I suppose if you were going to pick a song by Journey for 80’s Mania Mondays, the easy choice would be “Don’t Stop Believin’.” While it isn’t the band’s biggest hit, at least in terms of chart performance, it is most likely its most beloved. Which, depending upon your definition of what a group’s biggest hit is, that song just might fit the description. However, I chose a different song, which just might be my favorite Journey song. Factually, it was their first top ten pop hit (“Don’t Stop Believin’ was their second). The song comes from their biggest selling studio album, Escape (the group’s Greatest Hits is their biggest album seller).
That song is “Who’s Crying Now,” and it’s today’s 80’s Monday Mania song.
Journey was formed in 1973 to be a backup group for other established artists in the Bay Area, but abandoned that concept and decided to become a front-line band. Gregg Rolie and Neal Schon, once and future members of Santana, joined forces with Ross Valory and George Tickner from a band called Frumious Bandersnatch. After getting a recording contract and releasing three albums beginning in 1975, the band was not as commercially successful as their record company hoped they would be, so they suggested they find a frontman to share vocals with Rolie. Their second choice would be Steve Perry, who would become one of the most recognizable voices in pop and rock music. Rolie would leave and be replaced by Jonathan Cain. With Schon, Valory, Perry and Cain, drummer Steve Smith would form Journey’s most famous lineup (Tickner had left not long after the first album release).
This would be the group of members that recorded the album Escape, which became a huge seller and had three top ten hits: “Who’s Crying Now”, “Don’t Stop Believin'” and “Open Arms,” which is the band’s biggest hit in terms of chart performance. Journey has the distinction of having the second-most singles (eighteen) to reach the top 40 on the Billboard Hot 100 without ever having a #1 song. For the record, the Electric Light Orchestra has the most with twenty. Even so, Journey was one of rock and pop music’s most beloved bands, and they were never more popular than they were at the time today’s song was released.
I hope you enjoy today’s 80’s Mania Monday track, and as always, thanks for reading and listening.
His is another of the unforgettable voices of my college years! Love the piano in this, and the rowdy drums that connect the verses to the refrain. Also the poetry of the lyrics. You are THE SOURCE for music trivia, T Wayne. How do you know all this stuff? LOL 🙂
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Haha! Thanks Joan. Yes, his voice is very memorable! As for the trivia, some of it I know from a lot of reading about music, the rest I look up. Research is fun for me, it unleashes the inner nerd! Lol
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I always thought Neil Schon was wasting away in Journey. Dude played with Santana at Woodstock as a teenager for gods sake. But, then again, he made millions off pop rock, so I suppose he made a wise choice. 😃
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He was drawn in by the filthy lucre and the fame! I guess it was a way to broaden his horizons, but like you, I can only imagine how much he and Carlos could have influenced each other if they stayed together. That said, they took their different paths and when they play together now, they bring all of the influences they acquired apart to challenge each other.
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He made a great choice. Journey was great and sold lots and lots of records. But as a fan, I’d have loved to see him go a less commercial route. Dude’s one of the best guitarists ever regardless.
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Yes. It’s a case where it worked out for him and Carlos. Funny tidbits I learned doing some research: Journey started at first in a fusion style before they switched to a mainstream sound, and Schon took singing lessons so that there would be some harmonies with Gregg Rolie’s leads. Of course, once Steve Perry joined, the singing question was put to rest.
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Yeah, Steve Perry is likely one of the most recognizable voices in all of music history. Although, the dude they had replace him sounded an awful lot like him.
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Lol. I was thinking of picking Journey for today! I’ve picked them a lot already. Good choice Tracy!
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Thanks! I was going to get around to featuring Journey at some point. I like a lot of their songs from the Steve Perry era.
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I don’t really like the new guy. He sings good but I don’t know, it’s just not the same.
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I haven’t paid a lot of attention to them since Steve Perry left.
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I joked on another blog, or it might have been this one, that I once heard a comedian say that REO Speedwagon, Air Supply, Styx and Journey were actually all the same group!
LOL!!!!
I wouldn’t go that far!
I actually liked all three of them. But I think I liked Journey and Styx the most.
This song played every morning on a cable access channel that rolled a the weather forecast and local news. I’d listen to it every morning before going to school.
Hadn’t heard it in a long time.
Thanks for such fond memories Twin.
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As much as I like classic/arena rock, I don’t care for Journey at all. There’s only a few of their songs I like. You do get points for not picking “Don’t Stop Belivin'” because I can honestly say I would be happy if I never have to hear that song again (though I know it would never happen because everyone else seems to think it’s the greatest piece of music ever recorded!)…
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Thanks for the points! I figured everyone expects “Don’t Stop Believin'”, so I purposely stayed away. Besides, I like “Who’s Crying Now” better anyway. Journey is one of those bands you either love or hate, I’ve found.
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