'It's goes on and on and on and on' ... Don't Stop Believin' on TV again
"Just a small town girl, livin' in a lonely world. She took the midnight train going anywhere." Yes, yes, if you didn't know the lyrics to Journey's Don't Stop Believin' after two weeks of over-saturation on network TV, you never will.
The Tony Awards-nominated musical Rock of Ages is the latest to tackle the definitive power ballad of the '80s, performing it live -- or lip-synching it very well -- on Monday morning's Today Show on NBC. The play tells the story of a small town girl, livin' in a lonely world and ... yeah, you can guess the rest. Except the musical also features the music of Whitesnake, Night Ranger, Styx, REO Speedwagon, Asia, Poison and every other band you once had featured on a concert jersey.
But Don't Stop Believin' continues to just amaze Journey-bashers by resurrecting itself over and over again. Last week, it was the cast of Fox's new show Glee that topped the iTunes charts with their show choir version of the 1981 anthem. (The song is still sitting pretty at No. 3 today.) By the way, show choirs LOVE this song. See it again here and here and here.
What's next? Will Oprah adapt it as her new theme song? Will Steve Perry reunite with the band and book a two-year engagement at Caesars Palace in Vegas? Stay tuned. If there's anything to be learned about this whole phenomenon it's that some will win, some will lose, and some were born to sing the blues.
Relive the music, movies and culture of the greatest decade ever with Times online editor Steve Spears. A teen during the decade, Steve is obsessed with everything from Duran Duran to Journey, John Hughes to John Cusack, and parachute pants to Reaganomics.
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So, when did Journey make the transition from corporate rock to classic rock? We were bored of this song in the 80's and now it's so meaningful?
This is a good example why I would rather stay home with a good movie than go see a musical.
Posted by: Steve Schlesinger | May 28, 2009 at 06:47 PM
Well, in a way it is a power ballad in the broadest sense. However it isn't a love ballad, which the majority of Power Ballads are known for. And it depends a lot on a person's point of view, so no sense in arguing over it.
So far in Europe the song has not taken off again, however Journey is playing here next month.
Posted by: DerekT | May 26, 2009 at 05:01 PM
well as a purveyor of the art of the power ballad, journey only did one power ballad. faithfully is the only power ballad they did. it's ok, we can agree to disagree, but to my ears, don't stop believin' IS NOT a ballad, power or any kind. power ballads that come to mind when i think of the term is, bringin' on the heartbreak, can't fight this feeling, forever, is this love, i'll be there for you, alone again, every rose has it's thorn. a power ballad was a ballad with a good solo, that's about it. it wasn't a uptempo song that didn't rock all out. any kind of ballad had to be slow in nature, don't stop isn't slow. it isn't balls to the wall, hence the title mid-tempo, but it builds as the song goes along. by the end of the song, it's a crowd sing along chorus. to me, it's the anti-ballad song. ballads are slow, they never speed up. if it was a power ballad, it had a good solo, hence the name power. as far as the song being overexposed, i guess i'm in the minority. if a song is great, it's always great, no matter how many times you or anyone else hears it. for example, photograph, the classic by def leppard, is one of my fav's of all time. the song came out in 1983, and i can imagine i've heard it, at least a thousand times, maybe more. to me, it's a song that i never tire of. i get just as excited hearing it now, as i did back in the olden days. although don't stop beliven' is a great song, it's not my fav journey tune, that distinction goes to separate ways(world's apart). the fact that it's all over the airwaves should make you proud. we aren't alone in our love for journey, and that's a good thing.
Posted by: CHAD | May 26, 2009 at 03:03 PM
Blaine -- I totally agree. My favorite song from Escape is "Stone In Love." Second favorite is probably "Still They Ride." In fact, all of that one side of the record is fantastic. Side 2? Ummm, not so much.
And I can live forever without ever hearing "Who's Crying Now" again.
Posted by: Spears | May 26, 2009 at 02:48 PM
I've loved Journey ever since I first started getting into music as an 11 year-old in '81, but, man, this song is getting played out. What gives? It's not like the Greatest Decade Ever doesn't have equally-great, catchy, and sing-able songs which tell a bit of a story.
This is not even my favorite song on "Escape."
Posted by: Blaine | May 26, 2009 at 02:32 PM
Monstruous.I must cleanse my eyes with acid to rid myself of such horrid vision.
Posted by: ARod | May 26, 2009 at 02:28 PM
Chad, you don't make room for the "power" in "power ballads?" To be, Open Arms is a ballad. Don't Stop Believin' is a power ballad.
And Miguel, I'll never tire of Journey. But I'm afraid this over-exposure of this one song will lead millions of others to tire of them REAL fast.
Posted by: Spears | May 26, 2009 at 02:15 PM
And by the way,Spears. You`ve been hitting on Journey these last couple of days. Are you getting tired of them? I`m not a huge fan of them,but you were crazy about`em!
Posted by: Miguel | May 26, 2009 at 12:19 PM
Let`s see what those guys will do on the upcoming movie adaptation of this show.
Posted by: Miguel | May 26, 2009 at 12:16 PM
I gotta be honest,
once the Sopranos picked up the song on their last episode, and the Radio suddenly played it more than they ever had, i got tired of it, real fast.
Until Rubix Cubed added it (probably because of the above) to our play list.
The song is a lot of fun to play, live...
Posted by: Crockett | May 26, 2009 at 11:39 AM
The song was featured on this week's episode of the Starz series "Party Down," although it was just quoted as a motivational tool and not actually sung.
Posted by: Dominic | May 26, 2009 at 11:36 AM
open arms-ballad
don't stop believin'-not a ballad
love bites-ballad
foolin'-not a ballad
keep on loving you-ballad
find your own way home-not a ballad
it is a building type of song, sorta like stairway to heaven. how many ballads have a sing along chorus in them. i'll agree with you, maybe it classifies as it's on clarification.
Posted by: CHAD | May 26, 2009 at 10:33 AM
I can slow dance to anything. And I believe I did slow dance to this with Vegas Girlfriend at the Awesome '80s Prom. Of course, I looked like "Charles Jefferson" during the final scene of "Fast Times at Ridgemont High," but I made it work.
Let's just put this song in a class by itself.
Posted by: Spears | May 26, 2009 at 10:21 AM
not at all, can you slow dance to this. the song is too upbeat. it's mid-tempo. granted it a building song, but a ballad it ain't.
Posted by: CHAD | May 26, 2009 at 10:13 AM
Power ballad, power ballad. Not a regular ballad. You don't think this qualifies as a power ballad?
Posted by: Spears | May 26, 2009 at 09:49 AM
ok, don't stop believin' is not a ballad. it's a mid-tempo rock track. i don't know why this get's on my nerves, but it does. i guess if it doesn't rock out balls to the walls, it must be a ballad.
Posted by: CHAD | May 26, 2009 at 09:45 AM