After 6 Weeks at #1, Lost Their Singer..2 Years Later Rookie Returned Them To #1 | Professor Of Rock

[@ProfessorofRock]

Poll: Who is your pick for the most underrated singer of the 80s?

[@RBS_]

...PETER COX of GO WEST!! ...bar NONE! ....still blows, and has THE 'voice' I'd have, if I ever became a Singer....STILL.....

[@catherine6653]

Andy Bell, Erasure.

[@killrmillr]

Michael Kiske of Helloween. Best metal singer of his generation.

[@SpicyJohn69]

Alison Moyet

[@Benny_Sims]

Brad Delp of Boston. Yes, he was mainly in the 70s, but he continued as their lead singer well into the 80s.

[@jenniferdillow8577]

Jimi Jamison was ,is amazing! I was fortunate enough to see them live in Philadelphia in 1985. I went to see REO Speedwagon. Survivor opened for them. The moment Jimi opened his mouth to sing, that was it.I couldn't take my eyes off of him. He was electric and had it all. When they finished, I didn't even care about staying for REO. I'm 57 now, and nothing has changed .I still love Jimi. He is absolutely without a doubt. In my opinion, the best male vocalist ever. I think he will always be .

[@CoachTabe]

Jim Peterik is a treasure. Massive success with a ton of different people but super humble. Such a positive energy and great storyteller. His book is terrific, too.

[@Alliss616]

JIMI JAMISON was ONE IN A MILLION and we will never hear a VOICE as BEAUTIFUL as his ever again. I can’t imagine all those Amazing Survivor songs with anyone else. He was a Beautiful SOUL and his Voice was GOLDEN. ♥️✨SWEET JIMI✨♥️

[@LuciaSpelle]

How curious that I follow a Facebook group dedicated to Jimi and the group is called one in a billion, almost like you said, 🙂

[@kevinpaige5746]

I played with Jimi many times here in Memphis. (where he 's from and lived) Everyone here in the Memphis music community loved Jimi! Such a nice guy. Sad he's gone. Thanks for spotlighting him and Survivor.

[@cheryldyer554]

Wonderful interview. I love Jimi Jamison's voice from Target to Cobra to Survivor and on and on. What an absolutely unforgettable and fantastic singer. Jim Peterik is also an unbelievably songwriter/musician/producer. Can't wait for the new Jimmy Wayne Jamison Rock/country CD coming out August 2024; recorded 2008. Again written and produced, Jim Peterik. They were fantastic musical partners. Jimi is so missed by many fans and me. 💕

[@bradbo3]

Jimi was such a nice guy. We were at an outdoor concert and it was 3-4 hrs before the show. Jimi came up to me and my buddy and struck up a conversation. He was in shorts and flip flops, He had a cup of coffee and a cigarette….never knew he was that short…but he was such a nice guy. Down to earth and just a normal guy. We talked for about a half hour…not about music…but the weather, the river, the Buffalo Bills and life. He invited us back to hang out with the band after the show. Met the whole band and closed down the bar that night. Still one of the best concerts and good times ive ever had.

[@BarbaraE-zh7ey]

What a great story. Check out Firefest 2010 concert he did. Best concert ever

[@MrPhilm00r]

I was never a fan of Survivor until Vital Signs. Eye of the Tiger is a decent song IMO, but I really fell in love with I Can't Hold Back and High On You the moment that I heard them. The Search Is Over was the icing on the cake, so to speak. Jimi Jamison really felt and sounded like he belongs in the band.

[@ProfessorofRock]

The band got better with Jimi Truth.

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

I love both eras of Survivor, but the Jimi era ROCKED!

[@expfighter5112]

My EX-wife and i went to a Chicago concert in Dallas in the late 90's in Aug, we had front row tickets just a few seats right of center stage. We got there about an hour early to get a good parking spot. We fiddled around a bit and went back to our seats and was just waiting, when there was some movement on stage for about 5 minutes. then without any kind of fanfare or announcement these guys come out to the stage with their guitars and equipment and within a minute started singing, and the first song they sang was "I Can't hold back" and i yelled "THAT's Survivor", and then the crowd started sprinting into the outdoor concert venue at fair park, the Coca-Cola Starplex. Survivor was sweating like maniacs and rocking for over an hour and the crowd was loving it. Then Chicago came on and i have to say Survivor was MUCH better than Chicago. i Remember that night because they never got introduced or anything and Jimmy just KILLED IT! Thank You Survivor!

[@johnblossom8447]

In the late 90s I was working as an area supervisor for a chain of restaurants. We were opening a new location and we were conducting interviews. I interviewed a young man, he was 16 years old, and he was really impressing me with the answers he gave, especially at his age. We interviewed a lot of people that day and when the interviews were done, this young man was still there, even though his interview was over about two hours before. I approached him and asked if he had any questions. He said he was just waiting for his mom to get off work so she could pick him up. We had turned on some music as we were cleaning up and Survivor’s “I Can’t Hold Back” came on. The young man was quietly singing along as he waited for his ride. I asked him how he knew the song since he was barely born when it came out. He said he was a big Survivor fan. He was the youngest child, by a lot. He had two older sisters, both over ten years older than he was. He said he would listen to music with his sisters when he was little. I sat and talked to him about music for almost another hour until his ride showed up. I told him as he was leaving that he was hired. He had impressed me so much, not just with his knowledge of 80s music, but he seemed very mature and grounded for his age. He wound up being a fantastic employee. He stayed with the company through high school and became a manager when he was in college. He was making pretty good money for his age, but he continued to live with his parents. About a year after he graduated college he came to me with his letter of resignation. I was sad to lose him, but I understood he didn’t want to be a restaurant manager his whole life. I asked him what his next step would be. It seems through college he had quietly been buying music equipment and forming a band. His band hadn’t played live, yet, but they had been honing their skills in his parents’ garage. He invited me to their first show and I was surprised that it was at a decent sized venue, not a tiny little dive bar. They started the show off with “Eye if The Tiger”. They had an amazing set. Over twenty years later, his band is still working and popular locally. I ran into him quite often and asked if he ever tried to get a recording contract. He said no. He was making good enough money, he was doing what he loved and he was happy. You can’t knock that.

[@lamarravery4094]

That's an awesome story.

[@Musiclover-po1tl]

Thanks for sharing!

[@joshuagibson2520]

What was his band called?

[@violetfem1808]

LOVED this story !!

[@johnblossom8447]

@@joshuagibson2520, Chatterbox.

[@steveskull]

I played a few shows with Jimi as his lead guitar player. Was a trip playing all the Survivor hits and even a ZZ Top tune as he sang backups on some of their albums AND the theme to Baywatch, co-written and sang by Jimi! A class act, it was a privilege to play with an icon such as Jimi Jamison. RIP Jimi!

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

So awesome!

[@Alliss616]

JIMI was a Beautiful Soul

[@violetfem1808]

BAYWATCH! I never watched the series while it was airing but I watched it every night while it was playing on H&I channel the past few yrs before moving to FL. early this yr. Pretty awesome for you to have been there & involved.

[@counterpuncher01]

I love Survivor with Jimi Jamison...SOOOO underrated. I love I Can't Hold Back too....so sad about Jimi....too young...too sad....love YOU professor. Great show!

[@cheryldyer8165]

Thank you for the interview. Jim Peterik is an amazing writer. I absolutely love Jimi Jamison's voice in Survivor and beyond. I really enjoy Jimi's Crossroads Moment CD, for which Jim Peterrik wrote all of the songs.❤

[@seanswinton6242]

Jimi Jamison is one of the most overlooked and often forgotten when mentioning Rock's greatest singers! "Vital Signs" and "When Seconds Count" for me are two must have albums of Survivor and the 1980's. Thanks to Ron Nevison's production they sound great! I'll never forget Survivor playing at my university's Spring Concert! They were great humble and cool guys!

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

Man, I love his voice. What a rocker! Seeing Survivor at your college sounds like a dream come true.

[@seanswinton6242]

@@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980 It was. We were lucky to get them. Many of the other planners wanted ever the Hooters or the Outfield. We first landed Jason and the Scorchers, then the Georgia Satellites, and finally got Survivor. Like the Professor, I spoke with Jim Peterik most because I liked the Idles Of March and his work with .38 Special. When finally met the rest of them, they were the best people. Jimi Jamison was as described. A cool soft spoken guy. They put on an amazing show! "When Seconds Count" is special for me in that regard. Those Jimi Jamison years of Survivor were their finest to me. Oh to go back and experience the 1980's- my concert and travel decade. When concert tickets were extremely affordable and everyone loved some of the best music ever!!

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

@@seanswinton6242 Oh my goodness, so awesome! I’d love to go back!

[@MeinGottHatDenLangsten]

Vital Signs remains one of my favorite records of all time. It's really a fantastic composition.

[@CorbCorbin]

Loved Eye of the Tiger, and maybe two other songs by them, when I was 7 years old. They just didn’t have albums that held up, as I got older. It was an ear worm, one hit wonder. I understand fans who stuck with them, or still listen, as everyone has bands from a certain era, that are underrated, don’t get enough hype, etc. The tiger growl, on this song, does make me laugh, or at least grin, every time I hear it.

[@rachelwise148]

Alright Professor, I checked out the Vitals album on youtube.....I didn't realize how much of the album I knew and loved back in the 80's. What a jewel. The leader singer, what a voice! Lyrically amazing, and the music is so good. Thanks for this highlight.

[@wallabumba]

My 14 year old heart had such a crush on Jimi Jamison--he was a good looking man, even right up until he died. He was soooo underrated. So was Survivor on the whole. But they are part of the mixtape of my youth.

[@RealHeyMark]

Vital Signs got me through 8th grade (1985) and it's still one of my favorite albums today.

[@debzimmerman633]

I absolutely agree Jimi Jamison was the whole package!!! One of the most powerful and beautiful voices and faces I have ever heard and seen!!!

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

💯

[@barbarajansen4912]

I love Jim Peterik! I met him about 8 years ago when he played at the Big E in Springfield, MA. His band was really nice too. I have a picture of him and I and he wore the same glasses! He was amazing! A truly great guy who gives rock n roll a good name!

[@BH-oq7pz]

I miss the feeling 80's songs radiate...they hit a core that has remained un-"awoke"...(made that up...)...since then...thanks , for bringing this topic back !!

[@stevegallo8483]

Jim Peterik is right. It's difficult for a band to change their lead singer/vocalist and still be successful. In addition to Survivor, Journey, Van Halen and ACDC all come to mind as some who have done it. Jimi Jamison is such an underrated and overlooked singer. He was one of the greats. RIP Jimi Jamison.

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

I know, right? AC/DC were STILL huge when Brian Johnson took over the lead. Van Hagar was extremely popular. It’s amazing! I love Jimi. What a loss.

[@ZombieRain0]

I also thought of Alice in Chains, and Black Sabbath.

[@ClayOgre]

Nightwish has changed vocalists three times, and the most recent one, Floor Jansen, is amazing. The best of the three (at least in my opinion).

[@glenerickson358]

When Lou Gramm left Foreigner, I had no interest in the bands' subsequent albums.

[@mitchweiner]

Queen has still been successful with a new lead singer!

[@duromusabc]

I love their song The Search Is Over - awesome wedding song

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

The perfect song for a wedding!

[@duromusabc]

@@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980 the lyrics sound like a wedding song

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

@@duromusabc For sure. You were with me all the while…

[@DiverBand]

It absolutely scares the hell out of me that this magical album from this fantastic band was released 40 years ago this year. My God do I feel old. This is one of the greatest melodic rock albums of all time in my honest opinion. The songs are absolutely amazing and performed to perfection. The production is phenomenal. I can’t hold back is one of my favorite songs of all time as is the vital signs album. This was my first listen to Jimi Jamison as a singer. He immediately became my second favorite singer ever only second to Elvis Presley. Wonderful memories of a magical time from my youth and this amazing band and legendary singer. Love the video. This was back when videos told the story and this is one of the best.

[@jeremyhubbard3374]

This entire album was fantastic. Even my mother got excited about it. Was the only album we could listen to in the car that she would ask me to play.

[@ProfessorofRock]

Love Vital Signs!

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

For sure. So many great songs on this record.

[@beverlyweber4122]

I was a radio disc jockey when this song came out. I fell madly in love with the entire album and would blast it as much as I could all night long while working the graveyard shift. It was in heavy rotation, a golden summer of Survivor. Love it!

[@terrycain3843]

The 80s was a special decade for music .It was a great time to be growing up.Loved Survivor everything I hear a song it takes me back to my youth.Thanks PR.

[@AnnieBoBannie421]

Jimmi Jamison was the absolute best…. I still get chills from his voice… rip 💔💔

[@joaobabler1584]

Agreed. Specially the vocals on The Search is Over

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

What a loss! The Search is Over is an incredible song.

[@donkrouskop4753]

Survivor was my favorite band all through my teenage years, and "I Can't Hold Back" was & still is my favorite Survivor song. Thank you so much for this video!

[@garycasebier7909]

Jami Jamison definitely makes my list of top 10 vocalist of my generation. Impressive range, strong voice. Love that Cobra Kai has brought back their music too

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

I haven’t watched Cobra Kai yet, but I really need to. Sounds like an awesome show. Jimi was wonderful!

[@michaelmauro9335]

Agreed 100 percent perry and Jimmie had the best voices in the 80s, both effortlessly sang great !

[@teenaguajardo4773]

Jimi Jamison was the best voice for Survivor. I couldn't pick just one song, there were too many that I loved. We lost a great talent when we lost Jimi. A Man Against the World was overlooked and underrated, in my opinion. I loved the entire Vital Signs album.

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

Professor should do a breakdown on Vital Signs!

[@EddieReischl]

"I Can't Hold Back" is a great, great song. Everything works off of a high E note. B to Bsus4 (high E) then A to A5 (high E) and then E5 and then back the way you came. Later, the Dbm has the same high E on the 2nd string 5th fret. That all keeps the song travelling, beautiful songwriting.

[@flavellinator]

Man, when Jimmi would sing, "I've been holding back the night, I've been searching for a clue from you" as the drum beat would pick up... those are goose bumps, hair raising on the arms moments...

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

It’s AMAZING! Love it!!!

[@killerchimp12]

Mickey Thomas, one of my all time favorite singers. The fact that I never knew he sang the high vocals on “I Can’t Hold Back” on one of my favorite albums ever “Vital Signs” just makes it icing on the cake for me on how great and beautiful sounding that record is.

[@darrellritchie3830]

Heard this song for the first time on a Pizza Hut jukebox on a Friday night after our high school football game. My ears perked up immediately when I heard Jimi's voice. I was so fortunate to have that album as part of the soundtrack to my senior year...a few months later I would see them open for REO Speedwagon and they were just as incredible live..

[@nman2]

Watching this episode is really special for me. Jim Peterik is from Berwyn, IL, the next town over from my own and there’s even a street called Ides of March Way in Berwyn after his former band. As for Survivor and Vital Signs, it is my mom’s favorite band and album ever and I can’t hear these songs without thinking of her. I think I still have her original cassette copy we listened to on road trips somewhere around the house. Not a skippable track to be found and most of the album cuts are good enough to be singles on any other album (Broken Promises, Popular Girl, I See You In Everyone). Jimi was an amazing singer and I’m glad my mom dragged us as kids to go see Survivor perform whenever they came back around to Chicagoland.

[@erickrupa1748]

My favorite song of all time. This was my first and only record I ever bought. Man I love this song. I saw Jimi play it live in the e late 90s and it was ten times better in person than on the record. I can never say enough about my favorite 80s band

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

Love, love, LOVE, LOOOOOOOVE this song. Cannot say it enough!

[@leeshaver7825]

I was 16 and just lost my virginity and I can't Hold Back came on the radio I bought the cassette the next day I Can't Hold Back is my favorite Survivor song I remember lip syncing and playing air guitar to this song infront of my mirrored closet doors I'm 54 now I still crank this song in the car or on my headphones and let the music be my time machine back to a time when life was simple

[@SpaceAce2022]

I love Survivor’s Vital Signs. Jimi was incredible and a true Memphis icon. Check out the album from his pre- Survivor band Cobra called First Strike. It was remastered by Rock Candy records and sounds great!

[@Corellyn]

One of my favorite bands from the 80's. 🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰

[@jimfritz8983]

I grew up fairly close to Memphis TN and listened to Rock 103 Memphis. So I knew of Jimi(he's from Memphis) from his Cobra days. I was so happy and excited for him when he got the Survivor gig. I never got to see him in concert. Although, I did see Survivor in 1982 at the Budweiser Super Jam at the Liberty Bowl.

[@shakarocks]

Agreed. One of the best songs of the eighties. Perfect hooks and perfect production.

[@66edoug]

Vital Signs is an awesome album. I Can't Hold Back is probably my favorite but so many great songs. RIP Jimi, he had world class voice and by all accounts, a terrific guy. Jim Peterik is as well.

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

Jimi was an amazing, AMAZING singer.

[@66edoug]

@@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980 Yes he was!

[@mycrazyoutdoorlife3915]

In 1987, survivor was playing steamboat days in Burlington, Iowa. It was a week long festival with the carnival, sideshows, rides, and of course, concerts. I met a girl that week, and we’d spend every night walking the midway, watching the people on rides, listening to the concerts. We were in the back when survivor was doing their set, and she couldn’t see due to her being a bit short. I hefted her up on my shoulder, we watched them play. It started raining during their 4th song, and they had to shut down after lightning strikes. I don’t remember the songs they played, but I could tell you what she wore that night. Three days later I had to leave town to be on staff at scout camp. I lost track of her. Every time I hear a survivor song, my mind drifts back to her, that night, and her watching the show on my shoulder.

[@PatRicNasty]

That story breaks my heart! If you ever went on a quest to find her and you succeeded, you could sing "The Search Is Over" to her! 🥰

[@Whisper_292]

I Can't Hold Back is one of my favorites of all time. "I can feel you tremble when we touch" is one of the best love song lunes ever. The feels it provokes are tangible. I fell in love with Jimi Jameson over that line alone.

[@eugenehewitt2917]

My all-time favorite band. Thank you for finally recognizing this incredibly underrated band. Jim Peterik is the best songwriter ever. He is my musical hero. I loved Dave Bickler. When I was handed my very first copy of Vital Signs, I was initially upset when I heard they replaced Dave. However, once I heard Jimi and the songs, I was never the same again. Jimi is my favorite along with Lou Gramm. The album is my all-time favorite, along with Foreigner 4. What Peterik and Sullivan did with Vital Signs was in so many ways magical, between the lyrics, keyboards, drums, and harmonies was the best ever. No other album was more beautifully written than those songs. It’s a masterpiece! It deserves greater recognition, and I truly thank you for putting this and Survivor in the limelight. I believe it’s perfect from beginning to end. Ask Jim to get back with Dave, Frankie, and Marc, and do it again. He brought the best out of Jimi and Toby; he could do it again with Dave. If he balks, tell him his favorite fan of all-time would like to remind him how he persuaded Dennis DeYoung to get off his rear-end. Survivor fans lost decades because of needless problems. Make up for it like Dennis did. C’mon, Jim…Eye if the Tiger. You and Frankie are the best masters in the game.

[@roybjellquist8214]

AWESOME interview with Jim Peterik!! He is such an AMAZING musician!! “I Can’t Hold Back” is one of my top ten favorite sings of ALL time. It holds special memories for me from the 1980’s. Jimi Jamison was INCREDIBLE!! I feel VERY fortunate to have seen him in 2005 in Pennsylvania play this and other songs LIVE!! I always found myself cruising playing the Vital Signs album by Survivor, back in the day, one of my favorite bands!!

[@devodootie]

I absolutely loved this band & a lot of kids at school laughed at me for it. Then, attitudes changed & suddenly everyone wanted to ‘borrow’ this cassette. 😆 Still love this band & their songs. Thanks Professor!

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

My mother HATES heavy metal music, so she technically thinks it is devil music. But she doesn’t tell me that. She likes funky stuff that she can dance to. I don’t care what anyone says, I love Survivor!

[@devodootie]

@@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980 I’m also a fan of Ozzy, Alice, Metallica, Twisted Sister, Floyd, 38 Special, Kansas, Skynard…. Way too many to list. When I was a teen in the 80s, believe me! they thought that about my music & SAID it to me. The whole ‘satanic panic’ was absurd. My argument was ‘Your folks thought the same thing about you liking Elvis & The Beatles. It’s just MUSIC!’ I was labeled the ‘black sheep’ & my mother actually thought I’d be a prostitute, alcoholic, & drug addict, & I’d NEVER find a husband that would put up with me. 🙄 Couldn’t be farther from the truth! We’ll celebrate our 30th in January.

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

@@devodootie My goodness gracious, all that music drama and Satanic Panic! I remember earlier this year one boy in my class shamed me for listening to 80s music and almost pushed me for it. I was like, pfffffft! He must think this is devil music!

[@JW...-oj5iw]

@@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980 ... What's your opinion of the current "music" played by kids in your generation?

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

@@JW...-oj5iw 1. Technology is much easier to get today than it was back then. 2. There isn’t much label development nowadays for new artists. 3. New artists sound like they haven’t put in their 10,000 hours like Malcolm Gladwell said. 4. Most artists today are not good role models (e.g. Travis Scott’s Astroworld disaster) and are rarely held accountable for their behaviors. 5. Most people create music for clout nowadays. 6. Autotune.

[@maureenwilliford4380]

Jimi is definitely my favorite. I remember hearing I Can't Hold Back on the radio for the first time, not knowing who the group was or who was singing but only that I had to find out and fast because I was in love with both the voice and the lyrics.

[@Benny_Sims]

I saw Survivor in concert not long after Jimi joined the band. His stage presence was so humble, almost as if he felt he didn't deserve to be fronting a chart-topping band.

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

Man, what a voice. Survivor got even better with Jimi.

[@victorlewis4915]

Jimi Jamison took them to new levels!!!!

[@kurtsinger4763]

Thanks for doing this segment... one of my favorites of the era.

[@kathywatson6875]

This is one of my absolute favorite albums from the 80’s !!! Thanks for covering it. I love your channel. Music is life !!!! ❤️

[@tobolulo]

16:33 The masters of the 80s anthem. The producer telling them "you're not done" is a great moment about the creative process...captured magic.

[@fnjesusfreak]

I think Ron Nevison's just someone who "got it". Some of Heart's best stuff - hell, some of Meat Loaf's best and most underrated work was done with Nevison.

[@pablosonic892]

The Vital Signs LP was the beat of my 80s heart and Jimmy J its conductor. Thank you Professor. You keep my hope and faith from being put on life support.

[@pablosonic892]

Per your question, and I'm going strictly off memory, but, this album has never left me. Side A is the hit machine with the MTV big 3,: I can't hold back, High on you, The Search is Over. Side B has the undercover, under the rader, stealth greatness of the first LP side, just four bangers that went unreleased, but not unrecognized. Popular Girl and then the truly iconic Side B big 3 that arguably stands toe to toe, pound for pound, mano e mano with the trio of Side A: Everlasting, It's the singer, not the song, I see you in everyone. That last one is 80s hair metal power ballad perfection. It's haunting, poetic, romantic, soulful and although very much of it's time, timeless. Yeah, this album I can never shake. It's in my DNA code now. For this Gen Xer, and a piece of my soul, I'll always see my dreams through the foggy smoke machine lens of this masterpiece as my soundtrack album to the 80s movie still playing out that is my life, where there's always room for cheesy hope and mushy faith, and, taking it away from George Orwell and giving it over to the multiverse of Madhatter Awesomeness that is Survivor, it's forever 1984.

[@MichaelGackler]

Professor, thank you for this one. I loved Vital Signd and my friends could not understand what I saw in Survivor. I wasn't a fan of "Eye of the Tiger," but when Jimi Jamison took over vocals, I was an instant fan "Is This Love?" "I Can't Hold Back" were incredible, as was "High On You" that my religious friends couldn't stand because of the one night stand implication and "having a girl"! Heaven forbid!! I loved the interview and agree that this project was underrated, because it was incredible! I even dedicated "High On You" to a recent girlfriend of mine who wasn't even born when the song was released!! Thanks again, Adam. Love this channel, all of the memories and the stories behind the music. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame needs to have you guest host a trivia contest there. Take care!

[@BigBass-xf5yi]

My favorite from that era is definitely “high on you”. Jimmie voice was an anomaly. So good.

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

I love High on You!

[@Donniesquid4]

Excellent interview about an excellent album. I still have this on vinyl. I can't hold back is also my favorite Survivor song. R.I.P. Jimi Jamison

[@tonycrabtree3416]

Amazing at how Survivor found another singer that was so close to their original that it was seamless and not a copycat voice, like trying to replace Steve Perry. RIP Jimi.

[@jamesrudd8705]

Perry loon alert. You Perry loons have zero self-control. Always whining.

[@akaJaneDoe]

Once again Adam, you nailed it! This is one of my favorite songs to boost my mood and take me back to a point in time that is memorable in my youth. 🔥💜

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

Such a positive feel good song.

[@melvinnance5029]

"Caught In The Game" is actually my all-time favorite Survivor song. Pity that it was mostly ignored.

[@stephenhanft1226]

Love Survivor. I remember I was 17 years old in 1982 when "Eye Of The Tiger" burst onto the charts and wound up spending 6 weeks at #1. I was very impressed. Afterwards, I waited to hear a follow-up single from them but there wasn't any. I was afraid they might turn out to be just a one hit wonder band. I'm glad I was wrong. They really came back strong in 1984 with their Viral Signs album. That album was probably the best album of their careers. So many great songs. My personal favorite is "High On You". It is just such a rocking feel-good song with great vocal melodies. I consider Survivor, along with Toto, as 2 of the best pop/rock bands in the 1980s. His story of what inspired him to want to go into into music doesn't surprise me. You hear so many artists say that when they saw Elvis Presley on The Ed Sullivan Show or when they saw The Beatles on The Ed Sullivan show, they knew they wanted to go into music. In my opinion, Elvis and the Beatles are still the top 2 in rock and roll royalty for importance and influence.

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

My mom’s high school theme song was “Eye of the Tiger”. My aunt must have heard the song a gazillion times as a high school junior in 1982. I love High On You, it’s awesome!

[@curisumusic]

Love that video! Jimi was one of a kind and a huge influence on my singing. I am glad I did get to see him once in Munich at Rock meets Classic, just a couple of years before he left us. Peterik is music to the bone...they dont make artists like this anymore...

[@christyhubbard8074]

I Can’t Hold Back is a incredible song!! I’ve never been able to figure out why it hasn’t/wasn’t used in more Rom-Coms!! It’s the perfect song for end credits!!!

[@ProfessorofRock]

Seriously !

[@seanswinton6242]

They have a number of songs that could be used! Well "Stranger Things" is likely.

[@victorsimpson4487]

The live version of that song is awesome to watch and listen to. I highly recommend it.

[@t.o.3522]

I’ve requested DJs play “I can’t hold back” at a number of weddings, as well as Pocos Shoot For the Moon. People hear the lyrics and the connection of the song to the situation is immediate. “I Cant Hold Back would be the most awesome song for a grand march at a wedding!!

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

I know, right? I am considering asking the history teachers at my school to play this song at the dances!

[@greggraham2642]

For some reason, since I started watching The Professor of Rock, my CD collection has multiplied greatly. Thanks for bringing back all the great music, man.

[@musclecarmitch908]

I loved both iterations of Survivor! I remember I was shocked when I found out they switched singers, but loved" I can't hold back"! and Jimi Jameson, I'm still really sad we lost him. Jim Peterik"s guitar work is a masterpiece! Great episode Professor! Thanks for keeping the music alive!

[@thomasrobinson182]

'Broken Promises' is my favorite track. 'Is it written in stone that we end up alone?' is an awesome lyric. 'Popular Girl' is another fave.

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

Great songs. Adam should dive deep into the whole Survivor catalog!

[@eltronics]

Greatly under-appreciated band, music, and vocals...and they rocked.

[@flash1660]

My wife and I were going through some things and this album helped me get through it!

[@nixonkutz3018]

Adam, it's just so amazing how you keep bringing these stories to us, straight from the artists' mouths. This is truly great content and "keeping the music alive" is a noble calling!

[@bishdizzle67]

I absolutely love that song! Joyous. Another awesome song, one of my favorites, is Ever Since The World Began. Tommy Shaw did an amazing cover of it as well. Jimi Jameson is the best.

[@ProfessorofRock]

100%

[@seanswinton6242]

AGREE! One of my favourite singers and extremely underrated!

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

Amazing hidden gem right there. Jimi is the best!

[@steelydan133]

This was my first Survivor album as well and I remember playing it day in and day out in school. It started with "The Search is over", but then the rest of the album started building up. I Can't Hold Back and I See You in Everyone were my two favorites. 36 years later on a drive to PA in my Porsche I inserted this CD and it and happened to be Vital Signs. And the first song just took me 30 years back when I last heard "I Can't Hold Back" and I must have played it 10 times with the top down, singing at the top of my voice while my daughter looked at me as If I was some other person she had never met. I had tears in y eyes by the time I got done. From a teenager to now a dad, so much time had passed yet those memories lingered on. A true classic!

[@callitags]

I forgot how much I loved this album until I watched this video. So good! Thank you 🙂

[@halloweenfanaticstx911]

I love this band I loved the purity of the music when new and nostalgia now it really does bring you back to some great moments on time for music and culture in general.

[@tedschmaltz4346]

This was a band I knew of, but back then I was still 60s - 70s focused. Now, I'm starting to revisit a LOT of great bands that I missed and this channel with these great interviews is a great resource.

[@born_again_torinos]

Jim is always a wonderful interview. Love him on collectors call on MeTV too.

[@RolandDeschain1]

'Vital Signs' is in my top three favourite albums ever. I found it in my sister's record collection when I was 14 and since then I've memorised every note of it. It's a very, very special album for me for many reasons. Favourite song on it has to be the intensely moody 'Broken Promises'.

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

Broken Promises is an amazing song.

[@patrickandrews5166]

POR - THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! I completely forgot about I Can’t Hold Back. I never hear it on the radio. I used to love this song. I have just added it to my library.

[@JosephDunegan]

@Professor of Rock, Adam, great, great video! Survivor is and was one of my favorite 80s bands. Though I headed in the more Heavy Metal vein of music during that time, in my older years now, I go back to my roots of the 70s and 80s Soft and Pop Rock. I loved bands like Survivor, Player, and Ambrosia.

[@JanesDough855]

Vital Signs was a great album of theirs. Part of what made the 80s so terrific!

[@counterpuncher01]

Geez, I'm going to hear a new song on the radio today that becomes my favorite song. It won't suprise me to see Jim Peterick it's writer. The man is everywhere.

[@keithj6251]

Every song was so uplifting. Very cool.

[@Whitleythe13th]

"Vital Signs" and "When Seconds Count" are two of my favorite albums... Survivor (VS,WSC), Boston (B,DLB,TS), Chicago (16-19), Van Halen (5150) RUN DMC (RH, TTL), Michael Jackson (OTW,T,B), The Cure (Desintegration) and so many more of different genre's...are "perfect" albums...to me... thank you for all you do man...

[@CinHotlanta]

Good god this song still gives me goosebumps

[@Musiclover-po1tl]

Survivor is one of the most underrated groups of their times. Eye of the Tiger is the only song that gets any airplay and aVital Signs is filled with a trove of great songs. Thanks for this interview. As a Chicagoan I can tell you that Jim Peterik is a city treasure.

[@lamarravery4094]

I grew up in the 80s and Peter Cetera, Kenny Loggins and Jimi Jameson are my favorite singers. It was a great era for pop rock music. My favorite Survivor song would have to be I Can't Hold Back, High on You, the Search is Over, Is This Love and Man Against the World.

[@cris_j]

It's funny, I was never huge into Survivor, but I honestly recognize EVERY SONG in this video. It's amazing how sticky their music was, in spite of how much I avoided pop rock at that time.

[@markdakel9253]

Jami was truly a gifted and rare talent , he is missed. Survivor was a force to be reckoned with in the 80’s Excellent interview

[@Bacchus69]

I always liked "Burning Heart" and I always thought "The Search is over" was an underrated ballad. I didn't know Peterik wrote songs for other groups. It's impressive how he used his songwriting skills as a "vehicle" for his own success and others.

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

He’s super prolific.

[@lobitome]

Vital Signs was the first CD I ever bought, at 18 y.o. the most expensive CD I ever bought, since I had to buy a portable CD player to listen to it. Also saw them live 3 times that tour. Such a great line-up, such a great voice Jimi had.

[@floydmills8963]

I start most of my days with "BURNING HEART" from the Rocky 4 soundtrack. As I've gotten older, that part about the "warriors code, there's no surrender, though his body says stop, his spirit cries NEVER" REALLY hits home lol. Peace and love y'all 🤟

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

Burning Heart is a great song!

[@anthonylanni9804]

Search is Over, High on You, and I can't hold back are perfect songs. Jimi was so great 🔥

[@williambenner5550]

I remember seeing Surveyor in a small bar in Boulder Colorado right before Eye Of The Tiger came out. Nobody knew who they were, but the vibe in the bar was that they would be the next big thing. Then what happened, happened with their original lead singer, and many wrote them off. But like the Phinx they rose from the ashes.

[@tedfabiano]

Thanks for this episode. The way you broke down the vocal parts with Jim made me appreciate Jimi even more.

[@antoniog9814]

There are few singers that are/were truly great, such as Brad Delp, Jimi Jamison and Lou Gramm. Boston with the 1976 album killed it. Then came Survivor and Foreigner in the 80s. The entire album Vital Signs is great! I love The Search Is Over.

[@counterpuncher01]

Great show. I love that phase of Survivor. SOOOOO underrated.

[@petrey9712]

I always liked survivor but I was more of a metal kid , I knew they looked different but I thought it was the same singer. I'm 54 so it goes to show you can always learn something new , thanks Professor .

[@shanehebert396]

Lots of air play of these songs when I was in high school. Lots of nostalgia. I wouldn't say that they were in my regular line up of music but everybody sang along when it came on the radio.

[@ProfessorofRock]

Great memories.

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

They’re definitely singalongs.

[@elizabethwolfgang4017]

One of my favorites, loved em'!

[@RBS_]

***"(PROF.) CAN'T HOLD BACK": SURVIVOR SURVIVES, w/ A NEW SINGER, A NEW SOUND, AND A CLASSIC ALBUM...*** ...jeeeeezus, Prof., THIS One DOES it for me today! ...I LOVED "I Can't Hold Back", and Jimi's Vocals were like A GUT PUNCH of goodness! (CONT.) ...heard the tune on a Family Vacation at the Peekskill Ranch, Upstate NY, Oct. 1984; ...It was the 'pick hit' on "Top 40 Videos", I saw Jimi and was like, "...who's THAT!?" ...Good lookin' Dude, HOT next-Door Babe in the Video, & a GOOD TUNE....what ELSE was needed!?? ...And, the "Vital Signs" LP was a KNOCKOUT of 80's Rock HITZ; I played that Album right until Spring of 1986! ....I was HEATED as hell that the tune peaked #13 Pop, but... lookit this Top Ten, December 1984.... 10. We Belong - Pat Benatar 9. Cool It Now - New Edition 8. Penny Lover (7" Remix) - Lionel Richie 7. Sea Of Love - Honeydrippers 6. No More Lonely Nights - MACCA (....looooooove this tune!) 5. All Through The Night - Cyndi Lauper 4. The Wild Boys - Duran Duran 3. I Feel For You - Chaka Khan 2. Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go - WHAM! 1. Out Of Touch (single version) - Daryl Hall + John Oates ....And, Prof. , you OK!? ......You were 'bout to jump outta your SEAT, talkin' about that tune! .....THAT'S why we dig you, Man....you GET the Music, and get to TELL your Heroes what lines you like ("...I can feel you tremble, when we touch..." was THE best hook line!!), and ACKNOWLEDGE the Artistry in these tunes...... ...alright, I better 'cool it now' MYSELF! ..ha-HAAA!! ....NEVER 'hold back', Prof.! ...THANKS!

[@ProfessorofRock]

RBS I love this song. One of my favorites ever! Love your posts!

[@stephenhanft1226]

Terrific top 10 demonstrating why 1984 is considered one of the best music years ever.

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

Man, I Can’t Hold Back is nothing short of an incredible song. That and We Belong? I will treasure these songs forever.

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

@@stephenhanft1226 The best year ever, according to POR. I have to agree!

[@BJWanlund]

I’m going to go with “High On You” from Vital Signs as my favorite song from Survivor, personally, but I love going against the grain and choosing a song that hardly anyone else would choose as my favorite.

[@TheMjphoto45]

Great Channel. I have DJd for over 40 years. Played some great clubs including the Ranch Bowl in Omaha. Keep up the good work