Alan Parsons Project “Eye in the Sky” charted

Eye in the Sky Alan Parsons Project

Writer(s): Alan Parsons, Eric Woolfson (see lyrics here) Released: June 1982 First Charted: July 3, 1982 Peak: 3 US, 3 CB, 3 GR, 2 RR, 3 AC, 11 AR, 11 CN, 22 AU, 1 DF (Click for codes to singles charts.) Sales (in millions): 0.5 US Airplay/Streaming (in millions): 2.0 radio, 143.9 video, 137.76 streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: Alan Parsons got his career started in the late ‘60s and early ‘70s on the production side on such classic albums as the Beatles’ Abbey Road and Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon. In 1975, he formed the Alan Parsons Project with Eric Woolfson as co-songwriter and primary vocalist with a mix of other players from album to album. The group built a loyal platinum base with their first five semi-conceptual albums. Their progressive-rock-lite sound was embraced by album rock stations with future radio staples such as “Damned if I Do” and “Games People Play,” songs which also found audiences at top-40 radio. However, it wasn’t until their sixth album, Eye in the Sky and its title cut, that the group found its biggest audience. The song reached #3 on the Billboard Hot 100, giving the Alan Parsons Project their only top-10 hit, while the album reached #7, giving them their second top-10 album after 1977’s I, Robot. The term “eye in the sky” might suggest the “Big Brother is always watching you” idea from George Orwell’s dystopian classic 1984 but there are no lyrical references to the book in the song and the official website doesn’t mention any connection. Parsons has said, however, that the album did play with the idea that “there’s always a camera watching you, there’s always a helicopter in the sky overseeing you, and you can read a line of small newspaper print from space.” SF It can also be viewed as a reference to the ceiling cameras in casinos. SF On the album, the instrumental track “Sirius” leads into “Eye in the Sky.” Initially, radio stations would only play “Eye in the Sky,” but the two songs have often been played together on more album-rock-oriented formats. The song “Sirius” gained distinction on its own as the soundtrack for the Chicago Bulls in their Michael Jordan championship era. Resources: DMDB Encyclopedia entry for Alan Parsons DMDB Encyclopedia entry for Eric Woolfson SF Songfacts WK Wikipedia Related Links: First posted 7/6/2022; last updated 12/6/2022.