Suddenly, I'm starting to like Journey songs

Jerry Johnson

[SamAdams76]

I drive trucks for a living. Big trucks. My routes often take me coast to coast. So I have a lot of time to listen to music on my truck stereo.

Well after over 30 years of dismissing the rock band Journey as an insufferably lame musical group, I must say that all of a sudden, I am actually starting to like some of their songs. Where I used to have stations like "Outlaw Country" and "Willie's Place" as my Sirius radio presets, I now find that I have stations like "Classic Rewind" and "70s on 7" dialed in to try to catch a Journey tune.

Now I came of age during the late 1970s/early 1980s when Journey was at their commercial peak, and I always took pride in the fact that I utterly rejected the "stadium rock" genre that was so fashionable at the time.

Whether it was Poco, Kansas, Foreigner, Loverboy, Supertramp, and even Foghat, they were all pretenders to me. I didn't even allow myself to get caught up in all the hype surrounding The Knack ("My Sharona") back in the summer of '79.

Back in the day, my taste in music was very discriminating indeed. Back in the late 1970s, you'd find me listening to Leonard Cohen, Tom Waits, Neil Young, Nick Lowe and Dave Edmunds. Maybe even a little Elvis Costello or Joe Jackson for when I wanted something "New Wave." But as for "corporate New Wave" like The Cars, The Police and U2, forget about it.

Certainly you wouldn't catch me dead listening to anything by Journey. For me, Journey personified the era of lame corporate rock and I wasn't having any of their syrupy power ballads and cookie cutter rock anthems.

So what the hell has changed? Why I am, now well into my middle age, now a sucker for songs by Journey?

I think I turned the corner a couple of years ago when I tuned in for the finale of "The Sopranos." As most of you know, the popular HBO series ended not with a bang but with the haunting piano intro and whimpering vocals of Steve Perry:

Just a small town girl
Livin' in a lonely world
She took the midnight train goin' anywhere

Well unless you happened to be just born, I think you know the rest of that song...

Since then, that song ("Don't Stop Believin') has been played to death on all radio stations. But I just can't get it out of my head and as a result, on a hot sweltering night last summer, with a six pack of Coors Lite in my belly, I went over to iTunes and downloaded the damn thing for 99 cents.

Now I got that song on my iPod sharing space with the likes of legends such as The Allman Brothers, Molly Hatchet and Warren Zevon. I'm sure there is a special place in hell for people like me.

But unfortunately, my flirtation with Journey did not end there. Before the summer was out, I had added "Wheel In The Sky", "Stone In Love" and "Lovin' Touchin' Squeezin'" to compound further my original sin.

Now I got a reputation to uphold here so I started taking steps to ensure that nobody found out that I had Journey songs in my music collection. So I dumped the Journey songs into a playlist called "My sister's favorite music" so that if anybody called me on it, I'd be able to say that I sometimes let my sister borrow my iPod and so I setup a playlist special for her. I even threw some stuff like REO Speedwagon and Donna Summer in there to make it look good. "Yeah, that really is my sister's playlist", I could easily say, "After all, you think a big burly man like me could actually listen to such sissy stuff!"

But I gotta tell ya, after I went ahead and downloaded "Lights" and "Open Arms" by Journey, I really started questioning my sexuality. I was starting to get a little nervous and the only cure was to throw on the TV and watch some NASCAR or "Monster Truck Madness" or something manly like that.

But now I guess I have finally come to terms with my fondness for Journey music. After all, it is possible to listen to Journey and still be a man. I'm living proof of that, I might be a newly minted Journey fan but I'm still a truck driving man and if you want to question my manhood about it, I will drive my 18-wheeler over to your house and kick your butt.

[GOP Poet]

Excellent recommendations!

[21twelve]

It is rumored (or maybe it is set now) that Rush will be doing a tour in 2010. I saw them in 2008 and they in some ways are better than ever. (Have been to several of their concerts since 1983). The put on a great show.

[Chi-townChief]

Journey??? Nahhhhh.

[bereanway]

Wishin’ I were a fast freight train,
Just a chooglin’ on down to New Orleans.

[biggredd1]

I have been listenin’ and lovin’ Journey for awhile, no need to hide in the closet, come on out!

[Caipirabob]

Then again, SAMBA is man's music, too...and one of the world's best spectator sports!

If you've never seen Carnaval, this is tiny taste. Cheers!

[combat_boots]

There are voices that you pick out in 2 notes, maybe 3. Steve Perry is one of them. Bing Crosby. Tennessee Ernie Ford. Mahalia Jackson. Ethel Merman.

Others sound very similar.

[GOP Poet]

I have heard the same. I have been so impressed with the longevity of their talent, but then again when one is actually writing and doing their own thing without a bunch of dumb ass music execs throwing it all away including the soul bud or seed age doesn't always have to negatively effect the outcome and in fact can sweeten it all that much more.

What concerts they must have been. I hear they are just fantastic. May you see them again this year :-D.

[SamAdams76]

That they do...

Here's another Molly Hatchet classic.

Well, I've been to Alabama, people - ain't a whole lot to see
Skynyrd says it's a real sweet home, but it ain't nothin' to me
Charlie Daniels will tell you the good Lord lives in Tennessee
I'm goin' back to the Gator Country where the wine and the women are free

[GOP Poet]

Ever hear Robert Plant’s solo song “Big Log”? That was a masterpiece. Sounds best driving through the desert at around sundown with tumbleweeds blowing across the road.

Oh yeah. Have I ever, but not as you described. I could just hop in that cab with you for a full on jamming experience such as you described. Wow. Very cool. Smo-o-th . . . :-)

[Vigilantcitizen]

Yeah, I like Journey. Kansas put on one hell of a show too, but I don’t base my “man card” on my music choices. Anyone who does never had a man card to begin with.

[Clemenza]

Anyone who sings "Don't Stop Believing" in a karaoke bar deserves the death penalty. Ever since that Sopranos episode, every middle aged guy or gal out with their friends feels the need to belt out an off-key rendition of that G-D awful song.

Other than "Stone in Love," I really can't stand Journey, although I do admit that Steve Perry can sing, and Neil Schon can play.

[AZLiberty]

There are probably 250 Jerry Johnsons driving trucks — and now they’re all under suspicion.

[Tanniker Smith]

What next, Barry Manilow?

Well, there is one Manilow tune that's hard to get out of my head . . .

"I am stuck on Band-Aid 'cause Band-Aid's stuck on me!
"I am stuck on Band-Aid 'cause Band-Aid's stuck on me!"

[uglybiker]

[Maverick68]

Steve Perry’s voice is unreal...No shame in lovin’ (touchin, squeezin’) some Journey...

[The KG9 Kid]

Try re-listening to Bowie and Elton John.

[Doulos1]

Right now I’m groovin’ on Guy Clark. Great story teller and great musician. Also Dave Mason, Kenny Chesney, and Railroad Earth. I like some of all of it. Blues, R&B, Country and Western, old Rock like Allman Bros’ and Clapton. I going to go turn on my Marantz. Later.

[The KG9 Kid]

Johnny Cash you identify in one note.

[uglybiker]

This stays in my mp3 player!

It was this album that I found out you could actually wear out a CD.