Eye in the Sky (song)
| "Eye in the Sky" | ||||
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| Single by the Alan Parsons Project | ||||
| from the album Eye in the Sky | ||||
| B-side |
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| Released | May 1982 | |||
| Recorded | Late 1981 | |||
| Studio | Abbey Road, London | |||
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| Label | Arista | |||
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| The Alan Parsons Project singles chronology | ||||
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"Eye in the Sky" is a song by British rock band the Alan Parsons Project, released as a single from their sixth studio album, Eye in the Sky (1982), in May 1982. It entered the US Billboard charts on 3 July and hit No. 3 in October 1982, No. 1 in both Canada and Spain, and No. 6 in New Zealand, becoming their most successful release. The instrumental piece entitled "Sirius" segues into "Eye in the Sky" on the original recording.
In 2019, Alan Parsons recorded a version in Catalan, under the title "Seré els teus ulls al camí" ("I'll be your eyes on the road"), for the CD edited by La Marató de TV3, a telethon devoted to raising funds for the research of incurable diseases.
Overview
On the original recording, the 1:54 minute instrumental piece entitled "Sirius" immediately precedes, and segues into, "Eye in the Sky". On the single release, "Eye in the Sky" appears on its own, with "Sirius" edited out; that was the version usually played on pop radio at the time. However, album-oriented rock and classic rock stations now almost always include the "Sirius" intro.
Personnel
- Alan Parsons – Fairlight CMI, production, engineering, composer
- Eric Woolfson – Wurlitzer electric piano, vocals, composer, lyrics
- Ian Bairnson – acoustic and electric guitars
- David Paton – bass
- Stuart Elliott – drums
- Chris Rainbow – backing vocals
Charts
Weekly charts
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Year-end charts
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Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Canada (Music Canada) | Gold | 50,000^ |
| Italy (FIMI) | Gold | 25,000‡ |
| Spain (PROMUSICAE) | Gold | 25,000^ |
| United States (RIAA) | Gold | 500,000‡ |
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^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
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Cover versions
- Israeli artist Noa covered this song on her 2002 album, Now.
- Folk rock artist Jonatha Brooke covered this song on her 2004 album, Back in the Circus.
- The Portland, Oregon band Viva Voce recorded the song in 2007 as part of a compilation album called Bridging the Distance, made to benefit p:ear, a local program designed to assist homeless and transitional youth.
- Gary War covered the song on his 2008 album New Raytheonport.
- Rapper Immortal Technique sampled the song on his 2011 album, The Martyr.
- Synthpop artist Parralox released a cover of this song as a single in 2013.
- An instrumental cover of the song was released on jazz guitarist Gilad Hekselman's 2013 album This Just In.
- Asia featuring John Payne released a cover of this song on their album Recollections: A Tribute to British Prog in 2014.
- American band Awolnation released a cover of this song on their album My Echo, My Shadow, My Covers & Me in 2022. It featured American musician Beck.
- Australian electronic music group The Avalanches sampled "Eye in the Sky" in their 2020 single "Interstellar Love" featuring American soul singer Leon Bridges.
Critics in Europe and North America have pointed to similarities between the melody of the choruses of Lady A's 2010 single "Need You Now" and "Eye in the Sky".