Eye of the Tiger

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This article is about the song by Survivor. For other uses, see Eye of the Tiger (disambiguation).
"Eye of the Tiger"
Eye of the Tiger Survivor.jpg
Single by Survivor
from the album Rocky III and Eye of the Tiger
B-side"Take You on a Saturday"
ReleasedMay 31, 1982 (US)[1]
GenreHard rock[2]
Length4:04 (album version)
3:45 (single version)
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Frankie Sullivan
  • Jim Peterik
Survivor singles chronology
"Summer Nights"
(1982) 		"Eye of the Tiger"
(1982) 		"American Heartbeat"
(1982)
Audio sample
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"Eye of the Tiger"
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Music video
Eye of the Tiger on YouTube

"Eye of the Tiger" is a song by American rock band Survivor. It was released as a single from their third album of the same name and was also the theme song for the 1982 film Rocky III, which was released a day before the single. The song was written by Survivor guitarist Frankie Sullivan and keyboardist Jim Peterik, and it was recorded at the request of Rocky III star, writer, and director Sylvester Stallone, after Queen denied him permission to use "Another One Bites the Dust", the song Stallone intended as the Rocky III theme.[3] The version of the song that appears in the film is the demo version of the song. The film version also contained tiger growls, which did not appear on the album version. It features original Survivor singer Dave Bickler on lead vocals.[4] The song is also the title song to the 1986 film of the same name.[5] ¨Eye of The Tiger¨ is written in the key of C minor[6]

It gained tremendous 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 consecutive weeks (the band's only song to top the chart) and was the No. 2 single of 1982, behind Olivia Newton-John's "Physical". It spent fifteen 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 the aforementioned "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. The band won an award for "Best Rock Performance by Duo or Group with Vocal" at the 25th Annual Grammy Awards.[7] In September 1982, it also peaked at No. 1 in the United Kingdom, remaining at the top of the UK Singles Chart for four consecutive weeks.[8] The single sold 956,000 copies in United Kingdom in 1982.[9]

It 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 digital downloads in the United States alone by February 2015.[10] It was voted VH1's 63rd-greatest hard rock song.[11] Combined sales of original vinyl release and digital downloads total over 9 million copies.[10][12][13][14]

Background[]

In an interview with Songfacts, co-writer Jim Peterik, who shared writing credit with Frankie Sullivan, 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".[15]

Accolades[]

The song was nominated for the 1982 Academy Award for Best Original Song (the only Oscar nomination for Rocky III), but it lost to "Up Where We Belong" from An Officer and a Gentleman.[16]

The song was also nominated for the 1983 Grammy Award for Song of the Year, but lost to the Willie Nelson hit "Always on My Mind".[7]

Lawsuits[]

Newt Gingrich campaign[]

In 2012, Survivor sued 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.[17] The suit was later settled out of court.[18]

Mitt Romney campaign[]

The same year Sullivan also demanded that Mitt Romney, also a Republican candidate for president, stop using "Eye of the Tiger" at his campaign rallies. Romney agreed to drop the song from the campaign's playlists.[18]

Mike Huckabee's campaign[]

Frankie 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.[19] In June 2016 it was reported by CNN that Huckabee had agreed, in a confidential, out-of-court settlement with Sullivan's Rude Music, to pay $25,000 in compensation.[20][21]

Credits and personnel[]

Credits adapted from the album Eye of the Tiger.[22]

Charts[]

Weekly charts[]

Certifications[]

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[69] 2× Platinum 200,000^
France (SNEP)[70] Gold 877,300[71]
Italy (FIMI)[72] 2× Platinum 100,000double-dagger
Japan (RIAJ) 244,000[73]
Japan (RIAJ)[14]
Digital 		Gold 100,000*
United Kingdom (BPI)[74] 2× Platinum 1,650,293[12]
United States (RIAA)[75] 8× Platinum 4,100,000[10]
United States (RIAA)[75]
Mastertone 		Gold 500,000*
United States (RIAA)[75]
Physical Single 		2× Platinum 2,000,000^

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
double-dagger Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

See also[]

References[]

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  2. ^ Holden, Stephen (July 28, 1982). "The Pop Life; RCA Gambling on Kenny Rogers". The New York Times. Retrieved April 16, 2018.
  3. ^ "Interview: Guitarist Jim Peterik Talks 'Tiger' and the New Pride of Lions Album, 'Immortal'". Guitar World. October 19, 2012. Retrieved March 29, 2014.
  4. ^ Fischer, Blair R. (June 2010). "Who's Left?". Spin. Vol. 26 no. 5. p. 74. ISSN 0006-2510.
  5. ^ "Eye of the Tiger (1986) – Soundtracks". Retrieved May 26, 2014.
  6. ^ "Eye of the Tiger by Survivor – Digital Sheet Music". Alfred Music. December 24, 2006. Retrieved June 30, 2021 – via Musicnotes.com.
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  9. ^ Copsey, Rob (March 12, 2021). "The Official Top 50 best-selling songs of 1982". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 10, 2021.
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  20. ^ Kaufman, Gil (June 28, 2016). "Mike Huckabee Owes Survivor $25,000 for Playing 'Eye of the Tiger' At Rally". Billboard. Retrieved June 30, 2016.
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External links[]

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