Released 1982 Recorded Late 1981 | Format 7" Length 4:36
3:55 (7" version) | |
B-side "Gemini",
"Mammagamma" (Germany) Genre Soft rock, progressive rock | ||
"Eye in the Sky" is a 1982 song by the British rock band The Alan Parsons Project from the album Eye in the Sky. It hit #3 on the Billboard charts in the U.S. in October 1982, #1 in both Canada and Spain, and #6 in New Zealand and was their most successful release. The instrumental piece entitled "Sirius" segues into "Eye in the Sky"' on the original recording. Lady Antebellum's 2010 hit "Need You Now" has been heavily compared to the chorus.
Contents
Overview
The 1:54 minute instrumental piece entitled "Sirius" immediately precedes "Eye in the Sky"' on the original recording, which then seamlessly leads into "Eye in the Sky" as a second track. On the single release, "Eye In The Sky" appears on its own, with "Sirius" edited out; this is the version that was usually played on pop radio at the time. However, Album-oriented Rock (AOR) and classic rock stations almost exclusively include the "Sirius" intro. "Sirius," meanwhile, has become a staple of many big-time college and professional sporting arenas throughout North America, and is best known in the U.S. as the instrumental song that was used to introduce the starting lineup of the Chicago Bulls for home games played at the old Chicago Stadium and then the United Center in the 1990s, during their run of six NBA championships between 1991 and 1998. The instrumental piece (along with "Eye in the Sky") will be also used as the entrance song to the Chicago Cubs starting in the 2017 season.
In other media
"Eye In The Sky" is heard on the 2002/2003 video game compilation Activision Anthology on the virtual tape deck in the main menu.
Cover versions
Critics in Europe and North America have pointed to similarities between the melody of Lady Antebellum's 2010 single "Need You Now" and Eye in the Sky.