44 Years Later, This Iconic ’80s Film Anthem Still Gives Us Chills — and It Almost Sounded Completely Different

Sylvester Stallone originally wanted Queen’s “Another One Bites the Dust” to accompany Rocky Balboa’s training sequence in Rocky III, but he could not secure the publishing rights. Unable to use the Queen hit, Stallone turned to Survivor, then a little-known Chicago rock band without a No. 1 single, and asked them for a song with the same hard-edged energy.

Jim Peterik, Survivor’s co-founder and guitarist, later recalled receiving a voicemail from Stallone that he initially assumed was a prank. When he called back, Stallone answered and explained that he had heard Survivor tracks such as “Poor Man’s Son” and “Take You On A Saturday” from the Premonition album and wanted that same “street” sound for the film. Stallone also sent the band a copy of the movie, which Peterik and Frankie Sullivan watched together.

The pair were surprised to hear that “Another One Bites the Dust” had already been edited into the scenes they were being asked to score. When Peterik asked why Stallone simply didn’t keep the Queen song, Stallone said he had been unable to get the rights. Peterik later joked that at that moment, he thought, “Thank You, Queen!”

Survivor’s replacement song, “Eye of the Tiger,” became a defining hit and turned the band into a mainstream success. The track spent 15 weeks in the Top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100, including six weeks at No. 1. It also won the Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal and received an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song. The song became inseparable from Rocky III and remains one of the most recognizable sports and training anthems in popular culture.

The story also has a lasting physical relic. In 1982, Queen guitarist Brian May attended a Survivor concert and brought up the long-rumored connection. Frankie Sullivan confirmed that the film copy they had received did indeed contain “Another One Bites the Dust.” May then said he had offered to send a copy of the tape, which he still owns. That tape remains in existence today, preserving a little-known piece of music and film history tied to one of the most famous movie montages ever made.