Electric Eye (song)
"Electric Eye" is a song by British heavy metal band Judas Priest, from their 1982 album Screaming for Vengeance, and released as a single later that year. It has become a staple at concerts, usually played as the first song. AllMusic critic Steve Huey called the song a classic.[1]
| "Electric Eye" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Judas Priest | ||||
| from the album Screaming for Vengeance | ||||
| Released | 1982 | |||
| Format | 7", cassette | |||
| Recorded | 1982 | |||
| Genre | Heavy metal | |||
| Length | 3:39 | |||
| Label | Columbia | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Rob Halford K. K. Downing Glenn Tipton | |||
| Producer(s) | Tom Allom | |||
| Judas Priest singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Benediction and Helloween, amongst many other bands, have covered this song.
Background
Musically, the song is in the key of E minor, and its guitar solo is played by Glenn Tipton.
"Electric Eye" is an allusion to the book Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell, in the use of the name of the pseudo-omniscient satellite that watches over the community at all times. In this dystopia, the form of government, Ingsoc (Newspeak for English Socialism), is utterly totalitarian, and if citizens are caught rebelling in any manner, they "disappear". The song has been called "prescient" for its depiction of a modern surveillance state.[2]
During live concerts, the song is usually played right after the album's intro "The Hellion". An exception is during the tour for the album Demolition, in which the band went straight into "Electric Eye" with no intro, which can be heard on their live album Live in London. "The Hellion" was also used for a commercial for the 2011 Honda Odyssey.
Covers and other uses
Helloween included a version of this song in the album The Time Of The Oath (1996).
"Electric Eye" is featured in the 2006 video game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories on the fictional in-game radio station "V-Rock". It is also a playable track in Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s as a master track, including "The Hellion", and it also appears on Guitar Hero Smash Hits. Additionally, it is available for download on Rock Band, as of 22 April 2009, as part of the entire Screaming for Vengeance album download, or as a single song. It was also featured in the second trailer for the video game Brütal Legend. [3]
This song is referenced in the movie Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny, in the song "Break in-City (Storm the Gate!)".
The song was played live at the 2011 Revolver Magazine Golden God Awards show by Duff McKagan's Loaded, with vocals by Slipknot and Stone Sour's Corey Taylor and guitar by Sex Pistols' Steve Jones.
"Electric Eye" was covered by the metalcore band As I Lay Dying from the compilation Decas, and was released as a single. The band made a music video for the song and was first available to stream via Noisecreep on 3 October 2011.
The song was also covered in 2014 by Lissie and released on an EP album "Cryin' to You" and performs the songs on tour.
Professional wrestler Aja Kong uses the song with "The Hellion" as her entrance music.
Personnel
- Rob Halford – vocals
- Glenn Tipton – lead guitar
- K. K. Downing – rhythm guitar
- Ian Hill – bass
- Dave Holland – drums
References
- https://www.allmusic.com/album/screaming-for-vengeance-mw0000194426
- Kinsella, Stephen (2011-01-15) Judas Priest on the Surveillance State Archived 8 February 2011 at the Wayback Machine, LewRockwell.com
- Archived 16 December 2008 at the Wayback Machine
