‘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".
The song was written by the guitarist, Frankie Sullivan, and the keyboardist, Jim Peterik. They conceived a riff based on chord changes to mirror the timing of punches. 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." Stallone took the phrase from the 1969 film A Dream of Kings. They also 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.
‘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 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. 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.
Labels – EMI, Scotti Brothers
Songwriters – Frankie Sullivan, Jim Peterik
Producers – Frankie Sullivan, Jim Peterik
SONG LYRICS
[Verse 1]Rising up, back on the street
Did my time, took my chances
Went the distance, now I'm back on my feet
Just a man and his will to survive
So many times, it happens too fast
You trade your passion for glory
Don't lose your grip on the dreams of the past
You must fight just to keep them alive
[Chorus]
It's the eye of the tiger
It's the thrill of the fight
Rising up to the challenge of our rival
And the last known survivor
Stalks his prey in the night
And he's watching us all
With the eye of the tiger
[Verse 2]
Face to face, out in the heat
Hanging tough, staying hungry
They stack the odds 'til we take to the street
For the kill with the skill to survive
[Chorus]
It's the eye of the tiger
It's the thrill of the fight
Rising up to the challenge of our rival
And the last known survivor
Stalks his prey in the night
And he's watching us all
With the eye of the tiger
[Verse 3]
Rising up, straight to the top
Had the guts, got the glory
Went the distance, now I'm not gonna stop
Just a man and his will to survive
[Chorus]
It's the eye of the tiger
It's the thrill of the fight
Rising up to the challenge of our rival
And the last known survivor
Stalks his prey in the night
And he's watching us all
With the eye of the tiger
[Outro]
The eye of the tiger
The eye of the tiger
The eye of the tiger
The eye of the tiger