abstract
| - %22Eye of the Tiger%22 is a song by American rock band Survivor. It was released on May 29, 1982 as a single from their third album Eye of the Tiger 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 was done so at the request of Rocky III star, writer, and director Sylvester Stallone after Queen denied him permission to use %22Another One Bites the Dust%22, the song Stallone intended to use as the Rocky III theme, in the film. 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 %22Physical%22. It is memorable for Frankie Sullivan's guitar riff and anthemic chorus.The song is also the title song to a later film, the 1986 movie of the same name.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, making %22Eye of the Tiger%22 one of the best-selling singles of all time.
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