta get it back."[1] Stallone took the phrase from the 1969 film A Dream of Kings.[5]
Survivor initially planned to title the song "Survival", and had the chorus: "Rising up to the spirit of our rival / And the last known survivor stalks his prey in the night / And it all comes down to survival", with "survival" rhyming with "rival". Peterik said later: "That ['eye of the tiger'] hook is so strong, and 'rival' doesn't have to be a perfect rhyme with the word 'tiger'. We made the right choice and went with 'Eye of the Tiger'."[6]
Survivor recorded a demo at the Chicago Recording Company on February 1, 1982.[2][3] Sullivan was so destitute that he used a guitar with a broken headstock he glued back together.[1] The band attempted to capture a drum sound similar to that of the Led Zeppelin drummer, Jon Bonham.[2] Stallone loved the song and insisted on using the demo in the film.[1] Survivor rerecorded it for the album and single releases.[3]
Reception[]
"Eye of the Tiger" gained extensive MTV and radio airplay and topped charts worldwide during 1982. In the United States, it held No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for six weeks[1] and was the No. 2 single of 1982, behind Olivia Newton-John's "Physical". It spent 15 consecutive weeks in the top ten, the second-longest run of 1982, behind "Hurts So Good" by John Mellencamp (which was prevented from reaching the top of the Hot 100 by "Eye of the Tiger"). This top ten run is tied with "Another One Bites the Dust" as well as "Physical" as the longest run in the top ten for a number one song during the entire 1980s decade. "Eye of the Tiger" was certified platinum in August 1982 by the RIAA, signifying sales of 2 million vinyl copies. The song had sold over 4.1 million in downloads in the United States alone by February 2015.[7] In the United Kingdom, "Eye of the Tiger" sold 956,000 copies and remained number one on the UK Singles Chart for four consecutive weeks.[8][9]
Sullivan felt people related to the song for its message of self-empowerment: "It's about getting your ass out of bed. It's about saying: 'I'm not going to try to go to the gym Monday – I am going to go to the gym Monday.'"[1]
Accolades[]
At the 25th Annual Grammy Awards, "Eye of the Tiger" won Best Rock Performance by Duo or Group with Vocal and was nominated for Song of the Year, but lost to "Always on My Mind" by Willie Nelson.[10] At the 55th Academy Awards, it was nominated for Best Original Song (the only Academy Award nomination for Rocky III), but lost to "Up Where We Belong" from An Officer and a Gentleman.[11]
Use in political campaigns[]
In 2012, Survivor sued the Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich in Illinois federal court for using "Eye of the Tiger" without authorization as entrance music at his political rallies going back as far as 2009.[12] The suit was settled out of court.[13] In the same year, Sullivan demanded that Mitt Romney, another Republican candidate, stop using "Eye of the Tiger" at his campaign rallies. Romney agreed to drop the song from the campaign's playlists.[13]
Sullivan's company Rude Music filed a lawsuit in federal court in Chicago, Illinois, on November 18, 2015, against the former Governor of Arkansas and Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee's campaign organization for using "Eye of the Tiger" at a political rally without permission. The rally took place on September 8, 2015, when Kim Davis, a Kentucky county clerk, was released from jail after spending five days there for refusing to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples in Kentucky.[14] In June 2016 it was reported by CNN that Huckabee had agreed to pay $25,000 in compensation.[15][16]
Credits and personnel[]
Credits adapted from the album Eye of the Tiger.[17]
- Dave Bickler – lead vocals
- Frankie Sullivan – lead and rhythm guitars
- Jim Peterik – grand piano, electric guitar
- Stephan Ellis – bass
- Marc Droubay – drums
Charts[]
Weekly charts[]
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Template:SinglechartTemplate:SinglechartTemplate:SinglechartTemplate:SinglechartTemplate:SinglechartTemplate:SinglechartTemplate:SinglechartTemplate:SinglechartTemplate:SinglechartTemplate:SinglechartTemplate:SinglechartTemplate:SinglechartTemplate:SinglechartTemplate:SinglechartTemplate:Singlechart| Chart (1982-2020) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (Kent Music Report)[18] | 1 |
| Canada (Hot Canadian Digital Singles)[19] | 43 |
| Denmark (IFPI)[20] | 8 |
| Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[21] | 1 |
| France (IFOP)[22] | 3 |
| Japan (Oricon International Chart)[23] | 1 |
| Japan (Oricon Singles Chart)[23] | 10 |
| South Africa (Springbok Radio)[24] | 1 |
| Slovenia (SloTop50)[25] | 28 |
| Spain (AFYVE)[26] | 5 |
| US Billboard Adult Contemporary[19] | 27 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[19] | 1 |
| US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play[19] | 59 |
| US Billboard Hot Digital Songs[19] | 64 |
| US Billboard Hot Ringtones[19] | 9 |
| US Billboard Top Tracks[19] | 1 |
| US Cash Box[27] | 1 |
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| 2009
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| 2015
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Year-end charts[]
| Chart (1982) | Rank |
|---|---|
| Australia (Kent Music Report)[28][29] | 1 |
| Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[30] | 18 |
| Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[31] | 28 |
| Canada Top Singles (RPM)[32] | 2 |
| Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[33] | 27 |
| Netherlands (Single Top 100)[34] | 39 |
| New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[35] | 30 |
| South Africa (Springbok Radio)[36] | 2 |
| UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[37] | 3 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[38] | 2 |
| US Cash Box[39] | 1 |
| Chart (1983) | Rank |
|---|---|
| France (IFOP)[40] | 11 |
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All-time charts[]
| Chart (1958–2018) | Position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard Hot 100[41] | 26 |
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Certifications[]
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See also[]
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- List of number-one singles in Australia during the 1980s
- List of Top 25 singles for 1982 in Australia
- List of Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles of 1982
- List of Billboard Mainstream Rock number-one songs of the 1980s
- List of Cash Box Top 100 number-one singles of 1982
- List of number-one singles of 1982 (Canada)
- List of number-one singles of 1982 (Ireland)
- List of number-one songs in Norway
- List of UK Singles Chart number ones of the 1980s
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References[]
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External links[]
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- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 1.9 Template:Cite news
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Template:Cite magazine
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Ling, Dave (2021-07-23). The story behind Survivor's Eye Of The Tiger (en).
- ↑ Today in Music History: 'Eye Of The Tiger' (en).
- ↑ Siskel, Gene (1986-05-18). Stallone wields a pen with Rambonian power.
- ↑ Uitti, Jacob (2021-11-01). Behind The Song: Survivor's "Eye of the Tiger" (en-US).
- ↑ Template:Cite news
- ↑ Survivor. Official Charts Company.
- ↑ Copsey, Rob (March 12, 2021). The Official Top 50 best-selling songs of 1982. Official Charts Company. Retrieved on July 10, 2021.
- ↑ 25th Annual Grammy Awards (1982).
- ↑ The 55th Academy Awards – 1983. Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
- ↑ Template:Cite magazine
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Bryant, Christian (September 9, 2015). Rock band Survivor has been going after GOP politicians over the years for using their song "Eye of the Tiger" without permission.. Newsy.
- ↑ McCaskill, Nolan D. (November 18, 2015). Huckabee sued for playing 'Eye of the Tiger' at Kim Davis rally.
- ↑ Template:Cite magazine
- ↑ Template:Cite magazine
- ↑ Template:Cite AV media notes
- ↑ Australia No. 1 hits -- 1980's.
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 19.2 19.3 19.4 19.5 19.6 Survivor – Awards. AllMusic.
- ↑ Template:Cite magazine
- ↑ Template:Cite book
- ↑ Le Détail par Artiste (fr).
- ↑ 23.0 23.1 Japan #1 IMPORT DISKS by Oricon Hot Singles (ja).
- ↑ South African Rock Lists Website SA Charts 1969 – 1989 Acts (S).
- ↑ Tedenska lestvica (sl). SloTop50.
- ↑ Template:Cite book
- ↑ Template:Cite magazine
- ↑ National Top 100 Singles for 1982. Kent Music Report (January 3, 1983).
- ↑ Forum – ARIA Charts: Special Occasion Charts – Top 100 End of Year AMR Charts – 1980s. Australian-charts.com. Hung Medien.
- ↑ Jahreshitparade 1982 (de). Austriancharts.at. Hung Medien.
- ↑ Jaaroverzichten 1982 (nl). Ultratop. Hung Medien.
- ↑ Template:Cite magazine
- ↑ Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 1982 (nl). Dutch Top 40.
- ↑ Jaaroverzichten – Single 1982 (nl). Single Top 100. Hung Medien.
- ↑ End of Year Charts 1982. Recorded Music New Zealand.
- ↑ Top 20 Hit Singles of 1982.
- ↑ Template:Cite book
- ↑ Top 100 Hits for 1982.
- ↑ Template:Cite magazine
- ↑ TOP – 1983 (fr).
- ↑ Template:Cite magazine