Rocky III was a film filled with emotions, adrenaline, and a lot of action that was perfectly encapsulated into one film, which required a song of the same caliber to match its tone as the main track. Thus, the choice of Sylvester Stallone to go with Survivor’s Eye of the Tiger as the main anthem for the film is regarded by many as a masterstroke on his part.
The song was the perfect representation of every single aspect of the film, which in turn, translated to the entire Rocky franchise later on, making the band behind the song famous. But before Survivor was even in the picture, Stallone had the idea to use Another One Bites The Dust by Queen as the film’s main theme song, which would’ve proven to be a disaster.
Sylvester Stallone Wanted Another One Bites The Dust By Queen As The Main Theme Of Rocky III
As they say, audio is the other half of a cinema, and along with sounds and voices, the impact that a well-executed song can have on the entire narrative of a film is something extraordinary. One of the finest examples of this has to be the influence of Eye of the Tiger in the narration of Rocky III as they both later became synonymous with each other.
But this wasn’t the original choice for Sylvester Stallone as the theme for the film, it was actually another evergreen song by another iconic band.
You may also like: “The Best Action Film I’ve Ever Done”: Rocky 1 Isn’t the Movie Sylvester Stallone Is Most Proud Of
The first choice in the Rambo star’s list was none other than Another One Bites The Dust by Queen, which is still regarded as one of the greatest songs of all time. The problem with this particular track being the title theme of the third film of the Rocky series was that this wasn’t the overarching motivational pump that Survivor’s song was.
Instead of the ’80s hard rock, Queen’s song had smooth-sailing vocals by Freddy Mercury and complimenting instrumental music by his bandmates, which made it more of a groovy track. In contrast, Eye of the Tiger was a hard-hitting song with the right amount of punch and edge that is required of a warrior who is fighting for his honor, perfectly what the film depicted through its story.
While the band was not against their song being used in the film, the unavailability of the track for the film stemmed from the failed negotiations by the producers to get the rights for it. Both parties were unable to reach a middle ground to license the song’s use, which led to the creation of the perfect song for the film by Survivor.
You may also like: “I was almost set up in the eyes of the media to make a flop”: Sylvester Stallone Talks How Media Hoped He’d Fail after Rocky
How Eye Of The Tiger Became Such An Icon?
Queen is known for being very particular when it comes to using their songs in films and other forms of pop culture, and Rocky III was no exception.
You may also like: “I abused power badly”: Sylvester Stallone Was Ashamed of Himself After Rocky That Put Him on Hollywood’s A-List After Years of Struggle
Thus, the title theme for the film had to be created from scratch, which meant that Survivor had to truly understand Stallone’s wish for the film and his on-screen character, which helped them tailor the tone of their song to his demands. Seeing as it was all about protecting and furthering his title as champion in the film, Eye of the Tiger perfectly built upon the premise with impactful Rock and Roll that both complimented and elevated the narrative.
Rocky III, streaming on Max.
