Writers: Jim Peterik and Frankie Sullivan
Original Release: August 1, 1984
Band: Survivor
Album: Vital Signs
"I Can't Hold Back" is Survivor's best song. Oh yes, I hear you gasping in astonishment. "Eye of the Tiger" is a classic of its era, surely the song that will carry the band's legacy from now to the end of time, right? Yes, probably. But it's not their best.
A couple especially clever songwriting moments in "I Can't Hold Back":
- The pre-chorus, as Peterik himself describes it. Comes up first at 1:12 in the video.
- The bridge folding back into the pre-chorus at 2:19. Throughout the song, the melody has a Steve Winwood-esque wrap-around feel to it. That 2:19 point is where I feel it most strongly.
Want to hear all of the songs I have featured in a convenient playlist?
Enjoy: A Window Above
What are you listening to these days?
This song brought me right back. Amazing that I feel like I haven't heard it in at least a few years- but every lyric came right back. The video is also interesting- lol- so the time period. :) Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDelete~Jess
It's not one you hear often. Funny how some songs disappear.
Delete"Eye of the Tiger" was never one of my favorite Survivor songs, which is not to say I don't like it, but movie theme songs never really do it for me on some level.
ReplyDeleteThis one, though, is.
"Eye of the Tiger" has one of the greatest hooks ever, there's no denying it. But this song, to me, has more depth overall.
DeleteThe 80s are seen in this video! I remember this song but it doesn’t have memories that some songs had. Maybe it was the year as 84 wasn’t one of my best on a personal side (although I excelled professionally that year).
ReplyDeletewww.thepulpitandthepen.com
Oddly enough, one of my strongest associations is with a college basketball montage from back in the day: the '85 Big East Conference Final. I looked for a YouTube video but couldn't find it.
DeleteOh, that album. The whole thing brings back memories. For my 2 cents, I'd probably say "High on You" is the archetypical non-movie-soundtrack Survivor song, but this one is pretty great, too.
ReplyDeleteWorthy candidate - not quite as clever as this one, I don't think, but it's a catchy tune.
DeleteWow, sounds good!
ReplyDeleteHappy to share it.
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