Eye of the Tiger
| "Eye of the Tiger" | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Single by Survivor | ||||||||||
| from the album Rocky III Original Soundtrack and Eye of the Tiger | ||||||||||
| B-side | "Take You on a Saturday" | |||||||||
| Released | May 29, 1982 | |||||||||
| Format | 7" | |||||||||
| Recorded | 1982 | |||||||||
| Genre | Rock, hard rock | |||||||||
| Length | 4:06, 3:45 (Single) | |||||||||
| Label | Scotti Brothers | |||||||||
| Writer(s) | Frankie Sullivan, Jim Peterik | |||||||||
| Producer | Frankie Sullivan | |||||||||
| Certification | 2× Platinum (RIAA) | |||||||||
| Survivor singles chronology | ||||||||||
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"Eye of the Tiger" is the title of a song by American rock band Survivor. It was released in May 1982 as a single from their third album Eye of the Tiger. It was written at the request of actor Sylvester Stallone, who was unable to get permission for Queen's "Another One Bites the Dust". The song was to be the theme song for the movie Rocky III in which he was playing the main role. The movie version of the song is different from the album version because it features tiger growls. It gained tremendous MTV and radio airplay and topped charts worldwide in 1982. It is memorable for its guitar riff and anthemic chorus.
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[edit] Background
In an interview with Songfacts, co-writer Jim Peterik explained the song's title.
At first, we wondered if calling it 'Eye of the Tiger' was too obvious. The initial draft of the song, we started with 'It's the eye of the tiger, it's the thrill of the fight, 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.' We were going to call the song 'Survival.' In the rhyme scheme, you can tell we had set up 'rival' to rhyme with 'survival.' At the end of the day, we said, 'Are we nuts?' That 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'.[1]
[edit] In popular culture
The song has been used many times to introduce large events such as sports matches, concerts, and political rallies; Newt Gingrich, for instance, has used it at his events since 2009, and in early 2012 was asked by the song's creators to stop doing so. As of January 2012[update], they have sued Gingrich to demand he cease playing it and to compensate them.[2]
[edit] Charts and sales
[edit] Chart positions
| Chart (1982) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (Kent Music Report) | 1 |
| Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[3] | 2 |
| Canada (RPM) | 1 |
| Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[4] | 1 |
| France (SNEP)[3] | 62 |
| Germany (Media Control Charts)[5] | 13 |
| Ireland (IRMA)[6] | 1 |
| Italy (FIMI)[7] | 3 |
| Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[8] | 2 |
| New Zealand (RIANZ)[3] | 4 |
| Norway (VG-lista)[3] | 1 |
| Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[3] | 5 |
| Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[3] | 6 |
| United Kingdom (The Official Charts Company) | 1 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks | 1 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100[9] | 1 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks | 27 |
[edit] Certifications
| Region | Certification |
|---|---|
| Italy (FIMI)[10] | Gold |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[11] | Gold |
| United States (RIAA)[12] | 2× Platinum |
[edit] Chart successions
| Preceded by "Caught Up in You" by 38 Special |
Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks number-one single July 3, 1982 – July 31, 1982 |
Succeeded by "Think I'm in Love" by Eddie Money |
| Preceded by "Don't You Want Me" by The Human League |
Billboard Hot 100 number one single July 24, 1982 - August 28, 1982 |
Succeeded by "Abracadabra" by Steve Miller Band |
| Preceded by "Come on Eileen" by Dexys Midnight Runners |
UK Singles Chart number one single 4 September 1982 - 25 September 1982 |
Succeeded by "Pass the Dutchie" by Musical Youth |
| Preceded by "Abracadabra" by Steve Miller Band |
Australian Kent Music Report number-one single September 20, 1982 - October 25, 1982 |
Succeeded by "Come On Eileen" by Dexys Midnight Runners |
[edit] References
- ^ Jim Peterik interview with Songfacts
- ^ Prins, Henrico (1 January 2012). "'Gingrich mag Eye of the Tiger niet meer draaien' - Verkiezingen in de Verenigde Staten". de Volkskrant. http://www.volkskrant.nl/vk/nl/4004/Verkiezingen-in-de-Verenigde-Staten/article/detail/3145918/2012/01/31/Gingrich-mag-Eye-of-the-Tiger-niet-meer-draaien.dhtml?utm_source=dailynewsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20120131. Retrieved 31 January 2012.
- ^ a b c d e f International peaks
- ^ Nyman, Jake (2005) (in Finnish). Suomi soi 4: Suuri suomalainen listakirja (1st ed.). Helsinki: Tammi. p. 18. ISBN 951-31-2503-3.
- ^ German peak
- ^ Search for Irish peaks
- ^ Top Italian singles of 1982
- ^ Dutch Top 40 peak
- ^ Allmusic peaks
- ^ "Italian single certifications – Survivor – Eye of the Tiger" (in Italian) (PDF). Federation of the Italian Music Industry. http://www.fimi.it/temp/cert_GFK_download_022012.pdf. Retrieved 2 January 2012.
- ^ "British single certifications – Survivor – Eye of the Tiger". British Phonographic Industry. http://www.bpi.co.uk/certifiedawards/search.aspx. Retrieved 2 January 2012. Enter Eye of the Tiger in the field Search. Select Title in the field Search by. Select single in the field By Format. Click Go
- ^ "American single certifications – Survivor – Eye of the Tiger". Recording Industry Association of America. http://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?artist=%22Eye+of+the+Tiger%22. Retrieved 2 January 2012. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH
[edit] External links
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This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (January 2009) |
- Singles certified gold by the Federation of the Italian Music Industry
- Singles certified gold by the British Phonographic Industry
- Singles certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America
- 1982 singles
- 2006 singles
- Survivor songs
- Amel Bent songs
- Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles
- Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks number-one singles
- Number-one singles in Australia
- European Hot 100 Singles number-one singles
- UK Singles Chart number-one singles
- Irish Singles Chart number-one singles
- Number-one singles in Finland
- Number-one singles in Norway
- Oricon International Singles Chart number-one singles
- RPM Top Singles number-one singles
- Rocky music
- Songs from films
