Behind The Song:
Burning Heart

How do you top a movie hit like “Eye Of The Tiger”, the song that catapulted my band Survivor to the top of the charts? Propelled by Rocky III and promoted worldwide, it was a question Frankie and I were asking ourselves when we got the word from Sylvester Stallone a few years later that he wanted us to come up with another smash title track- this time for his follow-up movie, Rocky lV.

Suvivor was on the road with R.E.O. Speedwagon when our management company put Stallone in touch with Frankie. Stallone was open to us doing more than one song for the movie- different songs for different scenes- contrasting moods for different sections. I remember that I couldn’t wait untill we got the script which was being fed-exed to our next stop on the tour. As soon as the delivery came, I remember taking my copy to the pool of our hotel and reading the whole thing in one sitting. I had my notebook open, scribbling down ideas, impressions, catch phrases and concepts as I read. The story had the added dimension of international intrigue with Rocky being pitted against a giant Russian boxer. I soon realized that this battle was about more than just two fighters in a ring, but about the whole struggle between the ideologies of two rival nations. That became my focus as the lyric took shape. Rocky, once again, had to prove to himself and to the world that he had what it took to be champion. I remember pulling the phrase, “It’s you against you” from the dialogue for use in the song. The first line of the song tells the story. “Two worlds collide, rival nations, it’s a primitive clash, venting years of frustration”. Over the next few days we would have the road crew set up our portable Wurlitzer electric piano, an amp and guitar in a separate hotel room so we could work during the day. As usual the music appeared simultaneously with the snippets of lyrics I was coming up with. At the same time we were working up a ballad for the movie as well. That song would become “Man Against The World” (this song did not make the movie for some reason but became a standout cut and second single from our next studio album, “When Seconds Count”). A few cities down the road we had about 80 percent of the song done. Our working title was “The Unmistakable Fire”.

We stayed in touch with the film’s music supervisor- a talented guy named Robin Garr. He met with us at Rhumbo Recorders in Los Angeles while we were in town. He liked what we played for him but wasn’t sure we had the titled nailed. One day I got a call from Frankie in my hotel room, “I talked to Robin- Stallone said with all the great lyrics in this song we’ve got to come up with a better title hook. Here’s the new title- “Burning Heart.” I liked it immediately. Whereas the current version started the chorus with “In the human heart, just about to burst, there’s a quest for answers, an unquenchable thirst,” it now substituted the phrase, “In the Burning Heart.” Aside from the reference to heartburn I thought it was a great hook. In this scenario the phrase “the unmistakable fire” became merely a secondary hook at the end of the chorus.

When we got back to Chicago we booked time at Jor-Dan studios in the little Christian enclave of Wheaton, Illinois. We had heard many good things about this facility and when we walked in we were impressed by their professional staff, Neve console, room acoustics and great coffee. We rounded up the band the next week and worked up the song and arrangement in the studio and cut the track all in one afternoon. It came pretty easily with Marc Droubay’s big Grestch drum kit sounding amazing with the sounds we got with engineer Phil Bonanno. We laid down Jimi’s vocal the next week at Chicago Recording Company with my old Ides Of March alumni Larry Millas at the board.
When we had it mixed, we sent it off to Stallone and the movie supervisor. Soon the verdict came back- close but no cigar. We were summoned back to Los Angeles to meet with Stallone in person.

As Frankie and I entered security on the movie lot I was wondering just what Stallone would be like. Due to a bout of pneumonia in ’82 I never got to meet him during Rocky III with Frankie handling the movie synch supervision etc. When we walked into his office he put my mind totally at ease. With a down to earth, almost self deprecating sense of humor, he told us that the hook still need some more impact to really make a statement and set it apart from the rest of the song. I immediately suggested some kind of explosive sound after the words “In the Burning Heart”. He liked the idea. He also wanted the hook repeated at the end of the first chorus. End of meeting. It is certainly a “brush with greatness”- I will never forget- his sense of calm and command was incredible.

We booked time at Rhumbo Recorders and went searching for some keyboard sound effects guru to create our explosion for the song. After a few failed attempts to book studio “first call” session players I summoned my old pal from The Ides Of March Dave Arellano who had relocated to L.A. Since Dave is blind, I picked he and his reams of keyboard equipment up in my rented car and brought him across town to the studio. After much experimentation we found the perfect sound and added it after every “In The Burning Heart”. I believe on that same day Frankie added his classic lead work over the track. After the song was mixed and sent the verdict came back. “You got it right!”

Did we beat the prototype of Eye Of The Tiger- it’s hard to beat that one! But with the bar raised that high I believe we were inspired to create something that would last. Rising to number 2 on the Billboard charts this song became our second signature in the Rocky legacy. Today when this song comes on the radio or I see the movie on television, all the memories and dedication we had to our craft floods back in high relief- we took our jobs very seriously. It wasn’t just rock and roll- it was life or death and in our hearts truly burned “the unmistakable fire.”

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