1982 Rock Anthem Everyone Knows Was Created by a Music Legend Few Can Name
Right now, one of the most recognizable pieces of music in sports is echoing through FIFA World Cup stadiums across North America. And even though millions of fans know it by its first notes, few can actually name the rock legends who created it.
"It has never ceased to amaze me how much use that one tune gets," the co-writer once said, via Classic Rock. "We get requests for commercials, movies, and it's become a sports anthem. It's just incredible."
That unforgettable prog anthem is "Sirius," a two-minute piece of instrumental genius. And the maker of that anthem is The Alan Parsons Project, the studio collaboration between pianist Eric Woolfson and legendary English audio engineer and producer Alan Parsons, who previously worked with The Beatles on Abbey Road and Pink Floyd on The Dark Side of the Moon.
Designated the official pitch-taking music for the players competing in the global fútbol tournament, "Sirius" is getting a ton of play lately. But its popularity is nothing new.
The song has a long history in sports, beginning in 1984 when the Chicago Bulls used the it as a pregame hype track, then to soundtrack introductions of the starting lineup, helping turn it into one of the most recognizable pieces of music in athletics.
"It's a bit of a frustration that people hear the music and say that's the Bulls theme," Parsons told ESPN, via Classic Rock. "I wish they did know it was The Alan Parsons Project. But they don't."
While recording Eye in the Sky, Parsons and Woolfson composed the piece using a Fairlight CMI digital synthesizer and workstation. A cinematic, tension-building prog-rock cut, it features an iconic, echoing keyboard loop that bleeds into a soaring electric guitar solo.
According to Classic Rock, the band was keeping with its tradition of kicking off albums with an instrumental introduction, and this one was designed specifically to segue into the title track.
They could never have known the song would become what Far Outcalls an "eternal sporting anthem." But here we are. Professional wrestler Ricky Steamboat used the track as his entrance theme, the Nebraska Cornhuskers rock it during their tunnel walk, and every athlete at the FIFA World Cup revels in it before every game.
"Sirius" was named after the brightest star in the Canis Major constellation-a fitting title for a song that, more than four decades later, still shines over the biggest names in sports.
Related: 1971 Ballad, the Decade's Most-Covered Song, Became a Cross-Generational Anthem
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This story was originally published July 4, 2026 at 7:09 PM.