Eye in the Sky (song)
| "Eye in the Sky" | ||||||||||
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| Single by The Alan Parsons Project | ||||||||||
| from the album Eye in the Sky | ||||||||||
| B-side | "Gemini", "Mammagamma" (Germany) |
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| Released | 1982 | |||||||||
| Format | 7" | |||||||||
| Recorded | Late 1981 | |||||||||
| Genre | Progressive rock | |||||||||
| Length | 4:36 | |||||||||
| Label | Arista | |||||||||
| Writer(s) | Alan Parsons | |||||||||
| Producer | Alan Parsons, Eric Woolfson | |||||||||
| The Alan Parsons Project singles chronology | ||||||||||
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"Eye in the Sky" is a 1982 song by the Alan Parsons Project from the album Eye in the Sky.
Possibly the most successful song the group has ever had, it hit #3 on the Billboard charts in the United States in October 1982[1] and #6 in Canada and New Zealand. Says Parsons of the song, "...I hated the song when we first started recording it — I was quite ready to drop it altogether. Then we hit upon the hypnotic guitar chugs and it all came together." However, it did not fare as well in the UK.
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[edit] Overview
The song is in part a reference to George Orwell's classic novel Nineteen Eighty-Four, regarding a possible future in which individual privacy is virtually non-existent due to the ever-watching eye of Big Brother. In the novel, citizens are constantly monitored by hidden video recording equipment.[2][3]
It has also been noted by Eric Woolfson, the songwriter and vocalist of this song, spent a lot of time in casinos and in commercial districts, fascinated by the hidden security cameras that monitor gamblers and shoppers, hence the theme of the song. See "Eye in the Sky."[3]
The 1:54 minute instrumental piece entitled "Sirius" immediately precedes "Eye in the Sky"' on the original recording, which then seamlessly leads into "Eye in the Sky" as a second track. However, most radio stations choose to play "Eye in the Sky" alone, due to time constraints.
"Sirius" has been used as the intro for Chicago Bulls home games for many seasons and intermittently for many other NBA basketball teams for decades. For a period of time "Sirius" was also the opening theme for the National Wrestling Alliance on TBS weekly television show.
Reports surfaced in November 2010 that Lady Antebellum's single "Need You Now" has the same melody as "Eye In The Sky".[4]
[edit] Covers
- Folk rock artist Jonatha Brooke covered this song on her 2004 album, Back In The Circus.
- International artist Noa covered this song on her 2002 album, Now.
- American Rapper Immortal Technique sampled the song on his 2011 album, Martyr.
[edit] References
- ^ Backwards Bullets: This Week In Charts 1982
- ^ Findarticles.com - Alan Parsons Project's 'Eye in the Sky' re-released. See Paragraph 7
- ^ a b Alan Parsons: If You Believe In The Power Of Magic - From the Official Website, The Alan Parsons Music. See Paragraph 27
- ^ Wendy Geller (2010-10-18). "Lady Antebellum's 'Need You Now'--A Ripoff?". Yahoo!-Our Country blog. http://new.music.yahoo.com/blogs/ourcountry/75288/lady-antebellums-need-you-nowa-ripoff. Retrieved 2010-10-18.
[edit] External links
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