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Don't Stop Believin'

post #1 of 55
8/18/09 at 12:35am
Thread Starter 
Warning: This is pretentious

So, this song is everywhere. And I don't mean like "always on the radio" everywhere (although between Sopranos, Family Guy, Glee, and Rock of Ages, it's certainly become overplayed), but it's one of those songs that everybody knows the words to. I'm talking about kids who probably don't know another song that came out in 1980, but they know this one. It seems to be one of those songs that is impossible to enjoy ironically. Or if there is an ironic appeal to it, I've never heard it.

The song has a lot going for it -- the cheesy lyrics, the singer's straight-faced passion and delivery (as if this is the most important thing happening to him and the characters right now), the guitar solos, and that piano riff that opens the song. But so do a lot of pop songs from the period, and you're seeing similar sentiments reflected in pop today -- although the sentiment with songs like "Just Dance" and "Live Your Life" and "I Gotta Feeling"* seem to be "fuck it, let's dance" (although you could argue that's kind of all pop music, ever.)

I've been joking that the song has become America's "unofficial national anthem," but I guess you could make that argument if you wanted. The song has a relentless optimism to it, with its blue-collar protagonists knowing that they can find heaven and success "out there in the night" if they work hard. The lyrics "Some will win, some will lose, and some are born to sing the blues/But the movie never ends, it just goes on and on and on", even moreso than the chorus and refrain, kind of sum up why it might be popular. Things are shit -- things are shit for everybody. The economy's in the toilet. But it'll be okay, as long as we don't stop believin', because it always has and that's what we always do.

Like I said, this was really pretentious and possibly fabfunkian, but I thought it was something worth bringing up and worth asking.

What makes this one special and well-known, and why is it so popular now?

*Stating this without discussing the relative merits of any of those songs, although I enjoy all of them.
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post #2 of 55
8/18/09 at 3:13am
I cannot really tell you but it's always in the top 20 on iTunes. It's pretty absurd really.
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post #3 of 55
8/18/09 at 9:02am
That operatic take on blue collar life was a recipe for success throughout the 70's and 80's: Springsteen, Mellencamp, Bob Seger, Meat Loaf and Bon Jovi all explored it to different degrees. Then, I guess with Grunge, it just sort of vanished - except perhaps in commercial Country. You'd think that if it were to have made a comeback it should have been under Bush, but who can predict these things?

It's also a really interesting song, structurally. Here's a snippet from an interview with Stephin Merrit (out of the Magnetic Fields):

Quote:
"I really like the song by Journey, 'Don't Stop Believin','" he declares. (He actually pronounces it, fastidiously, "Believing.") "'Don't Stop Believin'' has a wonderful chorus. It's the first chorus, it's the only chorus, and it fades out during the first chorus. So naturally, it has a fantastic verse, which is most of the song. The title is taken from the chorus, making sure you know that that's the chorus. Don't try this at home. That's a really hard way of writing a song, and I respect it a great deal. I don't think I respect any of the other songs I've heard by them. But I have allowed them to live because of this wonderful, spectacular feat."
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post #4 of 55
8/18/09 at 9:08am
It's a really good song by a really underrated band. Here in Montréal, it was played over and over during the year the Canadiens were on top of the NHL standings and there was hope that the Drive for 25 was on the horizon. I think i heard that song 2,811 times in the span of 6 months and I still don't hate it.
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post #5 of 55
8/18/09 at 9:33am
It has spread over here too. I was out at the weekend and it was played in a pretty packed club full of 20 year olds and the whole place went fucking crazy, everyone singing along.

I thought it would be a lot more niche over here, I guess it has filtered through all the American TV shows and movies. I love it when music brings people together like that.
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post #6 of 55
8/18/09 at 9:41am
I have no clue. I fucking hate this song.
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post #7 of 55
8/18/09 at 9:58am
Rath, you pretty much summed up why it's so popular, and dare I say, a deserved standard. It's earnest. Steve Perry's delievery is so heartfelt, for lack of a better word, innocent.

I'm old enough that I can track my fascination with this song through the ages- when it first came out it was inescapable, then I became a teenager and listened to anything but a band like Journey, then I came to appreciate it ironically, and now I think I actually just love the song. If it comes on in the car, oh yes, it's getting cranked and I don't give a shit how pussified that makes me.

I have no opinion on really anything else in the Journey catalog (Well, I guess I kind of like 'Stone in Love') but I dig this big, overwrought sappy song that is just overflowing with killer pop hooks.
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post #8 of 55
8/18/09 at 10:18am
For what it's worth, more anecdotal evidence that this is the unofficial National Anthem: Penn State regularly blares this over the loud speakers at Beaver Stadium and the place--from the student section to the old fogies sitting on the 38-yard line--go wild. The only other song that gets close to the same reaction is "Living On a Prayer".
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post #9 of 55
8/18/09 at 10:25am
Quote:
Originally Posted by RathBandu View Post
..why is it so popular now?
.
The Sopranos finale gave it a huge bump.
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post #10 of 55
8/18/09 at 10:33am
Yeah, not sure I'd heard it in fifteen years until David Chase sent off his show with it. I like when the little Asian soundalike fella the band hired to replace Steve Perry does it. It's as if an overeager fan has hijacked the stage.
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post #11 of 55
8/18/09 at 10:36am
There was a day a while ago where I heard it back to back to back, in three different contexts, no less, on Scrubs, Family Guy, and The Sopranos. Which is pretty much the point I knew that song was gonna be back, in a huge way for a while.
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post #12 of 55
8/18/09 at 10:44am
Every teenager in 1981 was forcibly issued a copy of Journey's 'Escape' album. You couldn't escape from this band if you wanted to during the early 80s, so I'm not surprised that some of those songs have been permanently assimilated into our collective consciousness. All things considered, there are much worse songs than 'Don't Stop Believin' off of that damn album.
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post #13 of 55
8/18/09 at 10:58am
Quote:
Originally Posted by BobClark View Post
The Sopranos finale gave it a huge bump.
And for the younger generation, the pilot for GLEE used it as well. This song is getting passed on through generations like hemophilia.
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post #14 of 55
8/18/09 at 11:06am
It's always been an underrated gem, played at college parties and hipster bars. But The Sopranos put it on the map in a big way. After the finale, I heard the song everywhere, including the aforementioned TV shows, bars, clubs, and - my personal favorite - election night dance parties.

It's kinda weird that you posting this now. The song was way overplayed last Winter/early Spring, but I can't say I've heard it much this year. Is it just now spreading to other places?
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post #15 of 55
8/18/09 at 11:17am
I think it's kind of dropped off the adult radar again, but the preteens "discovered" it during it's revival and have adopted it as their own best song ever.
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post #16 of 55
8/18/09 at 11:23am
Quote:
Originally Posted by BobClark View Post
I think it's kind of dropped off the adult radar again, but the preteens "discovered" it during it's revival and have adopted it as their own best song ever.
Yeah, but the real question is whether it's sincere or ironic affection for the song.
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post #17 of 55
8/18/09 at 11:32am
From my experience, it's sincere.
I've seen a room full of 10-12 year olds play it over and over again, singing their hearts out along with it.
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post #18 of 55
8/18/09 at 11:33am
That's actually kind of awesome, in my humble opinion.
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post #19 of 55
8/18/09 at 11:47am
I agree. It's a good song for kids that age. The music builds to a dramatic crescendo and the lyrics are full of earnest, feel-good sentiments.
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post #20 of 55
8/18/09 at 11:58am
I'd rather my kids sing that than going around singing about hopping on my Disco Stick.
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post #21 of 55
8/18/09 at 12:14pm
This song is unabashed feel good pop rock. It appeals to the hopeful side in me, an admitted optimist. It's fun to sing along with Steve Perry on this one. Sometimes songs transcend "good taste" and manage to stick around.
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post #22 of 55
8/18/09 at 12:16pm
Adding an anecdote: Was over at my friends' place just a few weeks ago, and his 9 year old son starts telling us about this awesome song we have to hear. He dials up Don't Stop Believin' on youtube. Then as soon as he realized his dad and his dad's friend have not only heard of the song but tacitly approve, he immediately and visibly lost interest. "Yeah, it's all right."

"So, you like other songs by Journey?"

"Who? Eh, I don't really care."
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post #23 of 55
8/18/09 at 12:17pm
Most of the people in my generation (I'm only 21), I can say belong to either two groups when it comes to this song. They either dig it to appear ironic, a practice I've grown to hate, or because of my generation's bizarre fixation on the 1980s.

While The Sopranos certainly helped push this song back into the popular consciousness, I can tell you it was prepping for a resurgence quite a bit before that. It's all part of people my age loving anything and everything that comes from the '80s. I've honestly been pretty fascinated by it, the retro love for things that were in their heyday before they were born.

The biggest recent example would of course involve the death of John Hughes. I have nothing against the man and enjoy much of his work, but it was just really offputting to see a bevy of Facebook statuses/Twitter updates/whatever from people even 3 or 4 years younger than me talking about missing the "voice of a generation" and such. While I can't the deny the sentiment, the fact remains that it's not my generation he so defined, but people don't care.

As for me, I used to enjoy this song on occasion when I heard it, being somewhat fun to sing along to, but it's just another overexposed song that I can no longer stand.
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post #24 of 55
8/18/09 at 12:20pm
Whatever your feelings are towards the band itself, it must be said that Neal Schon is one hell of a guitarist and a decent backup singer. Some of the more rocking songs, like 'Stone in Love' or 'Chain Reaction', feature some really stellar work from him.
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post #25 of 55
8/18/09 at 1:25pm
So weird that you mention this, because I went to a Panic at the Disco/Fallout Boy/Blink-182 concert here in Cincinnati last Thursday, and Fallout Boy played "Don't Stop Believin'". And EVERYONE in the crowd (20,000 people), composed mostly of 15-25 year olds, knew the fucking thing.
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post #26 of 55
8/18/09 at 1:29pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by BobClark View Post
The Sopranos finale gave it a huge bump.
It's also being used in a really popular (and terrible) broadway musical.
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post #27 of 55
8/18/09 at 3:56pm
Well, it has it's own wiki

Quote:
The song has appeared in a number of film and television series, including The Wedding Singer, Family Guy, Monster, Shrek the Halls, Bedtime Stories, Yes Dear, King of the Hill, The Comebacks, View from the Top, South Park, Cold Case, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, My Name Is Earl, Just Shoot Me, Laguna Beach, American Idol, Scrubs, The Sopranos, and Glee.
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post #28 of 55
8/18/09 at 6:37pm
God, that song used to be the bain of my existence when it was out. It was such a huge hit and I hated it so much. I don't really feel that way anymore, I guess, but it's funny. That quote from Stephen Merritt is right on, though. I'd never thought about it, but that's a great structure, just bringing the chorus in at the end.
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post #29 of 55
8/18/09 at 6:45pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Z-Man View Post
God, that song used to be the bain of my existence when it was out. It was such a huge hit and I hated it so much. I don't really feel that way anymore, I guess, but it's funny. That quote from Stephen Merritt is right on, though. I'd never thought about it, but that's a great structure, just bringing the chorus in at the end.
Journey are similar to the Eagles in that whatever you think of their calculated, soulless music, you can't deny that it is extremely well-crafted.
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post #30 of 55
8/18/09 at 6:49pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bartleby_Scriven View Post
So weird that you mention this, because I went to a Panic at the Disco/Fallout Boy/Blink-182 concert here in Cincinnati
Ouch.
Your attorney couldn't plea down to jail time instead?
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post #31 of 55
8/18/09 at 9:26pm
My brother's idea, he's a big Blink fan. Hey, it was a fun concert.
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post #32 of 55
8/18/09 at 9:40pm
I sing this song to piss my girlfriend off. She just can't get with the schmaltz. I love this song though, very honestly. It's nice to see a lot of people being honest with themselves and shucking off their sense of irony now. So many people hated this growing up because they felt they had to be bitter to gain some sort of acceptance or authenticity. True there are a lot of people who can't enjoy this song without the whole hardy-har front, but that feels like a small contingent.

IMO, it was definitely The Sopranos that really kick-started this. I used to work at a label where we had to chart all of the hits and why they were moving up and down. It was all market research. You could trace the trajectory of the song's ascent right to the moment that last episode aired. Love or hate that last episode, it at least did that much right.
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post #33 of 55
8/18/09 at 10:00pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Van Read View Post
It's a really good song by a really underrated band.
It's a tedious and overplayed song by a really underrated band. I am exposed to Lite Rock at work. I wear headphones, but I catch snippets of it at least twice a day. I'm cool with Journey, but my sister was a freak for them back in the day and I'm positive that while they only had one album cover I heard at least three different songs. At least three.
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post #34 of 55
8/18/09 at 10:58pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by RathBandu View Post
What makes this one special and well-known, and why is it so popular now?
Because Journey friggin rocks.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Van Read View Post
I'd rather my kids sing that than going around singing about hopping on my Disco Stick.
Truth.

Been a Journey fan my whole life. I even sing "Lights" to my daughter at night (along with Beatles' "Black Bird") when I'm tucking her in. She loves to sing along with the Greatest Hits when we're in the car together.

We friggin rock.
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post #35 of 55
8/19/09 at 11:59am
Hi Rath, interesting post. It reminded me of this youtube video I saw after Obama was elected. It's a street/dance party on the streets of Seattle, and you can probably guess which song* is playing as people go wild
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0qL-CgzQ0FY

(*I mean, this isn't the 'Right now' thread after all)

Edit: Heh, sorry. See Diva's earlier post.
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post #36 of 55
8/19/09 at 12:19pm
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post #37 of 55
8/19/09 at 12:23pm
So, what exactly are "streetlight people"?
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post #38 of 55
8/19/09 at 12:28pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mattioli View Post
So, what exactly are "streetlight people"?
Dunno. But I'm a straight white male, so I'm pretty sure I can't call people that.
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post #39 of 55
8/19/09 at 1:42pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Chavez View Post
Journey are similar to the Eagles in that whatever you think of their calculated, soulless music, you can't deny that it is extremely well-crafted.
So are most McDonald's commercials. Which, by the way, also feature top-notch professional musicians who could play rings around the typical rock instrumentalist. It's still insidious crap that's bad for you.

And more to the point: Steve Perry's voice is fingernails on the chalkboard. I have literally left stores without making an intended purchase when he comes on the Muzak.
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post #40 of 55
8/19/09 at 2:00pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mattioli View Post
So, what exactly are "streetlight people"?
They hang around with semi powered drones.
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post #41 of 55
8/19/09 at 2:21pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by DanielRoffle View Post
They hang around with semi powered drones.
Or "hemi-powered drones", even.
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post #42 of 55
8/19/09 at 2:54pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mattioli View Post
So, what exactly are "streetlight people"?
Prostitutes.

As for the Rath's original post, a Journey facts webpage also credits Sopranos for the boost in popularity:

Quote:
In November 2008 it was announced that this track had become the first song, which was 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.
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post #43 of 55
8/19/09 at 4:40pm
Aaaaaaaaaaaaah! It's playing right now! I can hear the fairies hitting the ground like hailstones across the city.
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post #44 of 55
8/19/09 at 4:52pm
HA! I just noticed this thread.

I was just recently talking about this song with one of my friends. It plays during the middle of the 8th inning of every Dodgers game. They started last year playing it while showing clips of Game 1 of the 1988 World Series on the jumbotron, but this year they just throw the lyrics on the scoreboard and show the crowd singing along.

It's not something I have any interest in listening to on the radio, but in the above-mentioned environment, it's actually pretty fun.
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post #45 of 55
8/19/09 at 5:19pm
I was at a Brooklyn Cyclones game on Sat and they used this song with a montage of movie "last stands" at the bottom of the 9th when the Cyclones needed to score in order to win the game or tie to go into overtime (they tied).
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post #46 of 55
8/19/09 at 5:23pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Diva View Post
Prostitutes.
I see. Now, why are they living just to find emotion? I would think prostitutes would prefer to be dead inside sooner rather than later.
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post #47 of 55
8/19/09 at 5:25pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mattioli View Post
I see. Now, why are they living just to find emotion? I would think prostitutes would prefer to be dead inside sooner rather than later.
What about the hookers with a heart of gold? For a smile they can share the night... It goes on and on and on and on.

Sopranos made it big again. Creating a readily available ringtone across all cell companies made it pervasive.
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post #48 of 55
8/20/09 at 8:58pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jeb View Post
Steve Perry's voice is fingernails on the chalkboard.
The man can't help having a crazy vocal range.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tgEHOM21j3s
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post #49 of 55
8/20/09 at 9:36pm
Steve Perry has a great voice. Maybe 'had', I don't know.
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post #50 of 55
8/20/09 at 9:48pm
Steve's got some competition from this guy!

I guess this guy replaced Perry?* Here is Arnel Pineda singing "Don't Stop Believin'" with Journey.



* Yup. How did I miss this? CBS interview with Pineda when he joined the band in 2008
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