In 2009, Don’t Stop Believin’ became the best-selling song on iTunes prior to the twenty-first century. Agree, at present this is a reliable proof of “hitness”.
The creation of the rock band Journey is praised by music critics, filmmakers actively use the song in films, and modern bands continue to record cover versions of it.
Story of Don’t Stop Believin’ – Journey
The authors of the work are officially considered Steve Perry, Neil Schon and Jonathan Kane. Since 1981, when the single was released, they have given a huge number of interviews in which they told about the history of creation, the main idea and the process of recording Journey’s calling card. Excerpts from their stories will certainly be of interest to Blimey readers.
First, here are quotes from a conversation between keyboardist Jonathan Caine and a journalist from Ultimate Classic Rock:
The song begins with the midnight train leaving somewhere. I think people like the idea that you can go somewhere where life is better. I remember those days were damn good. You know, you could go listen to Journey for $17.50. People who grew up in those days love this song because it reminds them of better days, so maybe we remind them of the past…
When we recorded the song at Fantasy Studio in Berkeley, it was a completely different song. I wrote a verse and it was one of the last songs we wrote. We wrote it pretty quickly. I had the chords and we worked backwards in rehearsals. It was a collaborative effort, like working to improve things. If you listen to the keyboard part, it’s the chorus without the melody, naked. Same chords, but the bass line makes it sound different…
We just took those chords from the chorus and made a verse out of them, and then added a bass line. Neil came up with all this. The little break that Neal composed sounded like a train. I said to Perry, “God, I love that Midnight Train to Georgia song about a train going somewhere.” And he said, “Oh, I love her too.”
According to Kane, a phrase was chosen for the name, which his father encouraged him in difficult times. He often called his son when he was having a hard time, and said: “Don’t stop believing.”
In an interview with New York Magazine, Steve Perry said that the main idea for the song’s lyrics came from a sleepless night in a Detroit hotel where the band performed. He looked out the window and thought:
I was thinking that the lights are pointed so that you can’t see everything. Suddenly, I saw people who stepped out of the darkness into a beam of light. And the expression “streetlight people” (“people in the light of lanterns”) came to my mind. So when we started writing, Detroit was very much on my mind.
And then listeners can guess the meaning of the song Don’t Stop Believin’ by Journey themselves.
Release and achievements
In late 1981, Don’t Stop Believin’ was released as a single from the Escape album. It peaked at number six on the official UK charts, peaked at number eight on the Billboard Hot 100, and achieved significant chart success in other countries.
Then the popularity of the composition was promoted by its inclusion in the soundtracks of famous films. She was featured in the acclaimed drama Monster, the final scene of the cult TV series The Sopranos, as well as many other films, television shows, sitcoms, and commercials.
Let’s watch the live video clip of Don’t Stop Believin’ – Journey.
Interesting Facts
- A distinctive feature of the composition is the position of the chorus, which is fully heard only at the end of the song.
- The song mentions South Detroit, but the locals will tell you that the city is divided into east and west. Steve Perry claims to have learned about this recently, but is not at all worried about this inaccuracy.
- The composition is played at home games of many sports teams, including the Detroint Red Wings and the Chicago White Sox.
- Don’t Stop Believin’ is one of the most popular songs in American karaoke clubs.
Don’t Stop Believin’ Lyrics
Just a small town girl
Livin’ in a lonely world
She took the midnight train goin’ anywhere
Just a city boy
Born and raised in south Detroit
He took the midnight train goin’ anywhere
A singer in a smoky room
A smell of wine and cheap perfume
For a smile they can share the night
It goes on and on, and on, and on
Strangers waiting
Up and down the boulevard
Their shadows searching in the night
Streetlight people
Living just to find emotion
Hiding somewhere in the night
Working hard to get my fill
Everybody wants a thrill
Payin’ anything to roll the dice
Just one more time
Some will win, some will lose
Some were born to sing the blues
Oh, the movie never ends
It goes on and on, and on, and on
Strangers waiting
Up and down the boulevard
Their shadows searching in the night
Streetlight people
Living just to find emotion
Hiding somewhere in the night
Don’t stop believin’
Hold on to the feelin’
Streetlights, people
Don’t Stop Believin’ Lyrics Alternative
An ordinary girl from a small town
Living in a lonely world
She got on a midnight train leaving somewhere
Ordinary city boy
Who was born and raised in south Detroit
He got on a midnight train leaving somewhere
Singer in a smoky room
The smell of wine and cheap perfume
For a smile they are ready to share the night with you
And so it goes on day after day
Strangers waiting for something
Wandering down the boulevard
Their shadows wander in the dark
People in the light of lanterns
Living in search of emotions
Hiding somewhere in the night
Earn a living by hard work
Crave exciting feelings
Ready to give the last to roll the dice
Just one more time
Somebody wins, somebody loses
Someone was born to sing the blues
Oh this movie will never end
It goes on day by day
Strangers waiting for something
Wandering down the boulevard
Their shadows wander in the dark
People in the light of lanterns
Living in search of emotions
Hiding somewhere in the night
Don’t stop believing
Hold on to this feeling
People in the light of lanterns
Don’t Stop Believin’ Quotes
…something we did right when we wrote the song
Jonathan Kane, Ultimate Classic Rock
For me personally, it means a lot. Everyone has emotional struggles and problems, and this song personally helped me not to give up, and I constantly find out that many people feel the same way.
Steve Perry, Planet Rock, 2010
