journey don't stop believin' analysis

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Thursday, July 18, 2013

Song meaning & analysis: don't stop believin' by journey.

• Strangers waiting, up and down the boulevard 12 - when you go to different parts of the country, especially a diverse country like the US, you may be viewed as an outcast, and for you, they may seem like strangers.
• Their shadows searching in the night 13 - "shadows"symbolizes fearsomeness of having to approach those strangers, or perform a show at a nightclub, where you'd usually get scrutinized if you f*&ed up.
• Streetlights people, living just to find emotion 14 - this means people who living off of streetlight. In other words, those who go clubbing at night and sleep in the day. "Find emotion" simply means looking for sex.
• 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 smokey 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
• Streetlights 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
• Don't stop believin'
• Hold on to the feelin'
• Streetlights people
• Streetlight people

7 comments:

I think your analysis is really spot on. Kudos. Only thing I can think that might be slightly amiss is "Strangers Waiting, up and down the boulevard" Living in LA, that sentence can be taken very literally...down on the sunset strip (sunset blvd) where bands play, if a famous band plays, there can be lines waiting up and down the boulevard....strangers....So it could be a more literal meaning. Thanks for taking the time to do this.....very well thought out and presented.

I always wonder about the meaning of this song. Good Interpretation, Thanks.

I disagree with your write up ( respectfully ) First off both were not from south Detroit , she was a small town girl , the city boy was from Detroit , second this isn't about the music industry , it's about the sex industry more so about the lost boys and girls from California's van Nuys Blvd , it's about the 2 who co,e to California seeking their dreams and end up selling their bodies to get their fill , strangers waiting up and down the boulevard shadows searching in the night For a dollar they can share the night it goes on and on and on

I think that the 'strangers waiting' could be about picking up hookers

I'm not sure where you're getting the idea that the two characters are trying to make a living in the music field? Or that they're on some kind of cross-country journey to L.A. or Las Vegas. I think the lyrics are a somewhat melancholy snapshot about the sadness of mankind's eternal longing for companionship, love, and/or sex. I can envision the train being a commuter or regional type of train that takes the two main characters from their respective homes to an area of the city where there are nightclubs. The only reference to music I see is "A singer in a smokey room"... but I'm seeing that as meaning that the guy and girl end of going into a bar where they watched a singer in a smokey room, not that one of them was the singer in the smokey room. I think the "rolling the dice" comment is about taking another change on another night to find a partner out in the world of streetlights, people, and smokey bars that reek of cheap perfume. Again, I think the song is about lonely people in the world, trying to find companionship, love, and/or sex in the bar scene, holding up hope to find a partner among the streetlights and people in the bar district. I don't think it's a big "hope in the future of mankind" kind of thing.

I would say rolling the dice is more the chance you take every time you get high on a drug.. lots of people died through the 60s and 70s taking drugs and it may have appeared more like chance or bad luck

I heard on the radio just yesterday that this song was based on the writer who was about to give up his dream of making it big in the music business. At least that is what he said yesterday in a radio. That he was going to pack up and go home. He called his dad and his dad said not to give up his dream. Don't stop believing. And they asked if he had one more song for the album and he said he had this song title and some notes at home and that is where the song started.

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The improbable story of the Journey classic that keeps coming back to life

From Mafia finales to Arnold Schwarzenegger: the brilliant and often bizarre and afterlife of Journey’s Don't Stop Believin'

When the screen cut abruptly to black and the strains of Journey ’s Don’t Stop Believin’ went silent at the finale of iconic TV show The Sopranos in 2007, it might have symbolised the death of Tony Soprano, but it began a new life for Journey’s enduring classic.

The song’s revival provided an extraordinary new chapter in a fairytale story that began back in 1981 and continues to this day. After its Sopranos -assisted revival, the song became a belated UK Top 10 hit in 2009 (it limped to a paltry No.62 when it was originally released), been streamed almost half a billion times on Spotify and been covered by everyone from Steel Panther to erstwhile teenyboppers Hanson. These days, Don’t Stop Believin’ is a kind of unofficial American national anthem – and it’s thanks in a large part to Tony Soprano. 

“That’s the incredible power of mixing music and images,” explains Gary Calamar, whose job as one of Hollywood’s top music supervisors is to find that perfect mix. “That Sopranos scene was incredible, the final scene of one of the best TV shows ever. There was a huge audience with big expectations for the finale. Plus, the song is a great mix of heavy whack hairband rock with Steve Perry wailing his heartfelt and, dare I say, inspiring lyrics.”

Calamar compares the use of Don’t Stop Believin’ with other memorable scenes involving specific songs: Night Ranger 's Sister Christian in Boogie Nights , Stealers Wheel's Stuck In The Middle With You in Reservoir Dogs , Sia’s Breathe Me in Six Feet Under . “When you have a big music scene like that it has a massive impact,” he says. “It really gets under your skin and sticks with you.”

“I think the song’s continued popularity goes back to its core meaning,” says Kara Wright, the A&R coordinator with publishing company Peer Music. “ Don’t Stop Believin’ carries a timeless message that says don’t stop believing in you – don’t stop believing in the world – don’t stop believing in anything. Life goes on (and on and on) regardless whether you’re a small-town girl, a city boy, the Sopranos or a member of your high-school glee club.”

The public’s insatiable appetite for Don’t Stop Believin’ was underlined just two years after its use on The Sopranos when it featured in the pilot episode of the TV show Glee in May 2009. The cast’s version of Don’t Stop Believin’ topped that of Journey’s original, reaching No.4 in the US Top 100 and echoed the digital download success of the original, going gold in the US with sales of over 500,000. The Glee cast later covered the song again, resulting in combined sales of 973,000 for both versions. It fared equally well in Britain where the Glee cast’s recording debuted at No.5.

To further emphasise the seemingly limitless affection for the song, in addition to its high-profile inclusion on The Sopranos and Glee , versions of Don’t Stop Believin’ have appeared in – deep breath – Family Guy, Scrubs, South Park, My Name Is Earl, Just Shoot Me, Benidorm, Eastenders, TV Burp , countless editions of The X-Factor and American Idol, Swedish Idol, Australian Idol … you get the picture.

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While Don’t Stop Believin’ ’s 2007 inclusion on The Sopranos is considered by many to mark the beginning of its latest wave of popularity, in an article in the LA Times, Journey’s Jonathan Cain – who wrote the song along with Steve Perry and Neal Schon – cited its use in the 1998 Adam Sandler comedy The Wedding Singer as the spark. Though Gary Calamar, who is also a DJ on LA-based radio station KCRW, begs to differ. “For better or worse I don’t think Don’t Stop Believin’ ever went away. I’ve always felt its cheesy presence.”

Ten years later Sandler and Don’t Stop Believin’ were reunited in Bedtime Stories . In the interim it featured in the 2003 drama Monster starring Charlize Theron. The actress, who was also the film’s producer, had been so keen to include the track that she personally wrote a letter to Steve Perry. After viewing the proposed scene, Perry agreed to the song’s use and even became the film’s music consultant.

The song is in the title of the Journey documentary Don’t Stop Believin’: Everyman’s Journey , while other films to feature it include View From The Top, The Comebacks, Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs and The Losers .

Gary Calamar, whose list of credits includes House, Dexter and After The Sunset , understands why the song is featured so regularly. “In a way, using these songs is like batting practice for a music supervisor, you know you have a good chance of hitting it out of the park with one of these old power ballads and a big, over the top scene.”

“It’s a feelgood song with a positive message and a memorable melody,” says Kara Wright, “and it’s an anthem that can be accepted and applied to any kind of situation.”

To back her words, scour Spotify and you’ll come across a dizzying list of artists who have covered the track in all manner of styles, from symphonic metallers Northern Kings to dungaree-clad downhome rockers Hayseed Dixie. There are classical versions, bluegrass versions, acapella versions, dance versions and lounge jazz versions. Scour YouTube and you’ll even come across a reggae cover alongside versions by Panic! At The Disco’s Brendan Urie, John Mayer, Stashrip and even audio of a workout set to the tune by none other than Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Don’t Stop Believin’ is a perennial live favourite, and not just for Journey. During its lifespan it’s been covered by an array of artists. Notable among recent live performances was its inclusion on Kanye West’s set list during his 2008 Glow In The Dark tour while a charity event for the Rainforest Fund at Carnegie Hall in May brought together the unlikely combination of Lady Gaga, Bruce Springsteen , Elton John , Sting, Debbie Harry and Shirley Bassey for an encore of the song.

 “I think the revival of Don’t Stop Believin’ can be greatly attributed to the exposure and emphasis that entertainment platforms such as TV, video games and advertising now offer to music – an ideal medium that works well for current and classic titles,” says Kara Wright.

The song’s inspirational message has made it a favourite with sports teams, never with greater impact than with the Chicago White Sox. During the 2005 season the hapless baseball team adopted Don’t Stop Believin’ as their rally cry. The team duly went on to reach the World Series for the first time in 80 years with Steve Perry being invited to attend as they swept the Houston Astros in four games.”

It’s hard to go anywhere these days without being exposed to the song in some form. All across America innocent ‘Stop’ signs have been transformed into Journey tributes with the simple addition of two words.

Wherever you do go, you can even be wearing your Don’t Stop Believin’ knickers or clutching your Don’t Stop Believin’ teddy bear. Its omnipresence is why Kara Wright feels Don’t Stop Believin’ is “at the forefront of other songs decades old being revitalised and reintroduced to popular culture.”

Wright believes the song’s success paved the way for others. Absolutely, given the digital revolution and multimedia phenomenon, I think it’s an extraordinary time for classic rock songs to find new leases on life. In this way, long-forgotten music will continue to be revived as younger audiences gain new found appreciation for rock history. The universe of catalogues yet to be unleashed is thrilling.”

And what of the men who wrote it? Unsurprisingly, the song closes every Journey show these days, though given its popularity, it would probably induce riots if it didn’t.

Former singer Steve Perry has a more complicated relationship with song. The only times Perry has sung onstage since he stepped away from music in 1995 came when he made guest appearances at three shows with the band Eels in 2014. And while he did sing Journey songs with the group, Don’t Stop Believin’ wasn’t one of them.

The original version of this article appeared in Classic Rock issue 153

Kevin Murphy is a writer, journalist and presenter who's written for the Daily Telegraph, Independent On Sunday, Sounds, Record Mirror, Kerrang!, Metal Hammer, Noise, Select and Event. He's also written about film for Empire, Total Film and Directors Guild of America Magazine.

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Behind the Song: “Don’t Stop Believin’,” Journey

by Rick Moore September 22, 2020, 8:40 am

Many of us artistic types marvel at stories of our peers who were brought up in families that completely supported their musical dreams, who provided encouragement, lessons, whatever it took for us to create and achieve. But Journey’s Jonathan Cain can attribute his success to his family not only for their encouragement and support, but for providing him with the title of one of the biggest songs in music history.

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“Don’t Stop Believin’” was the second single from Journey’s 1981 album Escape , and has become one of the most recognizable songs of all time. Before Cain was a member of Journey, he played for The Babys, and the band was sidelined after Babys singer John Waite injured his leg on stage. Unemployed and not knowing what he was going to do next, Cain called his father, who told him over the phone, “Don’t stop believin’.” And Cain jotted those words down in a notebook. Soon afterward he was hired for the keyboard spot in Journey, and became one of rock’s most famous keyboardists and writers.

In his book Don’t Stop Believin’ , Cain recounted how he, singer Steve Perry and guitarist Neal Schon put the song together. “Steve asked if I had any lyrics or melodies that might work for the new album. I went home and paged through all my spiral notebooks. On the last page of my notebook, I found three words scribbled: Don’t stop believin’. I knew Steve would like the title – the words my father had given me on a long-distance phone call one night … I came up with a cool chord progression and started humming the lyrics ‘don’t stop – believin’ – hold on to that feelin’ over the changes. I didn’t know what the other lyrics were yet, but I planned to show the guys the idea anyway.”

“Steve liked my chord progression and suggested we use the same chords for the verse, but with the rolling piano feel I’d played for The Babys’ albums. I began without the bass notes, using only the right hand, and Neal started playing what would end up to be the bass line … we looped over and over until it began to take shape … After the first verse, Neal began to play a staccato guitar line that sounded like a train going down the tracks as we headed into another verse with only piano and vocal … we roared into Neal’s guitar part, playing unison with the newly minted bass line. When the second B section ended, Neal burst into the melody I had written, playing it as a theme.”

“Excited to finish the lyrics to our new song, I met Steve at his house the next morning. ‘Neal’s guitar in this section sounds like a train heading down the track,’ I said. “Makes me think of a song I love – ‘Midnight Train to Georgia. You too?”

“’Gladys Knight and the Pips – a classic for sure,’” Steve said.”

“What if the lyric was ‘the midnight train goin’ anywhere?’ I said. Steve liked the lyric, so we built off it, adding a boy and a girl headed out on the midnight train. We loved this idea of two young people dreaming about leaving their town and going somewhere to make a new start. So we began our song with our two characters and put them in motion. When Steve arrived at ‘just a city boy, born and raised in’ – he came to an abrupt stop. ‘How ’bout making him from Detroit?’ he asked.”

“‘Cool, but we need another syllable to fill it out here. How does South Detroit sound?’ Playing his bass, Steve sang the new lyric. ‘This sings great. Is there even a South Detroit?’”

“’Heck if I know,’ I said. ‘If it sings well, I say let’s move on.’”

“I told him about the Whisky a Go Go – how The Babys played there on New Years’ Eve and my first live gig with them. I described the small, packed venue, the old bar smell, and the sting of smoke in the eyes. ‘A singer in a smoky room, the smell of wine and cheap perfume. For a smile they can share the night. It goes on and on and on and on,’ we wrote.”

“The middle section that Neal had come up with was next. With our conversation about Sunset Boulevard still fresh, Steve and I went on to see the movie we were creating in our minds.”

“‘Strangers waiting up and down the boulevard, their shadows searching in the night.’ … These were the ‘streetlight people, living just to find emotion, hiding somewhere in the night’ … ‘Workin’ hard just to get my fill. Everybody wants a thrill. Payin’ anything to roll the dice just one more time,’ we wrote. Those lines summed up the two of us, sacrificing it all to gamble on a dream.”

“We didn’t know it yet, but we had just written an anthem that would stand the test of time.”

The song became a huge hit, and helped propel Escape to multi-platinum sales worldwide. It soared in popularity again the next century – and in sales of something that didn’t exist in 1981, downloads – when it was prominently used in the TV series The Sopranos and Glee, becoming one of the most downloaded songs of all time that was originally recorded in the 20 th century. The song was co-produced by former Lynyrd Skynyrd soundman Kevin Elson and onetime Queen engineer Mike Stone, who also engineered the album. Cain and Schon are still in Journey today, and Cain is believin’ in other ways with newfound success as a Christian recording artist.

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Don't Stop Believin' by Journey

Songfacts®:

• Journey's most enduring song, this track has a unique structure, which helps it stick in your mind. Where most songs have a chorus that's repeated several times, "Don't Stop Believin'" brings in its chorus (and title) only at the end - about 3:20 into the song. The structure goes: instrumental, first verse, instrumental, second verse, first pre-chorus, instrumental, third verse, second pre-chorus, instrumental, and then finally the chorus until fade-out. It was not their biggest chart hit (that would be " Open Arms "), but is by far Journey's most famous song, thanks to a resurgence in the '00s.
• The line, "Strangers waiting, up and down the Boulevard" is a reference to Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood, where dreams are made. Keyboard player Jonathan Cain got the idea for the song when he went there to pursue his career. In his Songfacts interview , Cain said: "The song began with the chorus. My father had coached me. I was in Hollywood, struggling with my career, kind of lost. I was asking him, 'Should I come back to Chicago and just give up on this dream?' And he said, 'No, son. Stay the course. We have a vision. It's gonna happen. Don't stop believin'.'" Cain's dream came true when he joined a group called The Babys with John Waite. In 1980, he joined Journey in San Francisco, and this song took shape. He told Steve Perry about his idea for placing the song in Sunset Boulevard, and Perry had him describe it. "I described the menagerie of people who would show up on a Friday night," Cain said. "All the dreamers that had dreams to become actors. Producers, artists, lawyers, anything... they were all there on a Friday night."
• Journey lead singer Steve Perry, keyboard player Jonathan Cain and guitarist Neal Schon are the credited songwriters on this one, but the entire band contributed. In the Time3 compilation, the genesis of this song is explained: "At the band's Oakland warehouse, this song bubbled out of a rehearsal. Schon developed the bass riff, the chugging guitar line and the sweeping chords on the chorus. Steve Smith built the song around a pattern featuring a lot of tom-toms, anchoring the number to a rich drum figure. Perry and Cain drew from their experiences with the Sunset Strip street scene for the lyrics, 'streetlight people.'"
• Speaking with New York Magazine , Perry explained that the song originated during a series of gigs in Detroit when he found himself in a hotel room unable to sleep, staring out of the window: 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 "I was digging the idea of how the lights were facing down, so that you couldn't see anything," he recalled. "All of a sudden I'd see people walking out of the dark, and into the light. And the term 'streetlight people' came to me. So Detroit was very much in my consciousness when we started writing."
• The popular resurgence of this song can be traced to its use in the 2003 movie Monster , which was based on the true story of the female serial killer Aileen Wuornos. The film was not widely seen but drew critical raves and a Best Actress Oscar for Charlize Theron, who portrayed Wuornos. In the movie, the song comes on when Wuornos and Selby Wall (played by Christina Ricci) are skating to it in a roller rink. They mention how they love the song, and as it builds, so does their passion, and they end up kissing outside the rink. The use of "Don't Stop Believin'" in this critically adored scene got the attention of the Hollywood community, who saw the emotion the song could bring out and no longer thought of it as a nostalgia track. Requests started pouring in to use the song in a variety of movies and TV shows, and soon another generation was familiar with the song. So how did it get in Monster in the first place? The film's director Patty Jenkins used it when they shot the scene and knew it fit perfectly. She sent the band members viewing copies of the film and asked permission to use it on a short budget. Perry called her back and not only gave approval, but helped her select music for the rest of the film; he's credited as a music consultant.
• The song was written to give the audience a connection with the band, a goal it achieved. Jonathan Cain told Songfacts: "It was the first attempt to bring an audience into the band's world. We're singing for you. We're singing about your world now. So, it was a departure from what they had been doing before. What I wanted to do was get a little Bruce Springsteen going on. Bruce was the master of that, bringing his audience into his songs. I was a huge fan of Bruce's."
• Speaking with the British radio station Planet Rock in 2010, Steve Perry said of this song: "Personally, it's something that means a lot to me. Everybody has emotional issues and problems, and the song has helped me personally to not give up, and I'm finding a lot of people feel that."
• This is the first track on Journey's seventh album, Escape . It was chosen to lead the album because, according to Cain, "With that piano line, it just sounds like a book opening up."
• The song got a boost when it was used as the closing number in Rock of Ages , a jukebox musical featuring hits of the '80s. The show ran on Broadway from 2009-2015, and in 2012 was made into a movie starring Tom Cruise. It's an appropriate choice, as Rock of Ages takes place on Sunset Boulevard, which is also the primary setting for the song.
• In the last ever episode of the TV show The Sopranos , which aired June 10, 2007, Tony Soprano plays this song on a jukebox during the final scene. The episode abruptly ends with the lyrics "Don't Stop" as the scene cuts to black. Steve Perry said in People magazine June 13, 2007: "I needed to know how this song was going to be used. I didn't want the song to be part of a blood-bath, if that was going to be the closing moment. In order for me to feel good about approving the song use, they had to tell me what happened. And they made me swear that I would not tell anybody."
• This was featured in an episode of the TV show Scrubs called "My Journey." Other television series and films to use "Don't Stop Believin'" include South Park , The Wedding Singer , Shrek the Halls , Bedtime Stories , Yes Dear , King of the Hill , The Comebacks , View from the Top , Cold Case , CSI: Crime Scene Investigation , My Name Is Earl , Just Shoot Me and Laguna Beach .
• In November 2008 it was announced that this track had become the first song available in the pre-digital era to sell more than 2 million downloads through iTunes. The track's popularity increased significantly after its appearance in the final episode of The Sopranos . It also became one of the most popular karaoke songs in America in the late '00s.
• In May 2009 a remake by the cast of the Fox TV musical comedy Glee debuted at #4 on the Billboard Hot 100, five places higher than Journey's version ever reached. It was performed in the season pilot and became part of the soundtrack album Glee: The Music, Volume 1 . By the end of 2009, the digital download had earned 500,000 digital sales. The Glee version was performed on Sesame Street with monsters portraying the cast. The bit featured the letter G, so the lyrics were adapted to "Don't stop G-ing."
• Believing in yourself and following your passion are ideals Steve Perry holds dear. When Randy Jackson, who used to play bass with Journey, was a judge on the singing competition American Idol , he asked Perry to come on as a guest judge. Perry turned him down, saying, "I don't feel good about sitting in judgment of anyone's honest passion to perform or their talent. If someone has a passion to perform, they should do it no matter what anyone says." Perry added: "I was passed on in the music business many, many times before Herbie [Journey manager Walter Herbert] heard my demo and believed in me. That was the moment that changed my life and I'm still forever grateful to him for believing in me. The hardest part is to keep believing in what you love when others tell you that you are not good at it."
• MTV went on the air shortly before this song was released. The band made a Spartan performance video for it in an empty arena, apparently at a soundcheck. They made a better one with footage from a Houston stop on their Escape tour, which became the official video that shows up on their VEVO account. Neither video got much love on MTV, which preferred concept videos.
• In the UK, this song peaked at #62 when it was first released. In November 2009, it was rereleased after Joe McEldry sang it on the TV show X-Factor , and this time, it climbed to #19. Joe McElderry won the competition, and franchise boss Simon Cowell wanted to release his version of the song as the single in the aftermath of the teenage singer's victory. However, Journey declined and Cowell instead arranged for McElderry to cover Miley Cyrus' track " The Climb ." Guitarist Neal Schon explained to The Sun : "We knew about Joe's version because Simon had contacted our management. He wanted to re-do the song with a different arrangement. We listened to it. We declined. There was nothing wrong with the original version - if it's not busted, let's not fix it." Schon added that Journey were aware they were possibly passing up a UK #1 hit. "Randy Jackson, who was on American Idol with Simon, was stressing that we should let him do it because it would probably go to #1. But we stuck to our decision."
• In the UK, the Glee Cast version debuted at #5 on the UK singles chart dated January 17, 2010, one place above Journey's original recording. It was the first instance of two versions of the same song sitting at back to back positions on the chart since December 2008 when Alexandra Burke's take on " Hallelujah " was at #1 with Jeff Buckley's version one place behind.
• The song starts with Perry singing about a young couple from two different backgrounds: 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 But hang on a sec, any good Motor City citizen will tell you, there is no location called South Detroit; Detroit, Michigan, distinguishes only between an East Side and a West Side. If you go south in Detroit ("down-river"), you end up in Canada. Perry admitted to New York Magazine that he wasn't overly concerned with being geographically accurate. "I ran the phonetics of east, west, and north, but nothing sounded as good or emotionally true to me as South Detroit," he said. "The syntax just sounded right. I fell in love with the line. It's only been in the last few years that I've learned that there is no South Detroit. But it doesn't matter."
• This was used in the 1982 Atari video game Journey Escape . The song played in the background while you controlled various band members, helping them find the space ship while avoiding groupies and evil promoters. Computer graphics were pretty bad back then, so the groupies were represented as hearts with legs, and the promoters were floating heads. In fact, the very game was created to be based on the band Journey and the album Escape .
• This was one of the first Journey songs on which keyboard player Jonathan Cain played. He replaced Gregg Rolle for the Escape album.
• Lady Gaga, Elton John, Bruce Springsteen, Sting, Blondie and Shirley Bassey performed this at the finale of a Rainforest Fund benefit at Carnegie Hall in May 2010.
• This song was used in a 2005 episode of animated TV series Family Guy where Peter, Joe, Cleveland, and Quagmire did a drunken karaoke rendition of the song. ITunes was catching on at this point, and after this episode aired there was a spike in download sales of the song. >> Suggestion credit : Bert - Pueblo, NM
• Journey toured to support this album, but they interrupted their tour to open for The Rolling Stones in Philadelphia on September 25, 1981. It was The Stones first show on their North American tour.
• This became the anthem of the Chicago White Sox during their 2005 season in which they won the World Series. Steve Perry attended the last game of the Series and sang the song at their victory parade. Perry's allegiance though, is to his hometown team the San Francisco Giants. He was often seen supporting the team when they won World Series titles in 2010, 2012 and 2014. Perry would sometimes lead the crowd in singing along to "Don't Stop Believin'" when it was played between innings at games.
• Steve Perry severed ties with Journey in 1998 when he needed hip replacement surgery and couldn't give his bandmates a return date. Anxious to tour, they replaced him with the similar sounding Steve Augeri, and later with Arnel Pineda. For Journey fans, a dream scenario finds Perry reuniting with the band, triumphantly taking the helm on "Don't Stop Believin'" in an affirmation of unity and faith. But every year, they scenario seems less likely. In 2017 when they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Perry attended but didn't perform with the band, which did three songs (including this one) with Pineda. When Perry emerged with a solo album, Traces , in 2018, he offered some insight into his split with the band and his absence. "My love for music had suddenly left me," he said. "If music was ever to return to my heart, then and only then I would figure out what to do. If not... so be it, for I had already lived the dream of dreams." Journey first fractured in 1987 after touring for their Raised On Radio album. This was Perry's doing, as he was burned out and worried about keeping his voice healthy. But it was Perry who initiated their return, calling Cain in 1995 to talk about getting back together. This resulted in the 1996 album Trial by Fire ; Perry's hip condition emerged after it was finished.
• "Don't Stop Believin'" powered Journey's 1988 Greatest Hits album to a whopping 15 million in US sales ( Escape sold 9 million), making it one of the best-selling compilation albums in history. In 2001, they released another compilation, The Essential Journey , which sold another 2 million.
• During the 2020 pandemic, some hospitals used the song as a rallying call for patients recovering from COVID-19 and those treating them. The New York-Presbyterian Queens Hospital, for instance, played "Don't Stop Believin'" throughout the building each time they discharged a coronavirus patient.
• In 2020, Ladbaby, a UK duo comprising YouTuber Mark Hoyle and his wife Roxanne, released a playful twist on this song titled " Don't Stop Me Eatin' ." Recorded to raise money for foodbank charity The Trussell Trust, Ladbaby's single was the UK's Official Christmas #1 that year.
• "Don't Stop Believin'" was honored by the Library of Congress, which added it to the National Recording Registry in 2022. Steve Perry said: "That song, over the years, has become something that has a life of its own. It's about the people who've embraced it and found the lyrics to be something they can relate to and hold onto and sing."
• On January 26, 2024, the RIAA certified "Don't Stop Believin'" at 18x Platinum, a jump from 5x Platinum in 2013. The new certification reflects streaming, and signals that the song is immensely popular across generations. Other songs to reach that milestone are all far more recent, like " Sunflower " by Post Malone. Based on these figures, it's safe to say that "Don't Stop Believin'" is the most widely popular song of all-time in America. You can play it to anyone and they'll certainly recognize the song and probably like it. The next-closest song from the pre-streaming era is Mariah Carey's " All I Want For Christmas Is You ," with a 14x Platinum certification in 2024.
• More songs from Journey
• More songs about perseverance
• More songs used in TV shows
• More songs used in movies
• More popular Karaoke songs
• More songs that were hits for more than one artist
• More songs covered by the Glee cast
• More songs that are discussed in movies
• More songs popular during the coronavirus pandemic
• More motivational songs
• More songs from 1981
• Lyrics to Don't Stop Believin'
• Journey Artistfacts

Comments: 119

• Chad Eicher from Apple Creek, Ohio This song has got to be one of the greatest hit songs that I knew the words to. The cast of the Fox television show "Glee" did their version of that hit song. It just blew me away.
• Rw Cain, at a songwriters festival in 2014, explained some parts of the song. The girl and guy story is like a version of Jack And Diane; they may not be real people. The trains moving at midnight is inspired by the song Midnight Train To Georgia. Live versions of the song, depending on the main vocalist, may change South Detroit to whatever city the band is playing in at that moment.
• Soulsoldseparately from Buffalo, Ny Does "city boy born and raised in South Detroit" refer to an actual person?
• Seventh Mist from 7th Heaven My daughter's favorite song. She often used it as inspiration once she was on her own and (seemingly) facing a new challenge every day. She never stopped believing.
• Susan from Illinois Question-asker from A Train Going Anywhere, I think the lyric means ourselves. The movie is our lives. I believe our lives on this planet will end, but our souls will live on and on in another place.
• Ronsha from New Jersey OMG. This song is so dang famous! People everywhere know this song. I swear to God it's even growing on the younger generations, including me. I used to hate it and think it's overrated, but deep down I always thought, oh darn, this song's catchy, who am I kidding? I'm 13 now and Don't Stop Believin' is one of the most uplifting songs I've ever heard. Not only the sound, but also the lyrics are beautiful. Good song to make you feel strong, nostalgic... it could make you cry too.
• Brett from Mason Whether we choose to hear Streetlight People for street lights, people Steve Perry came right out and said after a concert in Detroit he is looking out from his hotel room down on the street and there we're people just wandering around the street. Not necessarily prostitutes or any other specific type of people. More or less aimlessly wandering around Under The Lights doing nothing. Mendez for the South Detroit I don't think he was intending to give a geography lesson. He was making a song sound the best it could possibly be
• Mckinzie from United States This is my all time favorite song, I say that this is my song because I could relate to this song so much.
• Nick from Ohio This is the most played classic hit of all time. Who would have thought that a song that peaked at #9 would become the undisputed biggest song in history.
• Badintense from Erie Pa This song has crossed all generations and ethnicities as a beloved song. Last summer (2019) in my neighborhood a group of young black teens were hauling their giant boom box down the street blaring this song and singing the words perfectly as if they were in an adult karaoke bar. It actually brought a tear to my eye since I was a teen when this song first came out in 1981. Journey's music has really brought people together into a common bond no matter what the media tries to push on people.
• Question-asker from A Train Going Anywhere what does the lyric "Oh, the movie never ends It goes on and on, and on, and on" mean in this song?
• Seventhmist from 7th Heaven I recently took a long trip and played a Journey collection in my car, downloaded from a phone app. It contained a live version of this song, performed in Houston, that I hadn’t heard before. When Perry reached line about the boy, he sang, “Just a city boy, born and raised right here in Houston!” That definitely caught me by surprise.
• Jodie from Xx I'm pretty sure he's saying "streetlights, people". Not "streetlight people".
• Steve from Albany, Ny And the nonsense about Windsor being "considered" south Detroit continues to stick to the Wiki page like doodoo. LOL It's been said by many that you should never rely on Wiki as a source of reliable / accurate information. Very true.
• Charles from Charlotte The stuff about lowlife killer Eileen Wuernos kissing her female lover just sullies the discussion of a great American pop song. Wish Perry & Co, had said NO!! to that.
• Leonardo from Connecticut I would argue that the Sopranos season finale repopularized the song, not Monster...
• Tony from San Diego Steve Smith plays an amazing drum pattern during the choruses.
• Steve from Albany, Ny The info on the Wikipedia page for this song is inaccurate. And some moderator is allowing it to be there. I guess the following from John Cafferty & The Beaver Brown Band's song C-I-T-Y was actually referring to Windsor too: "On the South side of Detroit city I'm working all night on the line" Yep, definitely referring to Windsor, Ontario because everyone knows Windsor, Ontario is "considered" south Detroit. Right. LOL
• Steve from Albany, Ny Regarding "south Detroit", I'm simply going to paste in what I just got done explaining to a mod at Wiki who is apparently bent on leaving misinformation on the Wiki page for this song. Sorry but this is pretty simple stuff and anyone who doesn't get it is an imbecile. ........................ I'm guessing / just realizing that you're a type of moderator here. If you in fact have control over what info is on the page in question, it would be a HUGE wrong to leave in the very misleading entry you've re-submitted. Windsor, Ontario is south _OF_ Detroit, Michigan. Detroit, Michigan is the city that NUMEROUS bands would make reference to in their songs. Especially rock bands and especially during the 70s into the 80s. Not Windsor and not any other suburbs of Detroit that also lie south of Detroit (or "downriver"). The song simply makes reference to the south SIDE of Detroit. The quote by Perry makes it clear that the word south was only added because... well, try singing it without south and just a long INNNN in it's place. As the quote makes clear, the song would not have sounded right without south (or something) before the word Detroit. Not that it's is needed for most to understand that the song is referencing Detroit and only Detroit but there is also a quote by Perry in which he stated that Detroit was very much in their (the writers) minds as they wrote the song. Windsor is not a part of Detroit. The song makes reference to the south side of Detroit. If the entry about Windsor is left on the page, so be it, but it is completely misleading and wrong.
• John from Chino, Ca This song is played during the final minutes of Detroit Red Wings home games where it seems evident that the team will win. Played over the PA system, the song is muted so the crowd can sing the verse, "Born and raised in South Detroit."
• Barry from Sauquoit, Ny On December 13th 1981 "Don't Stop Believin'" by Journey peaked at #9 (for 3 weeks) on Billboard's Hot Top 100 chart; it had entered the chart on October 25th and spent 9 weeks on the Top 100... It reached #2 in Canada and #6 in the U.K. Was one of four tracks from the group's 1981 album 'Escape' to make the Top 100 (the others were "Who's Crying Now" (4), "Still They Ride" (#19) and "Open Arms" (#2)... And on September 12th, 1981 the album peaked at #1 (for 1 week) on Billboard's Top 200 Albums chart.
• Steve from Albany, Ny Some of the comments here regarding this song and it's mentioning of south Detroit are ridiculous. Saying there is no south Detroit is funny enough (there is a south side of any city and I was born and raised in SW Detroit myself) but I especially get a kick out of the people who say the song is referring to Windsor. If the following Steve Perry quote is accurate, "All of a sudden I'd see people walking out of the dark, and into the light. And the term 'streetlight people' came to me. So Detroit was very much in my consciousness when we started writing.", then the ONLY city being referenced in the song is Detroit. If by chance the lyrics were written as "South Detroit" as opposed to "south Detroit", I suppose that could indicate that Perry/ the writers were thinking of some area of Detroit or evena separate town with that name but it's not likely and that capital S is the only error here. There's nothing complicated here, the song simply refers to the south side of Detroit.
• Jay from Centereach, Long Island, Ny I am surprised that the "South Detroit" line is so controversial. As a New Yorker, and not wholly familiar with the local geography or the neighborhood names of Detroit, I always thought South Detroit simply meant the southern part of Detroit, much like the South Bronx is the southern part of the Bronx. But who cares? This is a great song; no one should be concerned about a geographic error.
• Deethewriter from Saint Petersburg, Russia Federation Neal Schon told RAW RAWK RU NEWS 2011-10-24 that the recent resurgence of "Don't Stop Believin'" after appearing on The Sopranos and Glee -- as well as becoming the first iTunes song to reach two million downloads -- is beyond his comprehension: "When the record came out, there were other songs that were actually bigger than that off it on radio. Y'know, to have it this many years later just come out and be bombastic (laughs) like never before, just like all over the place and just keep on . . . It just keeps on going. Y'know, it's just pretty amazing."
• Terry from Grafon, Wi This song should be the national anthem of the United States.
• Willie from Scottsdale, Az Bwaaahahaha! Now Michelle "White House Crasher" Salahi is shacking up with Neal Schon. Priceless.
• Ken from San Mateo, Ca Since last year's World Series victory, I will always associate this song to the Giants and the Bay Area. Absolutely one of the best songs!!!!
• Hannah from Gustavus, Oh I'm graduating this coming Sunday (May 29, 2011) and I couldn't be more thrilled that this was voted in as our class song. When they announced it at school you could hear people cheering. I think the reason it's such an enduring song for graduation is that unlike most of the class themes that get picked ("Good Riddance," "Here's to the Night," etc.) it's not about looking back and being sad it's over, but rather looking forward and realizing there is indeed life afterward. It's about living life to the fullest (the first verse) and how even though life is difficult ("some are born to sing the blues"), the important thing is to at least take chances and try ("roll the dice just one more time") - and of course, to not give up no matter what may happen, because everything will turn out just fine in the end.
• Michael from Cincinnati, Oh Journey's 1982 album "Eascape was made into a video game titled "Escape".It was produced by Atari for the 2600 model.It was made by Data Age in San Jose,Cal.The Object of the game was to help the band members "Escape" the fans chasing them around.Pretty cool game at the time.
• Steppy from Detroit, Mi *South Detroit Debate* I'm from metro Detroit (as well as a giant Journey fan) and had always wondered about the reference to South Detroit. I heard and interview a year or so ago with Steve Perry, where he addressed the issue. I listened to it online, maybe Youtube?, so the interview may have been old. At any rate, he said that after a concert in Detroit, he was sitting in his hotel room, very late, working on this song. The room was on a high floor and he was watching the people standing under the lights and pondering their lives ("streetlight people"). While he realized that South Detroit didn't really exist, he used a bit of artistic license, because it flowed better than East Detroit.
• Megan from Stevenson, Al Tell me why this is AMAZING?! lol This song is on a totally different level. Awesome.
• Jim from Long Beach, Ca Great song. South Detroit=Winsor,Ontario,Canada.....
• Jay from St Paul, Mn I listened to a few interviews Steve has given. He said he used South Detroit because it sounded better than North, East or West. He said he didn't realize there was no South Detroit. He jokingly said he found out South Detroit was actually Windsor. As far as streetlight people, he said it's something that he noticed when he looked out of a hotel window. If you Youtube it, you can find the interviews. Very worth while.
• Ken from San Mateo, Ca What a song...Like the Chisox, this also became a tribute song for the 2010 World Champion San Francisco Giants! And Journey is from this area, so it makes better sense.
• Bobby from Belleville, Nj While Journey's version is a classic, back in 2008 before it was used in Sopranos, freestyle artist George LaMond remade the song into a pop/dance version. And a very good one, I might add.
• Barry from Sauquoit, Ny Five years before Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'" Olivia Newton-John had a completely different record with the same title, it peaked at No. 33...
• Bd from Vienna, Va Probably worth noting in the brouhaha about Journey turning down a cover of this song is that Randy Jackson was in the band for a while in the mid-80s before their first breakup.
• Rob from Fredericton, Nb One of the many anthems most prominiately found in the 80s hall of great music. For every song played on the radio, this one song sticks out the most when I use to go to a carnival in my hometown. With the smell of fries, hotdogs and other foods lingering in the air, you could always hear a Journey tune blaring in the background while everyone enjoyed riding the many rides at this carnival. So when you take an experience, like a carnival, and feature all of it's pleasantries you soon inaugurate any song from the 80s, namely a Journey tune, and the picture is complete. Such a great band and such a great song.
• Sara from Detroit, Mi And for those of you that want to split hairs, Look on the map of Detroit. Melvindale, Ecorse, Lincoln Park, Ecorse, Delray, Allen Park, Southgate, Taylor, River Rouge, Wyandotte. These are all blue collar or very poor areas, and most people worked for the Big 3 auto companies. This area is called "Downriver" as it is south of Detroit. Detroit itself is a pretty small city. What most people think is Detroit is any one of the suburbs that lies within or outside of Detroit's city limits. Oak Park, Hazel Park, Highland Park, and Hamtramck, are all INSIDE the City Limits. Where as Dearborn, Dearborn Heights, Southfield, Eastpointe, are OUTSIDE of Detroit's City Limits...yet most people consider it part of the greater metro area. When the word METRO is used by itself all over the country it means DETROIT METRO. We were the first place to use the term "Metro" as a colloquial term for a specific large area, as Detroit was the first city in the country to spread out that fast with that large of a population. The city of Detroit itself, is small.
• Sara from Detroit, Mi You are all VERY WRONG about the South Detroit explanation. To those of us who are FROM Detroit and GREW UP THERE....SOUTH DETROIT IS ANYTHING SOUTH OF I-96...a.k.a "Downriver" ....There has NEVER been a place CALLED South Detroit. It's like being in any big city, the term is more loosely used, than say "South Philly", "South-Central L.A." "Southside Of Chicago". Yes Eastpointe was East Detroit but that has absolutely NOTHING to do with this, you don't see a "West Detroit" on the map do you? As for the lyrics it IS in fact "Streetlights, People". It's amazing how many Americans struggle with their own native language!
• Carrie from Roanoke, Va Petra Haden does a cover version of this song.
• Karen from Manchester, Nh I have loved this song for years...until I heard that it was the closing song on the piece of filth that is titled "The Sopranos".
• Jose from Brisbane, Australia Please tour Australia! I know it's hard because for some reason, Australia never really got into Journey... sad lot we are.
• Nikki from Yamba, Australia greta song... love that it has on family guy.. scrubs... the sapranos... the wedding singer and love when LC and stephen sing it on the second series of laguna beach!
• Ellen from Chicago, Il A great song. See Wikipedia's article (search the song title) for additional details as to what exactly is meant by "South Detroit" - in the section called "Sports".
• Rahul from Chennai, India absolutely beautiful song....
• Stu from Philly, Pa They've been quoted as saying "it's streetlight people, we're talking about prostitutes." At any rate, check the lyrics book that came with the album. One of the greatest songs of all time, it was a real treat to see the cast of Glee perform it on that new TV show. One of the best non-Journey renditions of it. My band Raised On Radio usually starts our sets with this song.
• Mike from Brighton, Ma To answer the age old question, "South Detroit" actually refers Southfield, Michigan. (Southfield, ironcally is north of Detroit.) In the 1980s, Journey played many charity soft ball games with WRIF-FM (The Riff).
• Brendan from Cape Town, South Africa The line after "streetlights, people" sounds like "heaven just a fun emotion" Any other suggestions?
• Allen from Knoxville, Tn On the University Of Tennessee campus, somebody has spray painted on the stop signs "dont STOP believin'" Great song, even 27 years after it was released!
• Katie from St. Paul, Mn The lyrics say "Streetlights, people...", not "Streetlight people".
• Josh from Indianapolis, In Journey Rocks Big Time!!!!!!!!!!!!! thers not a song by them i dont like> Rock on!
• Bob from Dumbsville, Belarus Wow this song is beautiful! Everytime I'm down, I listen to it and it gets me back on my feet again. This song just defines 80s music. Journey will just never be the same without Steve Perry leading their crusade.
• Morten from Sydney, Australia I'm an 80's music tragic but suprisingly had never heard of this song! Thanks to Family Guy for introducing me to this gem! -Morten, Sydney, Australia
• Dean from Windsor, On I would just like to inform all those people who say this song isn't about Windsor. When "South Detroit" is mentioned the city of Windsor is what they are talking about. Windsor is actually SOUTH of Detroit. If your ever around my town and stand at the river your compass will point north. Enjoy!
• Julie from Taylor, Tx When this song comes on...me and best friend victoria go crazy! it's their best song. Classic 80's!
• Melanie from Seattle, Wa Scott from Boston - what a cool story! Haha I want to go write that on a stop sign now! :D This song is sooo good. Journey's best IMO. Steve's voice is amazing.
• Neil from Ottawa, Canada This song was sung by the football team in the 2007 film "The Comebacks". One of the players starts singing it in the change-room, and it turns in to a full-stage concert. It mocks the sports movie cliche of teams turning it around with an uplifting theme song, and also references the Chicago White Sox World Series.
• Liquid Len from Ottawa, Canada What a great song! The only song Journey did in the 80s that wasn't horrid!
• Fredrik from Stockholm, Sweden This song was also featured in the South Park episode "tsst" when Cartman is plugging in his X-Box. He sings the lines "Don't stop believing, hold on to your feelings"
• Krista from Elyria, Oh I love Journey! And I love it when ametuers sing the lyrics! But I HATE baseball cards...
• Scott from Boston, Ma During cross country last year there was a stop sign we always ran by during practice and it said "don't" above it and "believing" below it. It became our team's song and we often sang it very out of tune during runs. Also, that Family Guy episode is awesome (as most are). "Oh my god, that is Journey!"
• Michael from San Diego, Ca One of the most beautiful songs of all time...if this song doesn't get to you, then you may need to check your pulse!
• Richie from Sedalia, Mo Edgar, Kings Park, NY Better luck next time!!
• Edgar from Kings Park, Ny This song reminds me of my failed suicide attempt. Well... there's always next time.
• Brian from Portage, Mi Yes, Detroit is an East/West city, but no matter where an area is, there is still four cardinal directions.
• Brian from Detroit, Mi Anyone from Detroit will know what i am saying, but "south detroit" refers tothe area south of Outer Drive, Detroiters refer to the area as "downriver." i Just want to clear the confusion. It ISINT canada, it ISINT eastpointe, NOR groose pointe.
• Eamon from Motherwell, Scotland THis inspirational song was played every night in a juke by me when I was teaching summer camp in up state New York back in 1980. Being from Scotland, I loved the American rock scene and this classic just typifyies it. 27 years later, I play the Journey live DVD while I work out every other night and never tire of hearing it, it is in my blood. I had the pleasure of seeing Journey in Glasgow earlier this year and it was a real highlight. One question - I have heard different lyrics for this some say "Heaven is a funky mouse?" Any comments guys and girls? Eamon.Motherwell. Scotland.
• Sergio from Miami, Fl I have been listening to this song for a long time now. I grew up listening to it and I admit, its my all time favorite. It is so cool now to see a new generation fall in love with it thanks to Family Guy, Scrubs and Sopranos. I dont think it matters if South Detroit is correct or not cause whenever they performed it live with Steve Perry he always replaced Detroit with the city they were in at the moment. I always thought that was a nice touch and he always got a cheap pop for it. I know I will always love this song and just dont get sick or hearing it. Journey was a fantastic band with some great musicians.
• Mary from Canyon, Tx This song was my junior class song way back when in ancient times, not too long after it was first released. EVen I know Windsor, ON is south of Detroit! (Southeast to be exact.)
• Mark from Glassboro, Nj This song was used in the very end of The Soprano's Final Episode. The song is cut short and the screen goes to blank.
• Missy from Ann Arbor, Mi You may not belive this but 'Don't stop Belivin' was my senior class song...I love it and so did my class...we were a pretty small class and we were all ubsessed with soft and classic rock...the good stuff...Whenever I hear those first few piano keys play, I will alway go back to my high school gym, on a hot june day, walking to the stage to graduate...Good Times, Great Memories and GREAT SONG!!!
• Mike from Hueytown , Al I love the 80's on VH1 ripped this song apart.
• Mark from Des Moines, Ia I can't help but think of the CHICAGO WHITE SOX and their magical run to the World Series title in 2005. What a great season!!! What a great song!!!
• Maria from Houston , Tx I agree with most, his voice is awesome!!!!
• Kara from Cadillac, Mi Artists magic is what happens when you take a group of extraordinarily talented people and put them together, allowing them each to do what they do best. Journey is what happens when it all fits together and creates something wonderful. They're not just a band- they're an era. Neal Schon is with out a doubt one of the most gifted guitarists ever. His knowledge and presentation of his craft are nothing short of brilliant. Steve Perry's vocals are masterful. They, along with Schon's guitar work, gave Journey a distintive sound. Jonathan Cain - a perfect fit, though I admit I've always liked Greg Rolle too. I have a Journey album that was made prior to Steve Perry's joining and listening to that makes me know that Journey would have been great no matter what because they had the talent to be great. I know there were changes in the lineup, but Ross Valory's bass playing was also part of what made Journey what it is to me. I loved Steve Smith on the drums, but as with Rolle, I was sad to see Aynsley Dunbar go. Journey was a concept, a feeling, a part of life, an important accent to memories in my life and continues to contribute to important events in the lives of my kids. Two of my sons play guitar and are greatly influenced by Neal Schon. One of them is currently overseas serving in the millitary- he will marry his high school sweetheart when he returns and their wedding song will be "Open Arms". The two sons that I have at home have recently been getting into Journey - "Generations" and I have found that I love their music now as much as I ever did. It never mattered to me that Steve Perry said "South Detroit" - I lived in Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti for many years and I never could keep the suburbs or other offspring areas of Detroit straight anyway. I lived in San Francisco too and always knew that "Lights" was about that city - even if it was written in (or partially in) L.A. - Who cares? Does anybody ever question why "Still They Ride" has traffic lights in it? No. Why? Because it's a truly amazing song about times changing before people are ready for them to with an outstanding guitar lead and excellent vocals. Get over the details. This is legendary music by exceptional musicians. Just enjoy it.
• J from Boston, Ma and I mean (in the last comment) in the chorus part at the end.
• J from Boston, Ma About the streetlight line, I think the first time the line is done, it sort of sounds like streetlight with a little extra sound on it. However, the second time the line is sung, he definetly says streetlights. As the song fades out, I think he says streetlight.
• Jack from London, England Coming from England I had never heard this song on the radio before I heard it on Family Guy. I then heard the song during an episode of Scrubs Season 3 called "My Journey" and decided I had to download it. JOURNEY KICK ASS
• Nathan from From The Country Of, Canada I always heard this song on the radio, but it wasn't until its appearance on Family Guy's kareokee episode that i realized how good the song actually is.
• Peter from Detroit, Mi No matter what, at least once a month I hear this song at the bar. My friends and I are from Dearborn Heights, MI and I like to replace south detroit with "dearborn heights" while belting the lyrics to the annoyance of my girlfriend...she thinks I'm cute so it's cool. Rock on Journey!
• Tom from Vashon, Wa This is an amazing song. It is so sweet. I love it. I think that it has a great message that we can all relate to. Wether we are living on the streets or we are just having problems with our closest friend. You can never stop believing.
• Dave from Beamsville, Canada If you listen closely, you will hear a rendition of this song during the first wedding ceremony on 'The Wedding Singer' when Adam Sandler gets stood up at the alter.
• Allan from Calgary, Canada At The Den (the on-campus bar at the University of Calgary) this song has been the last song every weekend night for the last 10 years. All the regulars drop their pants and do the "no pants dance" Quite a good time and a great way to end the night at a great bar.
• Zeke from Washington, Dc All the lyrics say that the line is "Streetlight, people..." but if you listen to the song it DEFINITELY sings "Streetlights, people." Which do you think it is?
• Kevin from Grosse Pointe, Mi Yeah, but who calls Windsor "South Detroit"? Nobody. I love this song, but that line always bugs me. Why not say "Just a city boy, born and raised in East Detroit" East Detroit is the former name of Easpointe, Michigan. Also, East Detroit is just considered the East side of Metro Detriot, so he could be from the eastern part of the city of Detroit or from any one of the suburbs that is considered East Detroit (Harper Woods, Roseville, Clinton Township, St. Clair Shores)
• Emma from Palm Beach, Australia This song was performed in episode 403 of "The Family Guy" entitled "Don't Make Me Over" (original air date 06/05/05) by Peter, Cleveland, Quagmire and Joe. It's an enjoyable rendition, with pall bearers even dropping a coffin in order to hit "The Drunken Clam" to check out the performance.
• Matt from Haddon Hieghts, Nj This song is great and i got my whole family to love this song its Steve Perrys voice thats just awesome and its one of my fav
• Cindi from Vancouver, Canada OMG WHO care weather it is North, South. East or West it is a great song.....I can think about better things to debate than which way is up, down or left or right....I agree with who ever said there is N,S, E or West every where just get a compass and stand outside this isn't rocket science it's a Rock song.
• Zeke from Washington, Dc Actually, Canada IS south of Detroit. The southern part of Ontario is actually south of Detroit. Check your map Jon from Regina.
• Justin from Monson, Ma I think Journey's song "Don't stop Believin" is the greatest song in the world. I love it so much. Each time it comes on the radio, I turn it up loud. By the way, why does anyone care about how the city of Detroit is used in the song. The song's great!!!!!!!! -Justin Dubois,Monson,MA
• Matthew from East Brunswick, Nj Great song, Journey is a godsend of the 80's!
• Anwiya from Sterling Heights, Mi Hey John from Canada, you know nothing. A portion of Canada (city name: WINDSOR) is south of Detroit.
• Sara Mackenzie from Middle Of Nowhere, Fl white sox have used it for their theme song, omg!! at least it kept them going on to believe that they could win, and they did, so this song is like, an inspiration.
• Christa from Aurora, Il This was the song the white sox used for inspiration to win the world series 2005!
• Jeff from Sothington, Ct this is an inspirational song that has a good guitar part in it...the family guy episode was funny and the fact that i knew this girl that would sing this song and now everytime i hear it i see her singing it..but i still see myslef playing guitar...nice solo though
• David from Yosemite, Ca I heard this song sung a few weeks ago in San Francisco's North Beach--I was trying to sleep in the GreenTortoise hostel in the room above the lounge--and a chorus of girls was singing it. It must have been Kerioki night, but it was lovely. I couldn't recall the group (Journey), but heard a bit on the radio, and googled the lyrics. I've been googling lyrics all weekend--Napster's having free downloads, which brought me here--nice site.. I wish I could have recorded the girls singing. David Yosemite Sept. 4, 2005
• Chase from Pasadena, Ca Most of the memories posted on this website are by a girl named "Stephanie."
• Stephanie from Ellicott City, Md this song brings back some great memories .... reminds me of being just over the edge of 17, vacationing in Florida with my family. we were staying at this resort, and i was hanging out in the game room. i had been pretty bored, and i met this guy about 2 years younger than me. he was from a small town in Maine, while i was from the big city in Maryland. i was grateful to find someone close to my age, and we played airhockey, with us deciding to make a friendly bet, the terms to be determined after the game. he let me win, and the term of the bet was decided to be a kiss. we ended up making out for awhile, and when we parted for the night, we shared no pretense that we'd ever meet again. the next night, i heard this song, and it made me think of him - although it was reversed, he was the small town boy and i was the city girl, for a smile we shared the night, and the memories go on and on. i had been feeling pretty low about myself at this time, and feeling undesirable, and he made me feel like, hey, maybe there is something desirable about me after all. so, Matt from Maine, thank you.
• Ryan from Windsor, Canada Amazing song, one of the best from the 80's. oh and Jon from Regina, check your map bro. I'm from Windsor, Ontario Canada and to go to Detroit I'd have to travel North, not South (one of those "tricky" geography catches).
• Jev from Marietta, Ga Well does anyone know where I can get a good ringtone of this song period.
• Patrick from Charlotte, Nc no.
• Jev from Marietta, Ga Does anybody know where I can get a Don't Stop Believin ringtone that is reliable?
• Jon from Regina, Canada This is a great song. By the way, who really cares if they say South Detroit? It's not the end of the world. And John from Scottsdale, I thought most people knew this, but Canada is NORTH of Detroit, not south.
• Matthew from Marquette, Mi Ok... I don't know how many of you really know Geography, but there is a North, South, East and West of EVERYTHING! There is South America, Southern US, Southern California, South Detroit, my dorm room even has a southern part. While you may not find South Detroit on a map, there is in fact a South Detroit. The guy probably grew up near Michigan Avenue. As for the song... GREAT EFFIN' SONG!
• Tatem from San Diego, Ca No matter the radio station I'm listening to, you can always tell that distinctive Journey-Steve Perry sound and instantly know a Journey song regardless of your knowledge of their song list. Steve Perry gave Journey their uniqueness. I had heard about the Monster movie thing, never saw the movie though. It's hard to believe how old these guys are now. Steve Perry was a hottie. Aging happens to the best of us!!
• Perviz from Cochin, India Words can't describe the kind of feeling you get on hearing this song. Truly a masterpiece!!
• Perviz from Cochin, India This is truly a super duper song. Thanx a million Journey.
• Kevin from Grosse Pointe, Mi Yeah the whole South Detroit thing always bugged me too. Detroit is an East Side/West Side city, not a North Side/South Side city like Chicago. If the lyrics had said "East Detroit" it would have made more sense.
• Ryan from Lansing, Mi There is no East Detroit however as everyone should know, they changed there name to Eastpointe. But yeah he should really have said southren Detroit.
• John from Scottsdale, Az When I ever hear this song, I have to say "you've got it wrong, Steve, and sing "There ain't no such place as South Detroit." I grew up in Detroit. There's an east side and a west side. The dividing line is Woodward Avenue. South Detroit is..uh... Canada. Stand on the plaza in downtown Detroit, and look south. Oh, Canada. Otherwise, I like the song, but Steve and his buddies should hvae stuck to San Francisco or looked at a map
• Tom from Alma, Ga Ack! Another cookie-cutter corporate rock band. Being a child of the 80's, however, they did have some good stuff.
• Dawn from Highlands Ranch, Co Well, Neal Schon, Steve Perry and Jon Cain I think all take credit for the genesis of this song, which probably explains part of why they're not together anymore. But actress Charlize Theron really wanted this song for a scene in her movie Monster, so she and director/writer Patty Jenkins wrote a letter to Steve Perry begging him to allow them to use the song. He saw the scene they wanted it for, said it was perfect, through Sony contacts asked Jon and Neal if they were ok with it, they said yes, and Steve became musical consultant for the film, as well as the song being in the film. Steve is still traveling around the US and Canada with Patty helping her promote the movie and accepting awards for it.
• Mooler from Detroit, Mi Nora hit the nail right on the head. South Detroit is just referring to the southern part of the city just as south west detroit or west side or east side or northeast detroit...etc etc. I should know...im from north east detroit. 7 and gratiot.
• Paul from Greenwood, Sc Just a couple tidbits...in live shows, Journey frontman Steve Perry would insert the name of whatever city that would be hosting them, evidenced by the NFL films documentary of them from the late 80's where they are playing in Philly..."Born and raised in Phil-a-del-phia!"...also the guitar break between the first and second verse spotlights Schon at what he did best. Neil Schon was discovered by Carlos Santana and was playing on stage at the age of 15. He is incredibly fast and it shows on this classic.
• Larry from Artesia, Ca Streetlight people, living just to find emotion Hiding, somewhere in the night
• Angela from Santa Fe, Tx Does anyone know the lyrics to this song? I know most of them, however, there is one line in there where I can't seem to catch all the words. It is right after the line in the chorus "Streetlife people". Can anyone help me? Thanks.
• Nora from Richfield, Mn The lyrics didn't say 'south OF Detroit', it said South Detroit. Big difference

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Meaning Behind “Don’t Stop Believin'” Song By Journey

Don’t Stop Believin’ is a classic American rock song by the band Journey. Originally released in 1981, this mid-tempo rock anthem has continued to resonate to this day. The track was released as the second single on the band’s seventh studio album, Escape , with Columbia Records. It achieved number nine on Billboard’s Hot 100 , but in the UK Singles chart, it only ranked number 62. And it would have to wait over 20 years before it became a full-fledged American classic. 

Now, it is considered one of the best songs of all time. But it actually has a more complex history than it first appears.

The Composing of a Classic

The song was written by multiple band members : keyboardist Jonathan Cain, vocalist Steve Perry, and guitarist Neal Schon. Don’t Stop Believin’ is notable for its unique opening keyboard riff and chorus. It is interpreted as a penetrating perspective on individual human beings and society and how the two interact. It focuses on how the workaday world is boring, monotonous, and suffocating. Nevertheless, the track encourages feelings of hope, positivity, and endurance in its listeners.

Journey was fast becoming one of the world’s most prominent rock groups in the early 1980s. The band had achieved high success before adding Cain on the keyboard. He joined them before they entered the studio to record their seventh album.

The composing of Don’t Stop Believin’ was not a simple process. If not for a few lucky accidents along the way, band members Cain, Perry, and Schon may never have written it. They had just left behind its progressive rock phase in search of a smoother sound, and Perry became the vocalist at this time.

Don’t Stop Believin’ Lyrics Meaning

The core of the track—its infamous words and chords—comes from Cain. These words originated and still serve for him as a personal mantra. He first heard the words that would become the song on a phone call with his father.

At the start of his career in the 1970s, aspiring musician Cain was younger and struggling when his dog was hit by a car. Unsure about his future music career in Hollywood, he called his dad. He needed $900 for his dog’s veterinarian bill and a loan. He asked his father if his music career was merely “dreaming” and whether he should go back home to Chicago. His dad told him that he’d give him the loan but to stay right there in Hollywood: “Son, don’t stop believin’.”

He was struck by the beauty in these words and wrote them in his lyric book. Naturally, he had this book with him when he joined Journey in San Francisco.

He joined the band as they began working on their seventh album, Escape . Perry told Cain that their producer wanted one more song for their new album. Having hardly played with the band before starting the album, he replied that they’d already produced 17. But the producer was dead set and Perry was insistent. 

Cain went home to work on the track on his Wurlitzer piano—the same one he wrote Open Arms on. As he paged through his lyric notebook he again saw the words: “Don’t stop believin’.” Knowing Perry would love it, he immediately set to work writing a soaring chorus: “Hold on to that feelin’.” With just these two lines and the song’s chords, Cain went back to the band. Perry loved the chords, and the rest of the members joined in the work of writing a chorus. 

Finding the Right Notes

Perry, in addition to being a vocalist, also played bass and drums. He brought a mechanical understanding to each part of the song. Cain listened to Perry scatting and picked out what he heard: “Lonely world” or “anywhere.” Cain suggested the names “Jack and Diane” as monikers for normal, everyday people. The “small-town girl” referenced is the first character introduced, and her world is immediately portrayed as “lonely.” He came to see the song as a sort of movie that “goes on and on.”

He also suggested that the track’s location sounded like Sunset Boulevard in the 1970s. His memories of people cruising up and down the boulevard on Friday nights came flooding back. He remembered hustlers and dreams, actors and actresses, and producers and wannabes, all looking for something. 

After the lyrics were finished, the band went on to record the instruments. Initially, they had some difficulty with the song’s tempo. But amazingly, they were able to play the track through in one take after just 20 minutes of practice.

Schon recorded the song’s distinctive bass line while Cain wrote a complementary synth piece. Steve Smith drummed overtop this with a standard rock backbeat. He supplemented this with melodic, syncopated tom-toms and a ride cymbal bell that become more complex as the track progresses.

Schon also played 16th-note arpeggios over the rest of the instruments to evoke a “train” guiding the song on its way. Perry added his vocals soon after with the rest of the band singing backup in a single microphone. He finished mixing the track, and the hit was born.

Next: Journey’s best songs feature

What is The Real Don’t Stop Believin’ Song Meaning?

The song lyrics depict people from all different walks of life. These figures all share one theme in common: struggle in the face of challenges. These challenges are in many ways connected to what Perry went through in his personal life. Two individuals take a “midnight train going anywhere,” trying to set off into the unknown. Leaving home in search of destiny is a key theme in the track and part of its overall positivity.

The second verse begins with “a singer in a smoky room,” an itinerant entertainer or a hustler. This performer enjoys his gig but has no real clue what tomorrow holds for him. 

The same is the case for the characters in the third verse. Some of these figures will win and others will lose—their fortunes are entirely uncertain. The thread that winds among them all and binds them together is their search for something more. Like the “streetlight people” of the city, they are all “livin’ just to find emotion.” Two pre-choruses interspersed build the tension until the track’s energy feels ready to blow. 

Then comes the legendary chorus. Unlike most rock songs, Don’t Stop Believin’ saves its climactic chorus for the end. This makes sense since it was the most complete part at the start of composing. However, it is rare to be able to pull off such a daring power move.

The chorus not only caps the track but serves as its interpretative key. Even in the middle of the uncertainty of life and its meandering way, the song urges people to “hold on to that feelin’.” That feeling is an optimistic destiny worth striving for: the something more we are all after. If people “don’t stop believin’,” they may just achieve the fate they’re chasing.

Despite all the obstacles that are intrinsic to life, we can press on through them together. This is true even for those internal struggles we all face. This timeless inspiration of faith in humanity is what gives Don’t Stop Believin’ the power to reach across the decades. Regardless of what lies ahead, people still seem to be holding on to what matters most.

The message of this song seems to have been prophetic for the track itself. It became a top 10 worldwide hit upon release and became the band’s signature song. It hit new heights after being cataloged on iTunes in 2008, where it sold more than seven million copies. The 2009 cover by the cast of Glee actually outperformed the original track internationally. Today, there are few people who don’t know the words to this powerfully hopeful rock song.

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American Anthem

'don't stop believin" goes on and on, because we need it to.

Roben Farzad

Steve Perry performs with Journey at a Chicago-area concert in 1981. Paul Natkin/Getty Images hide caption

Steve Perry performs with Journey at a Chicago-area concert in 1981.

This story is part of American Anthem, a yearlong series on songs that rouse, unite, celebrate and call to action. Find more at NPR.org/Anthem .

It's midnight on a Tuesday in Richmond, Va. At Sticky Rice, a sushi joint that hosts this college town's most raucous karaoke night, the crowd is already at fire-code capacity, and would-be crooners are forming a line outside. At around 12:30 a.m., a set of famous piano chords begins to play, and the place explodes. Friends stand together on tables; the people stuck in line outside press against the windows. For a fleeting moment, everyone's on the same midnight train going anywhere.

Twenty-somethings Matt Malone and Shilpa Gangisetty are tonight's lucky performers of Journey's " Don't Stop Believin' ," for which the DJ has received as many as five requests — though you can't exactly hear their singing beneath the overflowing crowd shouting along. When they're done, Gangisetty, who is Indian American, says she loves the song because it's something she can enjoy with her immigrant parents.

"This came out right before my parents came to this country," she says. "There aren't too many cultural things that we can relate on."

"It's like the 'Itsy Bitsy Spider' of, like, middle school," Malone chimes in. "You have to know it. Everyone hates to love it."

Thirty-eight years after it debuted on the album Escape, "Don't Stop Believin'" is the go-to anthem for perseverance that has itself persevered, successfully riding wave after new wave of media. Though born in the era of rock radio and cassette mixtapes, the song found its real glory at the dawn of binge TV and the smartphone, and it has woven its way into weddings, bar mitzvahs, graduations, the 2005 World Series, The Sopranos and Glee .

Its fate was hardly a given. Critic Deborah Frost didn't even mention "Don't Stop Believin'" by name in her October 1981 review of Escape in Rolling Stone, which gave the album two out of five stars. "Maybe," she wrote, "there really are a lot of 'streetlight people' out there. If so, my guess is that they'll soon glow out of it." They didn't: According to Nielsen Music, "Don't Stop Believin'" holds the record as the most downloaded 20th-century song, and it has nearly 700 million streams on Spotify, at last count. What is it about this track that just won't stop?

The story of the song itself begins with Journey keyboardist Jonathan Cain. In the late 1970s, he was a struggling rocker who was ready to quit SoCal and move back to Chicago. Cain says everything had been going wrong: He and his girlfriend had split up, and he'd had to pay a costly vet bill to save his dog after it was hit by a car.

"I called my father for some money," he says. "I said, 'Dad, I'm out of cash here. ... Should I come home? Is this thing just not, you know, panning out?' And he told me, 'We've always had a vision, son. Don't stop believing.' I had a lyric book next to me, and I wrote it down."

Things started looking up for the musician after that. Cain found himself in a band opening up for mega-act Journey. Then, Journey itself poached him.

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In 1981, when the band was recording Escape, lead singer Steve Perry asked Cain to come up with a final track. Cain still had his dad's advice in the dog-eared lyric book and from it drew inspiration for the pedaled, keep-the-faith piano part that builds and releases over and over until the phrase itself arrives in the chorus, more than three-quarters of the way into the track.

The characters introduced in the first verse, a small-town girl and a South Detroit city boy, are familiar by now — enough so that it's rarely addressed that there is no such neighborhood as South Detroit, apart from Perry needing an extra syllable. As for the singer in the smoky room with wine and cheap perfume, that tableau evokes the desperation Cain says he felt at the Sunset Strip's Whisky a Go Go during his rough Los Angeles days.

"I really believe this song is about wanting to make it," he says, "Where you think you're stuck in life — that you're able to get out, the same way I got out of Chicago."

The fictional William McKinley High School's glee club sang "Don't Stop Believin'" in a 2009 episode of Fox's Glee . FOX Image Collection/Getty Images hide caption

By the late 1990s, Perry had left Journey, and the band's career was in the wilderness. But the requests for "Don't Stop Believin'" kept coming.

Charlize Theron roller-skated to the song in her Oscar-winning turn as a serial killer in 2003's Monster . Four years later, The Sopranos ended its pioneering six-season run on HBO with — spoiler alert — a tense sequence involving a diner and parallel parking, soundtracked by "Don't Stop Believin'." Downloads of the track on iTunes soared. In 2009, the earnest high school show choir on Glee covered the song for the first of several times throughout the series' run, sending its download numbers through the roof again.

"Don't Stop Believin'" has been heard on Scrubs, South Park and Family Guy. A string ensemble played it in the Adam Sandler comedy The Wedding Singer. It was the rally song for the Chicago White Sox in the team's 2005 World Series run, and it was the climax of the hit Broadway jukebox musical Rock of Ages. On social media, you can find plenty of photos of stop signs playfully defaced with the title exhortation.

For all its new success, Journey still needed a new lead singer who had something approximating Perry's trademark high tenor altino . Desperate, guitarist Neal Schon turned to searching for singers on YouTube — where, late one night, he discovered Arnel Pineda, a formerly homeless kid in the Philippines who was covering the band's ballads at smoky venues that reeked of wine and cheap perfume.

In 2007, Journey flew him to the U.S. for a tryout and hired him — a fairy-tale story chronicled in the 2009 documentary Don't Stop Believin': Everyman's Journey .

Pineda told CBS News in 2012, "Even before I discovered 'Don't Stop Believin,' it has been my motto — you know, to never stop believing in myself. The life that I've gone through, all those hardships, I never stopped believing that someday there is something magical that will happen in my life."

As for Frost — the critic who originally panned Escape in Rolling Stone — she tells NPR that four decades later she's still not a fan but that maybe those streetlight people might — might — have a point.

"You know, I think maybe it helps them celebrate their high school years — or their hopes," she says. "And if it does, what can I tell you? Good for them."

Roben Farzad is the host of Full Disclosure on NPR member station VPM.

Walter Ray Watson produced this story for broadcast. Daoud Tyler-Ameen adapted it for the Web.

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Don't Stop Believin': the power ballad that refused to die

"Just a small town girl …"

When was the last time you heard Don't Stop Believin'? Was it on the radio or in the pub? At a festival or a wedding? Was it sung by Journey themselves, the cast of Glee , a fan on YouTube, a choir of schoolchildren or a drunk friend on a karaoke machine? Boxfresh pop songs such as Tinie Tempah's Pass Out might have a decent claim on being the sound of Britain in 2010 but nothing has wriggled its way into every corner of the culture quite like a slow-burning power ballad that's about to celebrate its 30th birthday.

Let's take some figures. The year began with the curious sight of Journey's song at No 6, with the Glee version at No 5, and it has barely left the top 75 since. In the US, download sales have passed 4m, making it by far the biggest-selling 20th-century catalogue track. Americans have had longer to live with it. It was a hit there back in 1981, and it's had so many phases that even its comebacks have had comebacks. But over here it stalled at No 62 on its first release in February 1982 and didn't begin to register in the pop psyche until relatively recently. Its path from obscurity to ubiquity mirrors its unorthodox structure: the slow build towards the last-minute eruption.

"A singer in a smoky room …"

It was a song inspired by failure. Journey started life as a jazz-rock band in San Francisco in 1973, but they were floundering and hitless when, four years later, they recruited singer Steve Perry, who was having little luck himself. Their fortunes drastically improved, but the sentiments of Don't Stop Believin' harked back to the lean years. Before keyboardist Jonathan Cain joined in 1980, he was also struggling while living on LA's Sunset Boulevard. Each time he called home in despair, his dad would tell him: "Don't stop believing or you're done, dude."

The song was written backwards. Cain had nothing but the climactic chorus when he brought the stub of a song to Perry and guitarist Neal Schon, and they worked together on how to get to that moment. They all liked the concept of two lovers fleeing their hometowns by train (a reverse homage to Gladys Knight's Midnight Train to Georgia), and Cain told Perry about his time in LA, hence the "strangers waiting up and down the boulevard" line. "I [saw] that every night in Hollywood," Cain told The Mix magazine. "People coming to LA looking for their dream. We felt that every young person has a dream and sometimes where you grow up isn't where you're destined to be."

"Some will win, some will lose …"

In Britain, Don't Stop Believin' flopped, despite being Kerrang!'s single of the year for 1982. In the US, however, it was a substantial hit, the first of many from 1981's multi-platinum Escape album. "Everyone in an American high school in the early 80s probably had a Journey cassette," says Brian Raftery, author of Don't Stop Believin': How Karaoke Conquered the World and Changed My Life. "But then in the early 90s all the cheesy 80s music got rejected and it basically disappeared. Journey were seen as the kind of overblown arena act that grunge and hip-hop were meant to obliterate."

The band weren't best-placed to argue otherwise. Perry left in 1987, and then again after a brief reunion in the mid-90s, confirming the sense that Journey were yesterday's men. But a few years ago, Raftery started noticing younger people singing Don't Stop Believin' at karaoke. "It amazed me," he says. "First of all, how did they hear this song? And secondly, why? I think that younger people aren't aware of the stigma. They just think it's another awesomely cheesy anthem."

Cain dates the song's resurgence back to its tongue-in-cheek cameo in the 1998 Adam Sandler comedy The Wedding Singer. After that, other soundtrack co-ordinators turned to Journey for a song that was both humorously retro and genuinely stirring. It appeared in a pivotal montage in Scrubs (2003) and a karaoke scene in Family Guy (2005). And then, in 2007, came The Sopranos.

Series creator David Chase has never explained why he wanted Don't Stop Believin' for the last-ever episode, but it was a song that would have resonated with every member of the Soprano clan – for Tony and Carmella it was the sound of their youth, for Meadow and AJ a new discovery at college or high school. But when Chase first sought permission from the songwriters, Perry demurred because, he later explained, "I was not excited about the Soprano family being whacked to Don't Stop Believin'". He withheld consent until three days before the episode aired, when Chase agreed to tell him (three-year-old spoiler alert!) that the ending was ambiguous. And so 12 million viewers were left hanging with Journey ringing in their ears.

That's how a song that was already slowly re-entering the culture reached the tipping point. Kanye West sang along to it, in a kind of gauche superstar karaoke, on his 2008 tour. The Broadway musical Rock of Ages climaxed with a massed rendition. The LA Dodgers adopted it as their theme song. Just when it could hardly get more popular, it appeared, cleverly rearranged, in the pilot episode of Glee and wooed an even younger generation. "I think that helped stymie Don't Stop Believin' fatigue," says Raftery. "They managed to make a song that was very easy to sing along to even more accessible." In Britain, Joe McElderry's version on The X-Factor provided the final shove.

But this cultural carpet-bombing can only explain why people have heard it, not why they love it. What exactly is the unrelenting appeal of Don't Stop Believin'?

"It goes on and on and on and on …"

Raftery has a suggestion: "It's the kind of song you can wink at, but at the same time it's very emotional. You can have it both ways." Like Bon Jovi's Livin' on a Prayer, Don't Stop Believin' is inspirational kitsch, taking the borderline corny, ordinary-Joe heroism of Springsteen circa Born to Run and pushing it way over the top. But whereas Springsteen is more likely to focus on the smalltown world being left behind, Perry and Cain are all about where their heroes are going. The characters' self-image is shaped by rock music and cinema: "Oh, the movie never ends …"

The lyric is just specific enough not to be woolly but vague enough to apply to any situation in which not stopping believin' is important. If you're a sports fan, it says you may still get to the finals. If you're an aspiring musician, on Sunset Boulevard in the 70s or on The X Factor today, it says you may yet see your name in lights. And if you're just young and think you could do better, well then it's a song for you as well. No wonder its self-mythologising resonates at a time when nothing is more important than "following your dreams". "This song has helped me personally to not give up, and I'm finding that goes for a lot of people out there," Perry told Planet Rock radio in February.

"As cheesy as it is, it's pretty convincing," says Raftery. "Here are these kids, they've gone through some hard times, but you know what? You gotta keep pushing through it. Which is the story, for better or worse, of America: don't look back, don't let your past drag you down, just keep pushing forward."

And that's what the song does on a structural level – it pushes forward. It is that midnight train, steadily gathering speed, and as a listener you want to stay on until it reaches its destination. "It's like a wave about to happen," Cain told the LA Times. "The anticipation of something happening, a change in your life."

According to Will Byers, a music teacher and former host of the Guardian's School of Rock blog, the structure is the key. Yes, Cain's opening piano chords are potent – as Australian comedy trio Axis of Awesome have demonstrated in a much-watched clip , it's the same chord sequence (I, V, vi, IV) that appears in Take On Me, Under the Bridge, You're Beautiful and Let It Be, the minor vi adding just a touch of yearning. And yes, as Byers points out, each new guitar chord appears on the last quaver of the bar, giving the song an extra push. But these are common strategies. It's the slow burn that makes Don't Stop Believin' so unusually compelling.

"Over time, we learn to appreciate these songs that don't offload all they've got in the first minute – Elton John's Tiny Dancer being another one," says Byers. "You invest some emotion in bothering to listen all the way through."

You have to wait a full 80 seconds before the drums come in properly, and the chorus only arrives less than a minute before the end. It generates not just momentum but, as Chase recognised, suspense. It contains the possibility of failure ("Some will win, some will lose") until the last surge of indomitable optimism. The opposing vision of Midnight Train to Georgia, about someone who leaves LA after discovering that "dreams don't always come true", lurks in the shadows. It's no lyrical masterpiece, but it is a hugely effective bit of storytelling.

"It's the sense of theatre," says Byers, who has coached several students to sing it in the past year. "You can get away with a song building in a musical. In a way, it lends itself more to being placed in a narrative than it does to being a radio hit."

"Hold on to the feelin' …"

Glee dissolves the wall between star and fan, between professional performance and karaoke, making it an ideal vehicle to promote Don't Stop Believin' as a song for anyone to perform. "It's one of the most perfect karaoke songs ever," says Raftery. "I doubt anyone who works in a karaoke bar goes three hours without hearing it."

The song gives you license to overact, especially if you don't have a voice half as supple and precise as Perry's and you need to compensate with sheer gusto. In that context, it's both heroic and daft, narcissistic and communal. It's appropriate that Journey's current frontman, Arnel Pineda, was recruited after the band saw him performing Don't Stop Believin' on YouTube with his previous band. Perry made it great, but the song has now eclipsed the singer.

So first it was a normal song, then a forgotten one, then an ironic reference, then a genuine comeback, then a phenomenon, and now it's just there, like the sun or gravity or Hey Jude.

"I used to love that song and I'm so sick of it now," says Raftery. "The minute that piano starts I'm like, 'oh my God.' It won't go away. I feel like in a year and a half you guys will be where we are – please don't put on Don't Stop Believin'! But," he sighs, "it is fun. You can't deny how fun it is."

Don't Stop Believin' is out now and until the end of time on iTunes.

• Pop and rock
• The Sopranos
• Adam Sandler
• US television

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Meaning of Don’t Stop Believin’ by Journey

"Don't Stop Believin'" by Journey is an uplifting anthem about looking for hope and staying resilient even in challenging and difficult times. The song focuses on two seemingly different individuals from different backgrounds – a small-town girl and a city boy from South Detroit – and paints a picture of their shared dreams of adventure and of overcoming the odds. The chorus encourages the listener to keep believing in themselves and in their dreams, no matter what obstacles they may be facing. The song also explores themes of community and human connection, as both characters recognize that they are not alone in their struggles as strangers come together in the night, hoping to create meaningful connections despite their differences. Ultimately, “Don’t Stop Believin” is a reminder to persevere in your endeavors and to never give up hope.

This meaning interpretation was written by AI. Help improve it with your feedback

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Journey – “Don’t Stop Believin’” Lyrics Meaning

Joanna holds a BSc in English Literature and uses her expertise in literary analysis to uncover the deeper meaning of her favorite songs.

“Don’t Stop Believin’” by Journey is a timeless anthem of hope and perseverance. It tells the story of two people – a small-town girl and a city boy – searching for something more in life. These characters symbolize the universal journey of finding oneself and the pursuit of dreams. The song conveys a powerful message: never give up. It emphasizes the importance of holding onto that feeling of hope, even when the odds seem stacked against you. The songwriter, drawing from personal experiences and observations, crafts a narrative that resonates with anyone who’s ever yearned for something beyond their reach.

Ever felt like there’s something bigger out there for you? “Don’t Stop Believin’” captures that feeling. It’s not just a song; it’s an experience, a journey. Let’s unravel this journey together.

“Don’t Stop Believin’” Lyrics Meaning

“Just a small town girl, livin’ in a lonely world” – these opening lines instantly connect us to the girl’s sense of isolation and her longing for something more. Similarly, the “city boy, born and raised in South Detroit,” represents the other side of the spectrum – someone from an urban environment, yet equally lost and searching.

The song progresses through their journey, touching upon themes of loneliness, aspiration, and the relentless pursuit of dreams. The “midnight train going anywhere” is a powerful metaphor for the unknown paths we take in life, driven by our hopes and ambitions. This idea of journeying into the unknown is a recurring theme throughout the song.

The chorus, “Don’t stop believin’, hold on to that feelin’”, serves as a rallying cry. It’s a reminder to cling to our dreams and aspirations, no matter how distant they seem. This line transcends the narrative of the song, speaking directly to the listener, urging them to keep faith in their journey.

The scenes in the smokey room, with “the smell of wine and cheap perfume,” paint a vivid picture of fleeting moments and the transient nature of joy and struggle in life. The imagery of “streetlights, people, livin’ just to find emotion, hidin’ somewhere in the night” captures the essence of human longing and the continuous search for meaning and connection.

The Story Behind “Don’t Stop Believin’”

When delving into the creation of “Don’t Stop Believin’,” it’s essential to understand the mindset of the band, particularly that of the primary songwriter, Jonathan Cain. During the time of writing, Cain was transitioning into a new phase of his life and career. Joining Journey marked a significant turning point for him, filled with uncertainty and hope.

This song was born out of Cain’s personal experiences and reflections on life’s unpredictability and the necessity of holding onto hope. It mirrors his journey from struggling artist to rock star, embodying the emotions and challenges he faced along the way. The song’s characters – the small-town girl and the city boy – are extensions of Cain’s own story, representing the universal human experience of chasing dreams against all odds.

The phrase “Don’t Stop Believin’” was reportedly inspired by Cain’s father, who encouraged him during his moments of doubt. This personal touch adds depth to the song, making it not just a story about two fictional characters but a reflection of the songwriter’s own life struggles and triumphs.

In essence, the song is a narrative of resilience, hope, and the undying human spirit. It’s about finding strength in moments of despair and pushing forward when everything seems bleak.

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Journey – Don’t Stop Believin’ | Lyrics Meaning & Song Review

Drawing inspiration from a Rock song from the 1980’s may seem too far fetched for the year 2020. However, in these dark and bleak times under the global Coronavirus pandemic, the American rock band’s hit track “Don’t Stop Believin'” could be the best medicine. Because, well, don’t stop believing!

“Don’t Stop Believin'” is the second single from Journey’s seventh studio album ‘Escape’ released in 1981. Although the song only reached #9 on Billboard Hot 100 and #62 in the UK Singles chart, the track became a timeless classic, making it a ‘must-have’ in rock concerts. However, the song performed extremely well when it was cataloged on iTunes in 2008 and years following that. By 2013, the song has sold over 7 million copies as per RIAA .

“Don’t Stop Believin'” is a take on humans and their interactions in the societies. While highlighting the monotonous and crushing nature of everyday life, the song tries to inject a message of positivity and hope among the listeners.

Listen to “Don’t Stop Believin'” by Journey

“Don’t Stop Believin'” Lyrics Meaning and Song Review

The song kicks off with the first verse hinting about the commonality of fates of most people roaming this world. You could be a small-town girl or a big-city boy, but you would walk the same steps in life in a more or less common nature and pace.

The lyric “took the midnight train goin’ anywhere” implies that we all take a journey in our lives. But do we always know where we are going or where we would eventually end up? Most likely not. Hence, the ‘midnight train’ represents the uncertainty and danger of the life we live and every step we take in it. It could take us ‘anywhere.’

Lead vocalist of Journey, Steve Perry talked about the reference to ‘South Detroit’ in the song in an interview with Vulture magazine; “I ran the phonetics of east, west, and north, but nothing sounded as good or emotionally true to me as South Detroit. The syntax just sounded right. I fell in love with the line. It’s only been in the last few years that I’ve learned that there is no South Detroit. But it doesn’t matter.” In fact, the south of Detroit lies the city of Windsor, belonging to Canada.

Watch Journey Perform “Don’t Stop Believin'” Live in Houston

Verse one of “Don’t Stop Believin'” is immediately followed by the second verse. In these lyrics, Journey further elaborates on the monotonous nature of life: much like a train ride. “A singer in a smoky room” may be a reference to the singer himself. A smoky room is yet another inference to the bleak future.

The lyric “For a smile, they can share the night” might be one of the most depressing thoughts ever existed in a song. This line refers to the social constitution of marriage, where two people would give up their own freedom and independence in exchange for a ‘smile.’ A ‘smile’ is not exactly the most luxurious benefit for a human being. If the lyrics referred to ‘happiness’ in place of a smile, the story would be entirely different. However, we seem to sacrifice a lot in the name of wearing a smiling face mask to face society.

And it goes on and on, because that is the social convention now…

Steve Perry talked about the inspiration behind the pre-chorus in an interview with Klos Radio; “I was on the top floor of our hotel, looking down, downtown right across from Cobo Arena back at the time. And I’m looking down and the lights were lighting up the entire streets from top-down and I thought it was fascinating to see the glow of the streets without the streetlights and the people milling around at two, three in the morning. And I thought it’s like streetlight people.”

The singer tries to understand the motives of these people walking aimlessly up and down the street at the thick of the night. He concludes that these people are trying to find and hold on to some kind of emotion to make them feel alive. It might be a midnight movie or a snack or just a walk down the road with your loved one, anything just to feel some kind of emotion rather than the rust of life.

And people love the night. One reason is that they cannot see their own shadows at night. Shadows represent their own demons from the past. The people cannot even see each other’s faces walking up and down the street. There is no judgment, just freedom in the unknown.

Another important word in the lyrics is “strangers” being used to describe all these people. They might be literal strangers to Steve Perry, looking down from his hotel room. But these people are strangers to the person next to them, and sometimes to themselves too.

The third verse of the song does little to motivate us to face this rusted society and its chains. People work hard daily, every day of their lives just to meet their ends. The hardness increases when one enters into holy matrimony: more responsibilities and more mouths to feed. So it is natural that everybody would want to gamble something in order to catch some break. But everybody can’t be winners. “Some will win, some will lose” are some of the wisest words ever spoken. In this game of life, it is not everybody who can make it. Someone has to lose for another to win. It is the nature of the cogwheel.

‘Singing blues’ songs might be a reference to the emotions the color is associated with. The color of blue stands of coldness, lack of emotion, depression, and monotonousness. Hence, the singer might be drawing contrasting features between the Rock genre and the Blues genre here.

And this run around the hamsterwheel never ends, until you rest in peace!

After three verses of hammering on the depressive nature of society, Journey delivers the actual punchline of the song: “don’t stop believin’.”

Journey wants all of us to remember that we are unique and special in our own ways. Never forget that and never let that feeling go. If you do let it go, the three verses of this song are most relevant to you. If you believe in that fighting nature to break out of the monotony of the world, the chorus of the song is most relevant for you.

Especially in an era of a significant spike in the erosion of mental health, songs such as “Don’t Stop Believin'” could provide some much-needed relief to people. If you are currently in need of support for your mental health, click here .

However, the listener has to be prepared to receive the actual message of the song, and not get lost in the minor branches of the full story.

So, don’t stop believin’ in yourself!

Let us hear what you think about this song and its meaning in the comments below. Check out the complete lyrics and further meaning breakdown on Genius .

6 thoughts on “ Journey – Don’t Stop Believin’ | Lyrics Meaning & Song Review ”

A song that helped me going on, and on, and on….. I can totally relate to it and it contains such powerful message

Music, like beauty, is in the eye or ear of the beholder. This story is familiar yet motivating with the phrase “don’t stop believing.”

Journey wrote one very good song

The Chorus is Definitely the best part of the song… especially to motivate & bring light & give hope to anyone! The rest speaks volumes of life & it’s true…so to anyone out there: ‘Don’t Stop Believing’…Ever.

Just today, my 12 yr. old granddaughter & the rest of the choir @ her middle school, Martinez, in Lutz, FL gave an incredibly beautiful & moving rendition of this song, singing beautifully w/ masks on & 6′ distancing during this pandemic in their gymnasium…moved all to tears as they kept singing” Don’t Stop Believing”…

If they truly believed in light, they’d wouldn’t do it in this absurd way. It’ll never end.

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Screen Rant

The sopranos: what the song in the final scene really means.

The Sopranos' final scene sees Tony put Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'" on in the diner before the infamous cut to black. Here's what it means.

The final scene of The Sopranos sees Tony's story suddenly cut to black, but not before Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'" plays out, a song choice with various meanings and possible interpretations in the context of the show's ending. Widely (and rightly) regarded as one of the greatest TV shows of all time, The Sopranos went out with one of the most audacious and shocking finales in history, as the screen suddenly went dark, leaving many viewers wondering what had happened and whether or not their cable had cut out.

Even by The Sopranos ' own standards, it's a scene ripe for analysis, and one that has been pored over and debated upon ever since, with various answers to questions such as whether or not Tony Soprano (the late James Gandolfini) actually died or not. Of course, while whether or not Tony died is a natural question to ask, it's also not completely the point of those final moments. They instead tie into the larger themes of the show and of the dangers of the life Tony leads, and that's in part supported by the decision to have Journey playing in the scene.

Related:  The Sopranos: How Christopher Is Related To Tony (He's Not His Nephew)

One of the key refrains in "Don't Stop Believin'" is the line "It goes on and on, and on, and on," , which is repeated several times throughout and feels particularly apt when discussing Tony 's life, and his final scene in particular. It doesn't matter so much whether or not he dies there, perhaps whacked by the guy in the Member's Only jacket, but rather that he will one day be killed. That he's destined to spend the rest of his life looking at who is walking through the door ahead of him, or checking over his shoulder, because that's the life he's chosen and he has painted such a target on his back. In other words, even if he does live, what he's experiencing in those final moments will go on and on, and on, and on.

Of course, it's also possible to interpret the song as a message of hope for the viewers too, or at least those who want to think that Tony wasn't killed . In that case, "Don't Stop Believin'" takes on a more optimistic quality, allowing audiences to keep on believing that Tony survives. That, too, has a meaning both broader and deeper though, especially when applied to the show as a whole. The Sopranos is, at least in part, a dissection of the American Dream, and what that really entails. To not stop believing is a core tenet of said Dream, and so as the show ends - in an episode called "Made In America", no less - then it's one final comment on that, reflecting back upon what the entire run of The Sopranos has been about.

Chase himself has discussed the song choice in a breakdown of The Sopranos finale for the DGA , noting that a key reason for using it was the music, which he shot the scene too, allowing for all those necessary cuts between Tony and the door, and setting the tempo for a scene that, although it should be fairly nondescript (it is, after all, just a family eating at a diner) takes on a suspenseful, purposeful energy and quickening sense of dread. Of the decision to cut out just as the lyric "don't stop" is sung, Chase adds: "The ceiling I was going for at that point, the biggest feeling I was going for, honestly, was don't stop believing. It was very simple and much more on the nose than people think. That's what I wanted people to believe. That life ends and death comes, but don't stop believing." Whether Tony died or not, it's clear from the masterful final moments of The Sopranos , and its use of Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'", that one day he will, but that viewers themselves will never give up believing either.

Next: The Sopranos' Cut To Black Ending Explained