Hey Kids! There’s a New Journey Song!
Posted on June 24, 2021 Posted by John Scalzi 22 Comments
“Kids,” of course, being shorthand for “People between the ages of 65 and 40 who remember when Album Oriented Rock roamed the FM airwaves.” Isn’t that what “kids” is commonly understood to mean? No? Well, whatever, I think the dictionary will back me on this, probably.
The song itself: It’s okay! It sounds like a perfectly serviceable outtake from the heyday years, something you might find on a b-side when they used to have b-sides. Who doesn’t like b-sides? The kids love ’em! And also, I’m a fan of new material from older bands. I like that they’re open to the possibility of playing more than the same dozen songs in concert, whenever it is we all get to go back to concerts. It’s their first new song in a decade, so I’ll take it for what it is and enjoy it. Hope you enjoy it, too, if this is the sort of thing you like.
— JS
You leave the boy in Ohio, and he channels Glee making fun of Matthew Morrison’s character.
Not bad! I saw Journey back in the “Wheel In The Sky” era, opening for (ugh) Ted Nugent.
It was interesting how they changed over the years. Man, though Neil Schon was the man with that guitar!
You do raise the question, John, of when B-sides were as big, or bigger hits, than the A-side.
We Will Rock You – Queen
Revolution – The Beatles
You Can’t Always Get What You Want – Rolling Stones
And of course you had “Hound Dog” on the opposite side of “Don’t be cruel” by The King
These, and more, are merely proof that producers didn’t always get it right.
Now I feel like my dad. Thanks, John.
But it does remind me of teenage concerts. My first big concert was Duran Duran for Notorious. Won tickets from my local college radio station, went with a fellow-social outcast.
I’ve missed AOR programming so much, I started my own radio station! 😂
I use the word “kids” for anyone under the age of 150
Styx just released an album too. Looking forward to that!
“Kids” means anybody younger than a Boomer. You know that.
I felt that I had finally “arrived” the day that the Republican proposals to phase out Social Security finally began with people born AFTER my birth date!
I lost track of Journey but seem to remember Steve Perry leaving. Nonetheless, I will check this out.
Yeah, it…sounds like a Journey B-side….
While I’ll give the song the benefit of the doubt and assume it’s about a relationship that’s turned sour, I can all-too-easily see this being used as the walk on music for a GOP presidential candidate in 2024.
I think the last five years broke me.
Not bad! And “kids” in this context can be a relative term, but sometimes more literal than one would think.
Case in point: in about 2000, when I was working for Starship Records & Tapes – the only music store in Tulsa when my family moved here in 1981 that’s still around today – I once saw a woman who
a) looked young enough to have been conceived with “Don’t Stop Believin'” in the background when it was brand new, and
b) was in fact wearing an “Escape” t-shirt
come into the store and buy several LP’s – that’s right, not CDs but vinyl LP’s, at a time when many of her peers were latching onto Napster and the vinyl renaissance was still years away. A trivial incident, but I briefly felt like I had fallen into a time warp.
And speaking of new-ish songs by old bands, I can’t resist passing along this one from the Go-Go’s: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DK7oKcCQ7O8
It’s okay, I guess. I don’t really like Pineda as front man. Saw them once with him and that was enough.
(But- I used to be “that fan”. Journey all the way. Went to CA twice to go to shows with a fan group. Met the band I can’t remember how many time. Was there in person when they got their star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. And then they just sold out- the fans, band members, pretty much everyone. I still love (most of) the music, but I broke up with the band. And I doubt they will play this new one much in concert. The fans that go to see them now want the radio hits only.)
Sweet! I couldn’t agree more!
B-sides are alive and well in Kpop. Every album or extended play has one title song that gets promoted on the music shows and everything else are B-sides.
People who like a particular group often like the B-sides better since the title track is usually aimed attracting new fans.
There are whole new albums out this month from Styx and Kansas.
(Styx’s last album was an SF concept album, called The Mission — the mission being a Mars mission — and it’s quite good. You might have missed that one, 2017)
I’ve seen Journey a couple of times and they always put on a good show. The first time was the best though. It was in the late 70’s and The Baby’s opened for them. The concert was awesome!
Wow. I didn’t know how much I didn’t miss Journey until now.
(OK, I’m leaving before I get tossed out.)
Apparently Night Ranger has a new song out, too, and apparently an album coming as well. Since Styx was mentioned, Dennis DeYoung has a new solo album, and he had one released in 2020, too.
Eh, not bad, not bad at all. Not great, either. BUT new music from a band with nothing left to prove is always welcome.
My youngest son (who is now 30) is a classically trained pianist, but loves rock and pop music, and especially Journey, his mama’s favorite. Whenever he’s in public where there is a piano available he’ll play “Don’t Stop Believin'” and inevitably he’ll be surrounded by a group of ladies of all ages. Being able to play Journey songs make you a chick magnet for sure!
Not too shabby. It’s no “He Knew”; but it ain’t bad at all.