"Eye in the Sky" is a song by British

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

band

the Alan Parsons Project The Alan Parsons Project was a British rock band active between 1975 and 1990, whose core membership consisted of producer, audio engineer, musician and composer Alan Parsons and singer, songwriter and pianist Eric Woolfson. They were accompan ...

, released as a single from their sixth studio album, '' Eye in the Sky'' (1982), in August 1982. It hit No. 3 on the ''Billboard'' charts in the U.S. in October 1982, No. 1 in both Canada and Spain, and No. 6 in New Zealand, it was their most successful release. The instrumental piece entitled "

Sirius Sirius is the brightest star in the night sky. Its name is derived from the Greek word , or , meaning 'glowing' or 'scorching'. The star is designated α Canis Majoris, Latinized to Alpha Canis Majoris, and abbreviated Alpha CM ...

" segues into "Eye in the Sky" on the original recording. In 2019,

Alan Parsons Alan Parsons (born 20 December 1948) is an English audio engineer, songwriter, musician and record producer. Parsons was involved with the production of several notable albums, including the Beatles' ''Abbey Road'' (1969) and '' Let It Be'' ...

recorded a version in

Catalan Catalan may refer to: Catalonia From, or related to Catalonia: * Catalan language, a Romance language * Catalans, an ethnic group formed by the people from, or with origins in, Northern or southern Catalonia Places * 13178 Catalan, asteroid #1 ...

, 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 "

" 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 Album-oriented rock (AOR, originally called album-oriented radio) is an FM radio format created in the United States in the 1970s that focuses on the full repertoire of rock albums and is currently associated with classic rock. Album-orien ...

and

classic rock Classic rock is a US radio format which developed from the album-oriented rock (AOR) format in the early 1980s. In the United States, the classic rock format comprises rock music ranging generally from the mid-1960s through the mid 1990s, prima ...

stations now almost always include the "Sirius" intro.

Personnel

–

Fairlight CMI The Fairlight CMI (short for Computer Musical Instrument) is a digital synthesizer, sampler, and digital audio workstation introduced in 1979 by Fairlight. — with links to some Fairlight history and photos It was based on a commercial lic ...

, production,

engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who invent, design, analyze, build and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while considering the limit ...

ing, composer *

Eric Woolfson Eric Norman Woolfson (18 March 1945 – 2 December 2009) was a Scottish songwriter, lyricist, vocalist, executive producer, pianist, and co-creator of The Alan Parsons Project. Together with Parsons they sold over 50 million albums worldwide. ...

–

Wurlitzer electric piano The Wurlitzer electronic piano is an electric piano manufactured and marketed by Wurlitzer from the mid-1950s to mid-1980s. Sound is generated by striking a metal reed with a hammer, which induces an electric current in a pickup. It is concept ...

, vocals, composer,

lyrics Lyrics are words that make up a song, usually consisting of verses and choruses. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist. The words to an extended musical composition such as an opera are, however, usually known as a " libretto" and their writer, ...

Ian Bairnson Ian Bairnson (born 3 August 1953 as ''John Bairnson'') is a Scottish musician, best known for being one of the core members of The Alan Parsons Project. He is a multi-instrumentalist, who has played saxophone and keyboards, although he is best ...

– acoustic and

electric guitar An electric guitar is a guitar that requires external amplification in order to be heard at typical performance volumes, unlike a standard acoustic guitar (however combinations of the two - a semi-acoustic guitar and an electric acoustic gu ...

s *

David Paton David Paton (; born 29 October 1949) is a Scottish bassist, guitarist and singer. He first achieved success in the mid-1970s as lead vocalist and bassist of Pilot, who scored hits with " Magic", "January", "Just a Smile" and "Call Me Round" b ...

– bass * Stuart Elliott – drums *

Chris Rainbow Christopher James Harley, known by the stage name Chris Rainbow (18 November 1946 – 22 February 2015), was a Scottish pop rock singer and musician whose songs "Give Me What I Cry For" and "Solid State Brain" were often played by British radio ...

–

backing vocals A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are ...

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Cover versions

* Israeli artist Noa covered this song on her 2002 album, ''Now''. *

Folk rock Folk rock is a hybrid music genre that combines the elements of folk and rock music, which arose in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom in the mid-1960s. In the U.S., folk rock emerged from the folk music revival. Performers s ...

artist

Jonatha Brooke Jonatha Brooke (born January 23, 1964) is an American folk rock singer-songwriter and guitarist from Massachusetts, United States. Her music merges elements of folk, rock and pop, often with poignant lyrics and complex harmonies. She has been a ...

covered this song on her 2004 album, ''

Back in the Circus ''Back in the Circus'' (2004) is the fourth studio album released by Jonatha Brooke. The track "Less Than Love is Nothing", written with Eric Bazilian, is the first co-written song Brooke has included on a solo album. Additionally, this is her f ...

''. * The

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the list of cities in Oregon, largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, Columbia rivers, Portland is ...

band

Viva Voce ''Viva voce'' is a Latin phrase literally meaning "with living voice" but most often translated as "by word of mouth." It may refer to: *Word of mouth *A voice vote in a deliberative assembly *An oral exam **Thesis defence, in academia *Spoken evi ...

recorded the song in 2007 as part of a compilation album called '' Bridging the Distance'', made to benefi
p:ear
a local program designed to assist homeless and transitional youth. *

Gary War Greg Dalton, also known by the moniker Gary War, is an American musician whose recordings combine elements of psychedelia, garage rock, synth-pop, and shoegaze. He is a former member of Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti and has released three albu ...

covered the song on his 2008 album ''New Raytheonport''. * Rapper

Immortal Technique Felipe Andres Coronel (born February 19, 1978), better known by the stage name Immortal Technique, is an American rapper. Most of his lyrics focus on controversial issues in global politics, from a radical left-wing perspective. Immortal Techn ...

sampled the song on his 2011 album, '' The Martyr''. * Synthpop artist

Parralox Parralox is an Australian synthpop band formed by John von Ahlen in 2008. Originally featuring lead vocalist Rowena "Roxy" Martin and producer, songwriter John von Ahlen of dance act Nova; the band has undergone a number of line-up changes, m ...

released a cover of this song as a single in 2013. * An instrumental cover of the song was released on jazz guitarist

Gilad Hekselman Gilad Hekselman ( he, גלעד הקסלמן; born 1983) is an Israeli-born, NYC-based jazz guitarist. He has performed with Anat Cohen, Mark Turner (musician), Mark Turner, Dayna Stephens, Aaron Parks, Jeff Ballard (musician), Jeff Ballard, Joh ...

's 2013 album ''This Just In''. *

Asia featuring John Payne Asia featuring John Payne is a British–American rock group band formed in 2007 following a schism in the lineup of Asia. The band is a continuation of singer and bassist John Payne's career as the band's frontman, which lasted from 1991 unt ...

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 Electronic music is a genre of music that employs electronic musical instruments, digital instruments, or circuitry-based music technology in its creation. It includes both music made using electronic and electromechanical means ( electroa ...

group

The Avalanches The Avalanches are an Australian electronic music group formed in Melbourne in 1997. They are known for their studio albums '' Since I Left You'' (2000), ''Wildflower'' (2016), and '' We Will Always Love You'' (2020), as well as their live and ...

sampled "Eye in the Sky" in their 2020 single " Interstellar Love" featuring American soul singer

Leon Bridges Todd Michael "Leon" Bridges (born July 13, 1989) is an American soul singer, songwriter and record producer. He is best known for his 2015 song " Coming Home", which received regular airplay and was also a Top 10 Most Viral Track on Spotify. Brid ...

. Critics in Europe and North America have pointed to similarities between the melody of the choruses of

Lady A Lady A (formerly known as Lady Antebellum) is an American country music group formed in Nashville, Tennessee, in 2006. The group is composed of Hillary Scott (lead and background vocals), Charles Kelley (lead and background vocals, guitar), ...

's 2010 single " Need You Now" and "Eye in the Sky".

References

External links

Lyrics of this song

Songfacts - Eye in the Sky by The Alan Parsons Project
* {{authority control 1982 songs 1982 singles The Alan Parsons Project songs RPM Top Singles number-one singles Number-one singles in Spain Songs written by Eric Woolfson Arista Records singles Songs written by Alan Parsons Song recordings produced by Alan Parsons Rock ballads 1980s ballads