Sole Survivor (Asia song)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

"Sole Survivor"

Single by Asia

from the album Asia

B-side

"Here Comes the Feeling"

Released

29 October 1982 ^[1]

Length

4:52 (album version)

Label

Geffen

Songwriter(s)

Geoff Downes, John Wetton

Producer(s)

Mike Stone

Asia singles chronology

"Only Time Will Tell"
(1982)

"Sole Survivor"
(1982)

"Don't Cry"
(1983)

"Sole Survivor" is a song by progressive rock band Asia. Written by Geoffrey Downes and John Wetton, it is the third track and third single from the band's 1982 eponymous debut. It was Asia's second single for the U.S Mainstream Rock Charts that reached the Top Ten. The single also peaked at #75 in Germany and #91 in the UK.

The song was covered by Japanese power metal band Galneryus for their 2008 cover album, Voices from the Past II. It was also used in some of the foreign versions of the 1982 Japanese anime Future War 198X.

In 2000, the song was referenced in satirical newspaper The Onion with a brief article titled "Sole Survivor Of Air Crash Has Asia's 'Sole Survivor' Stuck In Head."^[2]

Billboard said that it "[underlines] a mix of instrumental rock drama and bittersweet lyrics."^[3]

PopMatters critic Dennis Shin rated the song's music video as one of "20 ’80s music videos that have aged terribly," saying that it "looks old as dirt, and a couple of the talking mullets on stage look like Joe Dirt."^[4]

Track listing

7" Single

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Sole Survivor"	3:35
2.	"Here Comes the Feeling"	3:30

Charts

Chart (1982)	Peak position
US Mainstream Rock (Billboard)^[5]	10
West Germany (GfK)^[6]	75

References

^ "Asia singles".
^ Sole Survivor Of Air Crash Has Asia's 'Sole Survivor' Stuck In Head
^ "Top Single Picks". Billboard. October 30, 1982. p. 66. Retrieved 2023-02-07.
^ Shin, Dennis (November 19, 2020). "20 '80S Music Videos That Have Aged Terribly". PopMatters. Retrieved 2023-02-05.
^ "Asia Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved May 31, 2024.
^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Asia – Sole Survivor" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved May 31, 2024.

v t e Asia
Geoff Downes Carl Palmer Billy Sherwood Marc Bonilla John Wetton Steve Howe Greg Lake Mandy Meyer Pat Thrall John Payne Al Pitrelli Michael Sturgis Chris Slade Guthrie Govan Jay Schellen Sam Coulson Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal
Studio albums	Asia Alpha Astra Aqua Aria Arena Rare Aura Silent Nation Phoenix Omega XXX Gravitas
Extended plays	Aurora
Live albums	Fantasia: Live in Tokyo
Compilations	Then & Now Archiva 1 Archiva 2 Anthology Axioms The Very Best of Asia: Heat of the Moment (1982–1990)
Singles	"Heat of the Moment" "Only Time Will Tell" "Sole Survivor" "Don't Cry" "The Smile Has Left Your Eyes" "Go" "Days Like These"
Related articles	Discography Members Qango GPS Asia featuring John Payne
Category

Categories:

Hidden categories: