Survivor

• Genre: AOR
• Survivor Website

About

"Eye of the Tiger" was the huge hit for Survivor, the one that went from theme song for a Sylvester Stallone movie to cultural catchphrase for everything from pizza commercials to political campaign slogans. That over-saturation backfired. Belgian sample kings 2 Many DJs couldn't get the rights because George W. Bush used it during his election campaign, something that caused Survivor no small amount of pain and caused them to place an embargo on its future use. But Survivor were more than a one-song band with a one-song career, no matter that one song did pretty much overshadow everything else they ever did.

Singer Jim Peterik first made his mark with the Ides of March, the brassy swinger-era Chicago band that made "I'm your vehicle, baby" an unavoidable watchword in 1970. Though that group swiftly went back to Obscurity, Illinois (remember "Superman"? "L.A. Goodbye"? ), Peterik kept working. The first Survivor LP, anchored by Peterik, guitarist Frankie Sullivan and lead singer Dave Bickler, appeared in 1979; typical decade's-end heartland album-oriented rock, it spawned a small hit in "Somewhere in America." "Poor Man's Son," from the follow-up, Premonition, climbed into the Top 40 in 1981. Perhaps it was that melodrama that caught Stallone's ear; within 12 months, the band had placed "Eye of the Tiger" on the soundtrack to Rocky III and spent six weeks at No. 1 with the song. Survivor had chart ups and downs after that (their Karate Kid single, "The Moment of Truth," didn't repeat the success of "Eye…"), but by 1985, they were on a roll again with new lead singer Jimi Jamison. "High on You" and "The Search Is Over," from the album Vital Signs, both went Top 10, and they hooked up with Stallone again for Rocky IV's melodrama "Burning Heart." Their last chart single came in 1989, but Survivor's place in pop history was assured by a memorable single and, oh yeah, Rocky Balboa.

- Jaan Uhelszki