Eye of the Tiger

This article is about the song by Survivor. For other uses, see Eye of the Tiger (disambiguation).
"Eye of the Tiger"
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" single
Recorded 1982
Genre Hard rock[1]
Length 4:04
Label EMI, Scotti Brothers
Writer(s) Frankie Sullivan, Jim Peterik
Producer(s) Frankie Sullivan
Certification see below
Survivor singles chronology
"Summer Nights"
(1982)		 "Eye of the Tiger"
(1982)		 "American Heartbeat"
(1982)
Music sample
"Eye of the Tiger"

"Eye of the Tiger" is a song by American rock band Survivor. It was released in the spring of 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".[2] The song was to be the theme song for the movie Rocky III, in which Stallone was playing the main role. The movie version of the song is different from the album version because it was the demo version, and it also features tiger growls.

It gained tremendous MTV and radio airplay and topped charts worldwide during 1982. In the United States, it held number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for six consecutive weeks and was the No. 2 single of 1982, behind Olivia Newton-John's "Physical". It is memorable for its guitar riff and anthemic chorus.

This song is also the title song to the movie of the same name.[3]

It was certified platinum in August 1982 by the RIAA, signifying sales of 2 million vinyl copies. The song had sold over 3.8 million in digital downloads in the United States alone by February 2014.[4] It was voted VH1's 63rd greatest hard rock song.[1] Combined sales of original vinyl release and digital downloads total over 9 million copies, making "Eye of the Tiger" one of the best-selling singles of all time.[4][5][6]

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'.[7]

Charts and sales

Weekly charts

Chart (1982) Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[8] 1
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[9] 2
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[10] 3
Belgium (VRT Top 30 Flanders)[11] 2
Canada (CHUM)[12] 1
Canada Top Singles (RPM)[13] 1
Denmark (IFPI)[14] 8
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[15] 1
France (IFOP)[16] 3
Germany (Media Control Charts)[17] 13
Ireland (IRMA)[18] 1
Italy (FIMI)[19] 3
Japan (Oricon International Chart)[20] 1
Japan (Oricon Singles Chart)[20] 10
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[21] 2
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[22] 6
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[23] 4
Norway (VG-lista)[24] 1
Poland (LP3)[25] 24
South Africa (Springbok Radio)[26] 1
Spain (AFYVE)[27] 5
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[28] 5
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[29] 6
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[30] 1
US Billboard Adult Contemporary[31] 27
US Billboard Hot 100[31] 1
US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play[31] 59
US Billboard Top Tracks[31] 1
US Cash Box[32] 1
Year Chart Peak
position
2006 US Billboard Hot Ringtones[31] 9
2007 Ireland (IRMA)[18] 8
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[29] 80
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[33] 47
2008 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[29] 83
2009 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[29] 77
Canada (Hot Canadian Digital Singles)[31] 43
US Billboard Hot Digital Songs[31] 64
2010 Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[28] 50
2011 France (SNEP)[34] 62
2012 France (SNEP)[34] 162
2013 Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[9] 74
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[29] 72
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[33] 65

Year-end charts

Chart (1982) Position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[35] 1
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[36] 18
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[37] 28
Canada (RPM Top 100 Singles)[38] 2
France (IFOP)[39] 12
Italy (FIMI)[19] 23
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[40] 27
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[41] 39
South Africa (Springbok Radio)[42] 2
US Billboard Hot 100[43] 2
US Cash Box[44] 1

Certifications

Region Certification Sales/shipments
Canada (Music Canada)[45] 2× Platinum 200,000^
France (SNEP)[46] Gold 873,000[47]
Italy (FIMI)[48] Platinum 30,000*
Japan (RIAJ) 244,000[49]
United Kingdom (BPI)[50] Platinum 1,460,000[5]
United States (RIAA) (Digital)[51] Platinum 3,840,000[4]
United States (RIAA) (Mastertone)[51] Gold 500,000^
United States (RIAA) (Physical)[51] 2× Platinum 2,000,000^
Total available sales: 9,147,000

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone
xunspecified figures based on certification alone

Order of precedence
Preceded by
"Going to a Go-Go" by The Rolling Stones		 Canadian CHUM number-one single
July 24, 1982 – August 21, 1982 (5 weeks) 		Succeeded by
"Jack & Diane" by John Cougar Mellencamp
Preceded by
"Cat People (Putting Out Fire)" by David Bowie		 Norwegian number-one single
33/1982 (1 week)
35/1982 – 41/1982 (7 weeks) 		Succeeded by
"Cat People (Putting Out Fire)" by David Bowie
"You're in the Army Now" by Bolland
Preceded by
"Abracadabra" by the Steve Miller Band		 Australian number-one single
September 20, 1982 – October 25, 1982 (6 weeks) 		Succeeded by
"Come On Eileen" by Dexys Midnight Runners
Canadian RPM number-one single
July 31, 1982 – September 4, 1982 (6 weeks) 		Succeeded by
"Hard to Say I'm Sorry" by Chicago
Preceded by
"Casablanca" by Bertie Higgins		 Japanese Oricon International Chart number-one single
August 30, 1982 – October 25, 1982 (9 weeks)
Preceded by
"Come On Eileen" by Dexys Midnight Runners		 Irish Singles Chart number-one single
September 5, 1982 – September 19, 1982 (3 weeks)
UK Singles Chart number-one single
September 4, 1982 – September 25, 1982 (4 weeks) 		Succeeded by
"Pass the Dutchie" by Musical Youth
Preceded by
"Don't You Want Me" by The Human League		 US Billboard Hot 100 number-one single
July 24, 1982 – August 28, 1982 (6 weeks) 		Succeeded by
"Abracadabra" by the Steve Miller Band
Preceded by
"Hurts So Good" by John Cougar Mellencamp		 US Cash Box number-one single
July 31, 1982 – August 21, 1982 (4 weeks)
Preceded by
"Caught Up in You" by .38 Special		 US Billboard Top Tracks number-one single
July 3, 1982 – July 31, 1982 (5 weeks) 		Succeeded by
"Think I'm in Love" by Eddie Money
Preceded by
"Baby Makes Her Blue Jeans Talk" by Dr. Hook		 South African number-one single
August 21, 1982 – October 2, 1982 (7 weeks) 		Succeeded by
"Da Da Da" by Trio
Preceded by
"Counting the Beat" by The Swingers
1981		 Australian best-selling single of the year
1982 		Succeeded by
"Australiana" by Austen Tayshus
1983
Preceded by
"Endless Love" by Diana Ross and Lionel Richie
1981		 US Cash Box best-selling single of the year
1982 		Succeeded by
"Flashdance... What a Feeling" by Irene Cara
1983

Cover versions

Parodies

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Winistorfer, Andrew (January 5, 2009). "VH1's 100 Greatest Hard Rock Songs list only slightly less annoying than their hip-hop list". VH1. Prefix Magazine. Retrieved July 1, 2013.
  2. ↑ "Interview: Guitarist Jim Peterik Talks 'Tiger' and the New Pride of Lions Album, 'Immortal'". Guitar World. October 19, 2012. Retrieved March 29, 2014.
  3. ↑ "Eye of the Tiger (1986) – Soundtracks". Retrieved May 26, 2014.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Grein, Paul (February 19, 2014). "Chart Watch: 'Dark Horse' Holds Off 'Happy'". Chart Watch (Yahoo! Music). Retrieved May 26, 2014.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Lane, Daniel (27 June 2013). "Daft Punk’s Get Lucky becomes one of the UK’s biggest selling singles of all-time!". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 26, 2014.
  6. ↑
  7. ↑ "Eye Of The Tiger by Survivor". Songfacts. Retrieved May 26, 2014.
  8. ↑ "Australia No. 1 hits -- 1980's". World Charts. Retrieved June 9, 2013.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 "Austriancharts.at – Survivor – Eye Of The Tiger" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved May 26, 2014.
  10. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Survivor – Eye Of The Tiger" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved May 26, 2014.
  11. ↑ "Eye Of The Tiger – SURVIVOR" (in Dutch). Top 30. Retrieved May 26, 2014. Hoogste notering in de top 30 : 2
  12. ↑ CHART NUMBER 1331 – Saturday, July 24, 1982 at the Wayback Machine (archived July 29, 2007). CHUM. Retrieved May 26, 2014.
  13. ↑ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 6557." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved May 31, 2013.
  14. ↑ "Hits Of The World". Billboard (Nielsen Business Media) 94 (41): 79. October 16, 1982. ISSN 0006-2510.
  15. ↑ Nyman, Jake (2005). Suomi soi 4: Suuri suomalainen listakirja (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Tammi. ISBN 951-31-2503-3.
  16. ↑ "InfoDisc : Tous les Titres par Artiste" (in French). InfoDisc. May 26, 2014. Select "Survivor" from the artist drop-down menu. Retrieved May 26, 2014.
  17. ↑ "Officialcharts.de – Survivor – Eye Of The Tiger". GfK Entertainment. Retrieved May 26, 2014.
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 "The Irish Charts – All there is to know". Irishcharts.ie. Retrieved May 26, 2014.
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 "I singoli più venduti del 1982" (in Italian). Hit Parade Italia. Creative Commons. Retrieved May 26, 2014.
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 "Japan #1 IMPORT DISKS by Oricon Hot Singles". Oricon. Retrieved May 26, 2014.
  21. ↑ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Survivor - Eye Of The Tiger search results" (in Dutch) Dutch Top 40. Retrieved May 26, 2014.
  22. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Survivor – Eye Of The Tiger" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved May 26, 2014.
  23. ↑ "Charts.org.nz – Survivor – Eye Of The Tiger". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved May 26, 2014.
  24. ↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – Survivor – Eye Of The Tiger". VG-lista. Retrieved May 26, 2014.
  25. ↑ "EYE OF THE TIGER –Survivor" (in Polish). LP3. Retrieved May 26, 2014.
  26. ↑ "South African Rock Lists Website SA Charts 1969 – 1989 Acts (S)". Rock.co.za. Retrieved May 31, 2013.
  27. ↑ Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (in Spanish) (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  28. ↑ 28.0 28.1 "Swedishcharts.com – Survivor – Eye Of The Tiger". Singles Top 60. Retrieved May 26, 2014.
  29. ↑ 29.0 29.1 29.2 29.3 29.4 "Swisscharts.com – Survivor – Eye Of The Tiger". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved May 26, 2014.
  30. ↑ "Archive Chart: 1982-09-04" UK Singles Chart. Retrieved May 26, 2014.
  31. ↑ 31.0 31.1 31.2 31.3 31.4 31.5 31.6 "Survivor – Awards". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved May 26, 2014.
  32. ↑ CASH BOX Top 100 Singles – Week ending JULY 31, 1982 at the Wayback Machine (archived September 20, 2012). Cash Box magazine. Retrieved May 26, 2014.
  33. ↑ 33.0 33.1 "Survivor: Artist Chart History" UK Singles Chart. Retrieved May 26, 2014.
  34. ↑ 34.0 34.1 "Lescharts.com – Survivor – Eye Of The Tiger" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved May 26, 2014.
  35. ↑ "Forum – ARIA Charts: Special Occasion Charts – Top 100 End of Year AMR Charts – 1980s". Australian-charts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved May 26, 2014.
  36. ↑ "Jahreshitparade 1982" (in German). Austriancharts.at. Hung Medien. Retrieved May 26, 2014.
  37. ↑ "Jaaroverzichten 1982" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved May 26, 2014.
  38. ↑ "Top Singles – Volume 37, No. 19, December 25, 1982". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved May 26, 2014.
  39. ↑ "TOP – 1982" (in French). Top-france.fr. Retrieved May 26, 2014.
  40. ↑ "Single Top 100 1982" (PDF) (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved May 26, 2014.
  41. ↑ "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1982" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Hung Medien. Retrieved May 26, 2014.
  42. ↑ "Top 20 Hit Singles of 1982". Rock.co.za. Retrieved May 26, 2014.
  43. ↑ "Top 100 Hits for 1982". The Longbored Surfer. Retrieved May 26, 2014.
  44. ↑ The CASH BOX Year-End Charts: 1982 at the Wayback Machine (archived September 21, 2012). Cash Box magazine. Retrieved May 26, 2014.
  45. ↑ "Canadian single certifications – Survivor – Eye of the Tiger". Music Canada.
  46. ↑ "French single certifications – Survivor – Eye of the Tiger" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique.
  47. ↑ "Les Singles en Or". InfoDisc. Retrieved May 26, 2014.
  48. ↑ "Italian single certifications – Survivor – Eye of the Tiger" (in Italian). Federation of the Italian Music Industry. Select Online in the field Sezione. Enter Survivor in the field Filtra. The certification will load automatically
  49. ↑ "List of best-selling international singles in Japan" (in Japanese). Homepage1.nifty.com. 2002. Retrieved May 26, 2014.
  50. ↑ "British single certifications – Survivor – Eye of the Tiger". British Phonographic Industry. Enter Eye of the Tiger in the field Keywords. Select Title in the field Search by. Select single in the field By Format. Select Platinum in the field By Award. Click Search
  51. ↑ 51.0 51.1 51.2 "RIAA – Gold & Platinum Searchable Database – Eye of the Tiger". RIAA. Retrieved May 26, 2014.

External links