Survivor (band)

Survivor is an American rock group from Chicago best known for their number-one hit "Eye of the Tiger", which was famously featured in the soundtrack to the Sylvester Stallone film Rocky III. While they had other hits, none matched the huge success of this one, and as such they're often thought of as a One-Hit Wonder group.

For most of their career, the mainstays of the group were Frankie Sullivan (lead guitar) and Jim Peterik (keyboards, rhythm guitar). They formed the band's songwriting nucleus, first alongside Dave Bickler (lead vocal) and then with his replacement, Jimi Jamison.

Their greatest success was the inclusion of "Eye of the Tiger" in the soundtrack for the third Rocky film, which cemented their position as a leading Arena Rock group. They had further successes with the album Vital Signs and its hit singles "The Search Is Over", "High On You" and "I Can't Hold Back", but subsequent releases were scuppered by poor marketing on the part of their record label, precipitating their breakup at the end of the eighties.

While they're less well-remembered than contemporaries like Journey or Foreigner, members of the group still perform as Survivor and even record occasionally.

Not to be confused with the popular American TV show or the novel by Chuck Palahniuk.


 * Bad to the Bone: "Eye of the Tiger" is frequently used in this manner.
 * The Band Minus the Face: Averted when Dave Bickler left the band, replaced by Jimi Jamison, as they still continued making hits. Played straight when Jimi Jamison left the band midway through the recording of their last album, Reach - guitarist Frankie Sullivan took over the vocals for two songs. They then hired Robin McAuley as their vocalist - and didn't record again for over five years (and counting).
 * Name's the Same:
 * The same name as that popular American TV show - which didn't go too well with the band, as they threatened to sue CBS, the network that aired the show. They didn't succeed.
 * Also the same name as a novel by Chuck Palahniuk.
 * New Sound Album: Their sound was originally relatively harder than most AOR bands. Then came Vital Signs in 1984, which was afflicted with a keyboard-laden sound. To it's credit, Jim Peterik said that it's hit single ("The Search Is Over") is the best song he's ever written. It continued for one more release (When Seconds Count) then they went back to their tougher-sounding style.
 * Nice Hat: Dave Bickler's trademark beret.
 * Notable Music Videos: The video for "Eye of the Tiger", particularly the opening scene of the band striding down a street clad in leather jackets and jeans, is one of the most recognised of the early eighties.
 * One-Hit Wonder: They're best known in America for "Eye of the Tiger", in spite of having other Top 40 hits, including four which reached the Top 10. Played straight elsewhere; in most territories, the Rocky song was pretty much their only significant hit.
 * Pop Star Composer: Impressed by their song "Poor Man's Son", Sylvester Stallone asked the band to write something for Rocky III after Queen denied him permission to use "Another One Bites the Dust". The result was, of course, "Eye of the Tiger". Aside from that obvious example, they wrote "Burning Heart" for Rocky IV and "The Moment of Truth" for the Karate Kid soundtrack.
 * Power Ballad: They had a lot of them, though unlike a lot of similar bands, they didn't often release them as singles. The only big exception is "The Search Is Over", which became one of their biggest hits.
 * Revolving Door Band: Only guitarist Frankie Sullivan remains constant.
 * Talky Bookends: Featured in the music video for "The Search Is Over".