Billboard Hot 100 no.1 Hits, spanning decades, analyzed in attempt to answer the question: "What makes a good song good?"
Archive
9/10/20
"Eye of the Tiger" - Survivor, 1982
I remember seeing Rocky III as a youngster and being enthralled. If not for the appearance of Hulk Hogan, definitely for the inspiring story of Rocky Balboa. The entire franchise was appealing to me; drama and violence set to catchy rock and roll. Rocky I and II used on Bill Conti's "Gonna Fly Now," a cross genre blockbuster that spent a cool week at no.1 in 1977. In 1982, Sly called an audible and the result would be one of the greatest rock songs ever.
I can't imagine getting a phone call from Sylvester Stallone requesting a song for his new movie because he was moved by my music. If that wasn't surreal enough, churning out the demo just in time for the film's release and having it become HUGE must have fluffed the surrealistic pillow. That's more or less the story of how Jim Peterik and Frankie Sullivan of Survivor wrote "Eye of the Tiger." [1]
Of all the songs I've analyzed in this project, this has to be one of the biggest. If not in terms of record sales, certainly in longevity. Now I don't go around blasting this in the car, but if it comes on, I'll listen and probably sing along and probably have a physical and emotional response in some way. If those aren't hallmarks of a good song, I'm not sure what is.
The form of this song took me by surprise and is simpler than I gave it credit for. The intro and outro are the cornerstones of the entire piece. The intro starts with 4 measures of guitar that build with an ominous piano swell. The next 16 measures are the main guitar riff that develops with rhythmic variance and added harmony. Then things simmer down with 2 measures of the guitar pedaling on the root. This little bumper, denoted as "I" above, is a reoccurring interlude. The first time it returns, it lasts 2 measures and then doubles before heading into verse 3. The outro features a similar sequence to the intro, adding in some synth swells before fading out.
Verse 1 is a doubled 16 measure section, with verses 2 and 3 lasting the standard 8. Each verse is more or less the same, aside from lyrics.
The chorus is varied the third and final time, adding an extra measure on the climax of "he's watching us all in the eye...........of the tiger."
There is no bridge in "Eye of the Tiger." This is somewhat surprising, especially when considering the last 80's analysis ("Jesse's Girl" 1981). The song doesn't really need a bridge though and accomplishes the mission of a kick ass motivational rock song without one. The intro and outro are perfect bookends to the vocal sustenance.
Chord Progressions
The iconic intro starts with the guitar pedaling 16th note C's. We will hear this riff throughout the entire intro and outro, laying a tonal and rhythmic bed for the rest of the band.
Guitar Ostinato
As this rolls on for four measures, an ominous swell ushers in the first sense of tonality, the R-min7 motion in the famous power chord guitar riff. This eventually leads to the Ab, or bVI chord, a staple in minor chord progressions. Note the slight change in rhythm 6th measure below, off set by an eighth note.
Intro Guitar Riff
After we hear the power chorded riff, the guitar changes roles and add harmony, filling out the chords:
Riff with harmony
The three chords presented in the intro will constitute the entire verse progression, through shifted around. The intro works out to:
Cmin Bb Cmin / Bb Cmin / Cmin G Ab / (Ab) i bVII i / bVII i / i V bVI /
The verse stabilizes and reorders them to:
Cmin / Ab / Bb / Cmin
i / bVI / bVII / i
The bass plays an interesting role during the verse. In the intro and through the first half of verses, it thumps quarter notes on a repeated C, flourishing with C minor licks every 4 bars. In the second half of the verses, chord roots are followed and slightly different flourishes and articulations are incorporated.
Bass - verse sample
Verse 2 features background guitar harmonies that add a little spice to the familiar part. The tail end also features an adventurous flourish from Stephan Ellis, one of Survivor's revolving bassists. The guitars sustain an Eb and G, shifting chord tones over Cmin (-3/5) and Ab (5/7), then drop down a step to line up with Bb (3/5). It certainly has the 80's twin guitar feel.
Verse 2 - guitar harmony + bass fill
Moving along to the chorus, we get more of the same, this time enhanced with some slick syncopation and the addition of 2 new chords. The guitar and piano interplay during the chorus looks something like this:
Chorus - Guitar and Piano Redux
The chord progression works out to be:
Bb Cmin / Fmin / Eb/G Bb / Fmin / Cmin Bb
bVII i / iv / III/V bVII/ iv / i bVII
Fmin / Eb/G Bb / Fmin Eb/G / Ab
iv / III/V bVII / iv III/V / bVI
Adding the minor iv chord into the mix gives the part a completely different feel. Even though it's built around minor chords, it feels brighter than the verse thanks to the higher guitar chords. The Eb/G almost acts as a Bbsus as the guitar's Eb resolves to D over the Bb in the bass. I have heard this song hundreds of times and never bothered to really analyze what was happening in this section. It is a great balance to the rest of the tune.
The last two measures feature a harmony with the vocal on the ascending lines, a third lower, doubled by guitar and bass. The walk up F-G-Ab creates a perfect tension until the classic release "of the tiger."
Melody
While the famous guitar riff is no doubt an important melodic statement in the song, let's look at the vocal melody. The first time we hear Dave Bickler (who also sang "real men of genius" from those early 2000 Budweiser commercials!), he enters on beat 2, singing two words that most people know, "rising up."
This double verse is well crafted, repeating rhythmic and melodic themes. The first two 4 measure phrases begin on beat 2 with a similar pitch and rhythm patterns. Throughout each phrase, the rhythm is altered but the pitch choices are similar. G-Bb (5th and -7) over Cmin, G, F and Eb (7, 6 and 5) on Ab, F, Eb and G (5, 4 and 6) over Bb and a chord tone resolution in the 4th bar on C minor, Eb or G.
Comparing the first 8 measures with the second 8, we see more repeated patterns, specifically the quarter note triplet figure in measures 6 and 14.
Verse 1
Each verse follows this basic melodic structure. I like how it maintains the same character but leaves plenty of room for variation, driven by the lyrics. Every note is delivered with confidence and strength, very fitting to the musical style and message of the song.
The chorus begins with a subtle syncopation shared with the piano, entering on the + of beat 3 with the repeated dotted 8th figure. The structure of most of the chorus is similar to the verse, sticking to note groupings for each chord. Every F minor chord features repeated Ab's (-3) walking down through G and F to Eb (-3, 2, R, -7). The 2nd and 6th measures use Eb, F and G, R-2-3 for Eb and 5-6 for Bb, similar intervals as in the verse.
Chorus
The end of the chorus has the climax to the song and one of the hooks "and he's watching us all in the eye of the tiger." This part kills on a few levels. First, the ascending line that moves up two steps then down one until reaching the top C is a familiar pattern and very dramatic. The way the F minor scale (F, G, Ab, Bb, C) works over the shifting chords adds to the drama. When it the C is held over Ab, now the 3rd, it has the intense open quality. The band tacet on beat 3 an the prolonged completion of the phrase, "of the tiger," is just a classic moment.
Lyrics
While the lyrics to "Eye of the Tiger" are not very poetic or profound, they are motivational, especially if your name is Rocky Balboa and you're training to fight Clubber Lang in a championship boxing match.
For a song to be universally motivational, the language has to be to the point without much room for interpretation. Survivor does a good job of telling the story about a beaten person developing "the eye of the tiger" and "rising up to the challenge of their rivals." The chorus gives this sentiment particularly well!
Apparently, the original version of the song only featured two verses and Stallone requested a third verse. [1] If this story is true, then according to Lyric Genius, verse 2 may be the additional verse, directly influenced by the movie. [2] In reality, the whole song seems to be written directly about the plight of Mr. Balboa; Everyman's journey from poverty to prosperity, if you will...
The verse rhyme scheme follows ABAC. The C line, in fact, is "survive" three times and "alive" once. Note the use of "survivor" in the chorus as well. Any band who can regularly reference their own band name is okay by me. I mean Iron Maiden has a song called "Iron Maiden" and Black Sabbath has a song called "Black Sabbath." Not that this song shares the band's name, but a little self promotion isn't a bad thing.
Common Threads
Are there common musical elements shared by no.1 hits throughout the decades? That's what I'm hoping to find out. For every analysis, I compiled some potential shared elements and investigate how they are utilized in various no.1 songs. Building off the list from last time, with Gilbert O'Sullivan's "Alone Again (Naturally)," let's see how "Eye of the Tiger" fits in:
Repetitive Melody - 'Eye of the Tiger" has a lot of repetition. The main guitar riff, the vocal melody from verse to verse, as well as chorus to chorus, along with melodic conventions within each section use repetition liberally.
Texture Changes - While they are few, the texture changes are prominent. The isolated guitar playing a single note is an enduring texture for this song and rock music in general. The sparse entrance of the rhythm section stabbing out the chord melodies is another classic sound, reminiscent of "stop rhythm" choruses in blues music. Then there is the pulsing verses contrasted with the brighter choruses, complete with octave guitars....lots of texture changes here for sure.
Hook that Uses Title of the Song - I couldn't even make up my mind which "eye of the tiger" hook was more catchy!
Stepwise Motion Common in Melody - Steps and minor thirds have the "Eye of the Tiger." The verses and chorus definitely rely on 2nds.
- Strong motion of V- I - We see lots of bVI -i resolutions, common for songs in a minor key.
Hold Overs
- Use of Vocal Harmony - no background vocals! The second one in 9 analyses.
- New Material at the End - While the coda may seem new, it's the same as the intro
Chord Count: 6 - Cmin, Bb, G5, Ab, Fmin, Eb/G - I lumped the power chords in with their triadic brothers. After hearing this song my entire life, I expected less chords. 6 is a solid number for a relatively straightforward tune.
For such an iconic song, I'm not surprised to see some of these commonalities. The melody is repetitive, built on diatonic steps with lyrics that are easy to relate with. The end result is a catchy tune that elicits feeling from the first note.
Final Takeaways
"Eye of the Tiger" has to be included on a list of songs I learned to play early in my musical training. I took a life changing course in high school called "instrumental workshop" that offered non-band instrumentalists an opportunity to play in a rock band setting. There was a class book filled with classic rock songs every young player should get the chance to play and not surprisingly, "Eye of the Tiger" was there. Funnily enough, it was always considered "hard," mostly due to the clunky rhythm of the chorus.
As an elementary school music teacher, this song comes up regularly. When kids reach upper elementary and their parents expose them to Rocky, they request the guitar toting music teacher (me) to serenade them with Rocky's training music. It is also adaptable to play on recorder, a genuinely fun melody on that instrument (B BAB BAB BAG). Funnily enough, in all of my experience with the song, I have been playing it wrong for all those years! It's nice to finally know exactly what they are playing in the main riff and chorus. Sorry for getting it wrong all those years Survivor!
Given my experience, I half expected to be tired of it heading into this analysis. While I don't plan on rocking out to it in my "off" time, I was happy to learn it in this context and even enjoyed it. For an almost 40 year old song, it has aged well. It has intensity, nostalgia, a relevant message and a catchy melody you can't help singing along with. While it may be lacking a bridge or any serious variation from section to section, it serves its function well. What more could you want in a motivational rock song that makes you want to kick life's ass?
What do you think of "Eye of the Tiger?" Does it hold up as a no.1 hit? I am the only musician who has been playing it incorrectly for 20 years? Leave me a comment!
Up next time, we head to 1992, the next stop "on the 2's." August 8th, 1992, snugly nestled between the 5 week run of Sir Mix-A-Lot's "Baby Got Back" and the monumental 13 week run of Boys II Men's "End of the Road," we get a one week flash in the pan. "This Used To Be My Playground" by Madonna. I have been strictly adhering to songs no.1 in the first week of August. Madonna's entry sneaks in between two very well known songs. I am unfamiliar with this one, so given my track record "on the 2's," I could be in for a pleasant surprise?
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