From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| “Eye of the Tiger” | |
|---|---|
| Single by Survivor | |
| from the album Rocky III and Eye of the Tiger | |
| B-side | “Take You on a Saturday” |
| Released | 1982 |
| Format | 7-inch single12-inch single (45 rpm) |
| Genre | Hard rock |
| Length | 4:04 (album version) 3:45 (single version) |
| Label | EMIScotti Brothers |
| Songwriter(s) | Frankie SullivanJim Peterik |
| Producer(s) | Frankie SullivanJim Peterik |
| Survivor singles chronology | |
| “Summer Nights” (1982)”Eye of the Tiger“ (1982)”American Heartbeat” (1982) | |
| Audio sample | |
| 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 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. 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. The song is also the title song to the 1986 film of the same name.
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 Cougar (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. 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.
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. It was voted VH1‘s 63rd-greatest hard rock song. Combined sales of original vinyl release and digital downloads total over 9 million copies.
Eye of The Tiger song with Lyrics
| Rocky III | |
|---|---|
| Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Sylvester Stallone |
| Produced by | Irwin WinklerRobert Chartoff |
| Written by | Sylvester Stallone |
| Starring | Sylvester StalloneTalia ShireBurt YoungCarl WeathersBurgess Meredith |
| Music by | Bill Conti |
| Cinematography | Bill Butler |
| Edited by | Don ZimmermanMark Warner |
| Production company | United Artists |
| Distributed by | MGM/UA Entertainment Co. |
| Release date | May 28, 1982 (United States) |
| Running time | 100 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $270 million |
Rocky III is a 1982 American sports drama film written, directed by, and starring Sylvester Stallone. It is the third installment in the Rocky film series, and the second in the franchise to be directed by Stallone.
The movie features returning co-stars Carl Weathers, Burgess Meredith, Talia Shire, Burt Young and Tony Burton. Rocky III also marks the film debuts of Mr. T as James “Clubber” Lang, and of professional wrestler Hulk Hogan as the supporting character “Thunderlips”.
Rocky III is the first installment in the series to be distributed by MGM/UA rather than United Artists alone, after United Artists’ amalgamation into MGM in 1981.
The film’s main theme, “Eye of the Tiger“, was written by the group Survivor and became a smash hit single, topping the U.S. Billboard charts and receiving an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song.
Released on May 28, 1982, the film was followed by Rocky IV in 1985.
In addition to the main cast several others had cameo appearances. Bill Baldwin and Stu Nahan returned as the fight commentators for the two Rocky-Lang fights. Veteran ring announcer Jimmy Lennon was the ring announcer for the first Lang fight, while boxing judge Marty Denkin was the referee. Lou Filippo returned for his third appearance as a referee during the second Lang fight. Dennis James and Jim Healy appeared as the commentators for the Rocky–Thunderlips match, while LeRoy Neiman was the guest ring announcer. Jim Hill was a TV announcer. A then unknown Morgan Freeman auditioned unsuccessfully for the role of Lang’s trainer. Footage of Stallone’s guest appearance on The Muppet Show was incorporated in the opening sequence, with Jim Henson dubbing Kermit the Frog‘s announcement that the episode’s guest was Rocky Balboa, rather than Stallone.
In preparation for film, Stallone claims to have got his body fat percentage down to his all-time low of 2.8% and weighed 155 lbs. He stated that he ate only ten egg whites and a piece of toast a day, having a fruit every third day. His training consisted of a two-mile jog in the morning followed by two hours of weight training, a nap during the afternoon followed by 18 rounds of sparring, another weight training session, and finishing the day with a swim.
The third of the three statues was listed on eBay in early 2005, with a starting bid of $5 million. It was being auctioned to raise funds for the International Institute for Sport and Olympic History. It failed to sell and was listed again for $3 million; after receiving only one bid, which turned out to be fraudulent, it has been re-listed several times for $1 million. The statues weigh 800 pounds (360 kg) each and stand about 8.5 feet (2.6 m) tall.
The version of “Eye of the Tiger” that appears in the film is actually a demo—the “finished” version is what appears on the soundtrack. Also missing from the soundtrack is the instrumental version of the song played when Rocky is training in Apollo’s old gym.
Rocky III was an enormous box office success and surpassed the gross of its predecessor. The film grossed $16,015,408 in its opening weekend and earned $125,049,125 during its North American theatrical run, becoming the fourth highest-grossing film of 1982; its worldwide box-office earnings stand at around $270 million. Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel attributed the film’s success to the positive reaction from critics and audiences towards Rocky II and the production team’s “quality control” of that film. Siskel stated “if you want a hugely successful series, then make sure that the second one is a winner.”
Rocky III was nominated for both the Award of the Japanese Academy for Best Foreign Language Film and Best Motion Picture at the Image Awards. The film’s theme song Eye of the Tiger was nominated for Best Original Song at the Academy Awards, the BAFTA Film Awards and the Golden Globes. However, Mr. T was nominated for a Golden Raspberry Award for Worst New Star.
The film is recognized by American Film Institute in these lists:
- 2004: AFI’s 100 Years…100 Songs:
- “Eye of the Tiger” – Nominated
Watch the movie “Rocky III”
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