This is an old revision of this page, as edited by SmackBot (talk | contribs) at 01:55, 24 March 2006 (Replace/pipe link Academy Award with Academy Awards, and gen fixes using AWB). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.
Revision as of 01:55, 24 March 2006 by SmackBot (talk | contribs) (Replace/pipe link Academy Award with Academy Awards, and gen fixes using AWB)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff) Eye of the Tiger is also the title of a 1986 film."Eye of the Tiger" was a song performed by the American rock group, Survivor. It was written at the request of Sylvester Stallone for the film Rocky III. The song became a popular sporting event anthem, especially in boxing, and was for a short time the entrance theme for professional wrestler Hulk Hogan. This song has also been used satirically, such as when Harry and Lloyd were riding a shopping cart on the road in Dumb and Dumberer.
The song topped the Billboard charts for six weeks from July 24 1982. It was preceded by "Don't You Want Me" by the Human League and followed by "Abracadabra" by the Steve Miller Band. "Eye of the Tiger" also reached #1 in the UK and Australian charts. The song won a Grammy Award, an Academy Award nomination, and was voted "Best New Song" by the Peoples Choice Awards.
Covers
- British heavyweight boxer Frank Bruno released a version in 1995, the year he won the WBC world heavyweight championship. It reached twenty-eight in the UK.
- "Weird Al" Yankovic has spoofed the song under the title Theme from Rocky XIII (or, The Rye or the Kaiser as seen on The Food Album), about a retired boxer who opens a delicatessen and advises customers to try "the rye or the kaiser."
- The song was covered in 2005 by Australian pop singer Lee Harding, who first performed it on Australian Idol (see "Wasabi/Eye Of The Tiger").
- The song was also covered in 2005 by Paul Anka, in a swing version for the album Rock Swings.
- The distinctive guitar riff has been sampled in a number of songs. The riff was even beatboxed in the song "Knock You Out" by Joel Turner and The Modern Day Poets. This version also featured boxer Anthony Mundine.
- NRL club Wests Tigers use a variant of the song at home games.
Dual meanings of the title
The song's title refers to a line in the movie Rocky III, meaning "killer instinct" or a desire/propensity for aggressiveness. However, the term also refers to an anatomical feature of the tiger.
The "eye spots" on the back of tigers' ears serve to confuse predators and reduce the risk of attack from behind, and they are probably most useful for tiger cubs.
In the wild, seeing the "eyes" of the tiger signifies death, because right before a tiger attacks, it turns its ears forward so that the spot on the back of each ear faces nearer its prey. Hence, once someone sees these "eyes", the tiger is about to attack.
Trivia
- Survivor performed a spoof of the song for a Starbucks TV advertisement, promoting the Starbucks Doubleshot espresso beverage. The band is shown following a guy on his way to work. The commercial can be seen here.
- D.V.D.A.'s "Now You're a Man" uses "Eye of the Tiger"'s music.