Get Pumped: Listen to the Legendary “Eye Of The Tiger” Live in 1982
Today in 1982, Survivor’s all-American rock classic soared to the top of the U.S. charts, where it would maintain the No. 1 spot for a total of six weeks.
Photo: Getty Images/Rick Diamond Music Features Survivor
Everyone’s favorite mood-boosting, energizing track may be more than three decades old, but it still packs a punch. It’s more than the association to Sylvester Stallone’s blockbuster Rocky franchise; “Eye Of The Tiger,” while written for the third movie in the series, has a life of its own. Its infectious, thumping staccato riffs are foolproof—hear them, and you’re bound to feel capable as ever.
It’s no wonder that the track, released one day after Rocky III, immediately claimed the Number 1 spot on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. Its fierce spirit—rooted in Jim Peterik’s lyrics of perseverance amidst struggle—makes the song feel almost like a mantra. It’s emblematic of our American disposition: work hard (and even harder,) and you shall receive. Whether life always works like that is almost beside the point—“Eye Of The Tiger” makes you believe it can and will.
Just a few weeks after the single first reached the top of the charts, American rock band Kansas invited Jim Peterik of Survivor to join them in a rendition of his booming hit. By the time of this concert at the Agora Ballroom in Cleveland, Ohio, “Eye Of The Tiger” was now charting worldwide. Listen below to the brilliantly pulsing track, performed by its songwriter and his pals.