What Are Survivor’s 5 Biggest U.S. Hits?

Survivor picked a pretty apropos band name. For one, the songs these guys recorded often had to do with the theme of resilience, with protagonists pushed to the edge but refusing to be defeated. (Their association with a certain pugilistic movie franchise had something to do with this.)

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The band also survived a few key personnel changes over the years (including at lead singer) to put together a quite successful run on the charts. Here are the five biggest pop hits by Survivor.

5. “Is This Love” (No. 9 in 1986)

The second half of the ‘80s proved to be a tricky bit of business for many of the rock bands who thrived in the first half. Sadly, it was no different for Survivor. Hair metal ushered some of them out, especially when the newer groups figured out how to pull off power ballads, one of Survivor’s strengths. As such, “Is This Love,” an unassuming mid-tempo tune propelled by vocalist Jimi Jamison hitting the higher reaches of his register in the refrain, proved to be a last gasp on the charts for them. They’d never have another Top-40 single after it.

4. “High on You” (No. 8 in 1985)

Although they had one album that did better on the LP charts, Vital Signs, released in 1985, was in many ways the most successful Survivor album. They ruled the pop-rock crossover realm in ’85 with three singles hitting the Top 15. “I Can’t Hold Back” started the onslaught, to be followed by “High on You.” The songwriting team of Jim Peterik and Frankie Sullivan found an absolute groove by giving tracks like this just enough heft (Sullivan’s lead guitar helps here), while delivering lyrics that leaned to the romantic side of things.

3. “The Search Is Over” (No. 4 in 1985)

Survivor didn’t miss their shot at power-ballad glory, delivering one of the most affecting ones of the era with “The Search Is Over.” The lyrics tell a story that gets to you. It almost plays out like a movie as we follow this guy through all his false starts in his quest for love. When he finally understands the solution was within his grasp all along, his bliss is well-earned. Jim Peterik carries the weight on the musical side with his keyboard work, while Jimi Jamison sings the stuffing out of the thing.

2. “Burning Heart” (No. 2 in 1985)

The timing couldn’t have been better for Survivor to return to the Rocky franchise. Vital Signs had proven to be a commercial rejuvenation for them, and Sylvester Stallone needed the muscular groove these guys had conjured once before for the ultimate training montage. Jim Peterik and Frankie Sullivan included lyrics hinting at the plot of Rocky IV, with lines about East versus West and the like. But all you really need is the churning rhythm and the rafter-rattling chorus to understand why this one was catnip for listeners, both on the radio and in theaters.

1. “Eye of the Tiger” (No. 1 in 1982)

Would the trajectory of Survivor’s career have been the same if Sylvester Stallone had been granted permission to use “Another One Bites the Dust” for the opening montage of Rocky III? Quite possibly. What matters is they rose to the occasion when Stallone, who’d been impressed by the moody intensity of some of their earlier work, contacted the then-relatively unknown band for the assignment. Jim Peterik and Frankie Sullivan famously timed the opening chords to Stallone’s punches, and the rest is pump-up music history.

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