what year did journey's faithfully come out

Story Behind the Song: Journey's 'Faithfully'

One morning, Journey's Jonathan Cain woke up in his tour bus to the stench of diesel fuel and with the beginning of a rock anthem scrawled on a napkin. He told the story of writing "Faithfully" to Bart Herbison of Nashville Songwriters Association International.

Bart Herbison: “Highway run into the midnight sun.” There is not a greater opening line in the history of music. I'm thinking “Stairway to Heaven,” the first two lines aren't that good. Wow, Jon!

Jonathan Cain: Well, I was on a bus and we were rolling along after a show. I sat out waiting for some of the crew to come with us. They were taking the big stage down. I was seeing these riggers pulling it all down, and I just sat out there in this big empty auditorium. I thought, "Man, you know, these guys are sacrificing this time with their families or loved ones to be out here with us." And I started thinking, “Wouldn’t it be great if we had a song we could sing for all of us, because we're all missing our loved ones, and all making that road sacrifice?” So I went to the bus with that thought. And I had a napkin and it was those first four lines.

More: Story Behind the Song: 'Don't Stop Believin' '

BH: A songwriter actually did write a song on a napkin?

JC: On a napkin, yeah. “Wheels go round and round, you're on my mind.” And then I (thought), “Well, I'm tired. I’m gonna keep this and go lay down in the bunk.” So I did. And back in those days, you wake up smelling like diesel.

So we were up to upstate New York. I took the napkin to my (hotel) room, put all my bags down and just fell asleep. I woke up and I looked at the napkin. And I had a little Casio MT30 keyboard. I was plunking around on it and I’m trying to get an idea for the melody. And then, you know, "Restless hearts, sleep alone tonight. Sendin' all my love along the wire.” What next? Well, I reckon it’s a Holy Spirit moment, because I've never written a song in 20 minutes.

BH: I think you’re feeling guilty, is what I’ve always read. Cause you would typically go to Steve ...

JC: Yeah, so I’m filled with this idea. And it’s a supernatural moment that I’ll never forget. There was sunlight just streaming in the window. And me and this napkin, and a little keyboard this big on the bed, you know?

… We go to sound check, I’ve got my napkin in my pocket, and everybody goes to dinner except me. I wander back into the symphony piano room, and I find this big nine-foot Mason & Hamlin, this big old beautiful piano from the '40s. … There I am and I’ve got my napkin. And I sat it in front of me, and I start. And I’m like, “This is better than I thought it was gonna be. This is gonna be good.”

BH: You had to know it was special, right?

JC: Well, I knew it had something. I knew anytime you have that innocence and that transparency and you’re able to let your guard down as a man, and tell a woman that you’re forever hers. I was having trouble with my marriage at the time, and so my wife came on the road and I played it for her. And she just gave me a big old hug. It meant a lot to her that I had written it.

BH: Tell me you still have that napkin.

JC: I do not. You know what happened? This is a sad story. This is the way things go. They were, Sony, was looking for memorabilia. You know, for their floor downstairs they have like this big exhibit they were going to put up. And so they asked me if I had my lyrics, and I gave them my book with the napkin, and I never got it back.

BH: So they still have it?

JC: No, it's gone. I looked. Everything is gone.

BH: Universe, bring that back. It’s his.

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Faithfully by Journey

Songfacts®:

• Journey keyboard player Jonathan Cain wrote this song about the challenges of being a married man on the road in a rock band: Always another show Wondering where I am Lost without you At the time, he was married to his first wife, Tané, a singer who had a #37 hit in 1982 called "Holdin' On," which Jonathan co-wrote and produced. He and Tané divorced a few years later, despite him pledging in this song to be "forever yours... faithfully."
• In his Songfacts interview , Jonathan Cain said, "God gave me that song," as he wrote it so quickly. "I started it on the bus heading to Saratoga Springs," he said. "I woke up the next day with a napkin on the side of my nightstand and I looked at the lyrics, 'Highway run into the midnight sun.' Then I got this supernatural download: This is the rest of the song. I wrote rest of it down, almost frantically. I'd never had a song come to me so quickly that it was anointed, supernatural. Literally, in 30 minutes I had written that song. I had the napkin in my pocket and I put it on the piano. I had a big grand piano there by the orchestra. I played through it and I thought, 'Man, this is good.' The Lord gave me permission to finish it. Normally I would go to Steve Perry or somebody and say, 'Help me finish this song.' No. God gave me the mind to finish it, and the rest is history. That would be a love song to God, absolutely."
• According to the liner notes in Journey's Time3 compilation, Cain paid tribute to Journey road manager Pat Morrow and stage manager Benny Collins in the line, "We all need the clowns to make us smile." "He told me he got the melody out of a dream," said Neal Schon. "I wish something like that would happen to me." "Basically it's a road song," Cain said. "You know I'm being a good dog out here - don't worry about it."
• Like " Rosanna " by Toto, this contains lyrics delivered by the lead singer but written by another member of the band, which led many fans to believe Steve Perry wrote the song about a particular girl.
• Journey's first music video was for this song. At the time, finding a director for a video wasn't easy, especially in America, so the band's manager, Herbie Herbert, hired the guys from NFL Films to shoot footage of the band on the road and onstage. So the same guys who filmed Walter Payton scoring touchdowns also filmed Steve Perry shaving his mustache. Journey hated making videos, but couldn't ignore the promotional impact of MTV. The network favored acts like Journey at the time because they were trying to position themselves with a rock format.
• The song was performed by Lea Michele and Cory Monteith in the first season finale of Glee , along with several other Journey songs in the same episode. In the week after the transmission of the episode, download sales of the Glee version were sufficient to return the song to the Top 40 of the Hot 100.
• When he was young, Jonathan Cain wanted to be a priest. He attended the Our Lady of the Angels School in Chicago and survived the 1958 fire there that killed 95 people. He stepped away from his faith, and after going through turmoil with Journey and enduring two failed marriages, he had an epiphany on a road in Florida, where he found himself calling out to God. He joined the New Destiny Christian Center in Orlando, Florida, and in 2015 married its pastor, Paula White. In 2016 he released his first album of worship music, What God Wants to Hear . Looking back on "Faithfully," he saw it in a different light. "If you take 'Oh girl' and you put 'Oh God' in there, you've got a Christian song," he told Songfacts.
• More songs from Journey
• More songs about being away from loved ones
• More songs covered by the Glee cast
• More songs from 1983
• Lyrics to Faithfully
• Journey Artistfacts

Comments: 39

• Luna Loud from Royal Woods, Michigan You know, dudes, it's too bad this band's videos suck because their songs are so effin' amazing. And I'm with you 'Raf from Clovis, Ca; this song gets me in the feels every time.
• Chase Tart from North Carolina I’m 14 and this has to be my favorite song, which testifies to this song being so timeless. Not many musicians would credit God with the gift to write songs, so major props to Jonathan.
• Anonymous from Nacogdoches Texas I get the joy of rediscovering you...
• A-bomb from Duluth, Ga Usa And being apart ain't easy on this love affair Two strangers learn to fall in love again I get the joy Of rediscovering you Oh girl, you stand by me I'm forever yours, faithfully
• Rafael Burgos from Clovis, Ca This song makes me cry.
• Stuartdevoy from Cornwall, United Kingdom I was always ridiculed at school for liking Journey, not that any of the kids had ever heard there stuff, I'm English) I guess they weren't hip enough. then glee sing there songs and everybody's saying how good they are, all those years they missed out on, there is a lesson there somewhere. this is a great track used to stand in my bedroom with a tennis racket pretending to Neil Schon.
• Betty from Bedford, Oh I thought this song was written by Steve Perry but I guess not LOL songs that are written about something you feel are the best songs. This is one of my ultimate favorites songs.
• Hannah from Ottawa, On ANY Journey song is a good song but I particularly like Faithfully and Open Arms. They remind me of the early 8o's when I was in middle school. We always heard these songs at the school dances.
• Megan from Stevenson, Al OMG! This song is so great! One of the greatest bands in history...
• Mariana from Timisoara, Romania I decided to have this song played at my wedding when I first heard it, years before I met my husband. It is so beautiful and so romantic!
• Jordan from San Antonio, Tx my bf is the best to me. im so thankful for him and how he treats me. after everything he still cares for me tremendously.. i cried when i heard this song after he told me it reminds him of me like crzy. he is a very known band...and this song fits his commitment towards me . i love him
• Tt from Columbia, Sc A piece of history a song that will last forever and a day ,
• Danny from Your Town, Ia A song that will stand the test of time. Our grandkids will be talking about this one. My 17 year old already does.
• David from Youngstown, Oh One of the most unintentionally funny songs ever. The lyrics are so cliche. "They say that the road ain't no place to start a family" and "Circus lights under the big top world." So ridiculous. Forever yours...faithfully
• Theresa from Murfreesboro, Tn Journey's best song - hands down.
• Brandon from Kalamazoo, Mi my favorite song of all time....just hits me every time...Steve Perry's voice it's so good
• Jackie Moritz from Philadelphia, Pa When I first heard this song I was 13, now almost four years later this song still is my favorite! My best friend Jarred & I dedicated this song to each other. He moved away two years ago and to me this song describes how faithful we are to each other.
• Aaron from Jacksonville, Fl When I first heard this song when I was 17 it has gotten me through a lot of tough times! One of there best!!
• Rhodora from Quezon , Philippines This song was written by Jonathan Cain on a napkin of The Hilton Hotel when they were on the road, touring.
• Aldrin from Manila, Philippines very romantic journey song..beautiful song lines accompanied with steve perry's powerful vocals and neil schon's guitar..man i have nothing to say about this song but for me its a classic..
• Erikka from Buckeye, Az This song is probably the most romantic song I have ever heard!! I love it! I asked the DJ at prom if he would play it, and he asked me "Who's Journey?" I thought he was joking. I was 10 years younger than the guy, and he didn't even know who Journey is!! Pitiful, just pitiful.
• Jeff from Chicago, Ga Randy jackson played bass on the Raised on Radio album and toured with the band.. that hot pink outfit he wore should be outlawed!!
• Melissa from Lorton, Va I love this song... I remember when I was four and my dad would play this song on the radio to help me go to sleep. It is one of my favorite Journey songs.
• Jeff from Austin, Tx I agree with Scott from Columbus. That is a fantastic line. And the line before it as well..."Two strangers learn to fall in love again". Unbelievable song, easily one of the best ever written. And as usual, Steve Perry sang the hell out of it.
• Chris from Miami, Fl I used to love this song because I would always dedicate it to my gf wenever i would hear it but after all that it really meant nuthing. Its a great song with lyrics that have meaning but honestly I don't like it anymore =[
• Julia from Knoxville, Tn Ryan, it's ironic that I notice you're in Mobile, AL. this song was popular when I lived there.
• Julia from Knoxville, Tn My best friend was able to go to a Journey concert, and that is what makes her get emotional now when she and I both hear the song.
• Matt from Bristol, United States I first heard this song about 10 years ago on a TV advert for a sale on sofas at BHS :P Then, last year, I bought a Journey album and was instantly reaquainted.
• I. Orta from Austin, Tx it stinks being born in 89 cuz nobody tells you about all this great music that was created before any song that came out was manufactured from a make up artist an excutive and some eye candy to sell records. i wanna know what the good times were like, especially when gas was low. and 80s people thought they knew everything, i wanna know!!!!
• Mike from Orleans, In This is my favorite Journey song. i am one of a few students at my high school who listens to Journey.
• Brad from Redding, Ca Has anybody seen the music video for this? It has got to be one of the most unintentially funny things I've ever seen. The shot of Steve Perry about to shave his moustache is hilarious.
• Millerman from Dacusville, Sc Hey Danny in Cape Breton (sounds like a beautiful place), it was 3 years after this song was released before Randy Jackson came on board for the Journey lads. Cheers, mate!
• Robert from San Francisco, Ca Great ipod song while riding throught the streets of SF!
• Danny from Cape Breton, Canada totaly wicked song i was wondering if american idol judge randy jackson played with journey or this track as a basist, i am sure he has, as said earlier this one will take you back to that special one who will always be faithfully!
• Scott from Columbus, Oh The line: "I get the joy of re-discovering you" is nothing short of genius and inspiring...what a beautiful way to say I still appreiciate your love and how much it inspires me. Fooking beautiful! Journey was a certainly one of the best combinations of musicians to ever become. Bravo!
• Jayna from Youngstown, Oh Journey is by far the GREATEST band in the entire world!!! i love open arms best song ever! faithfully is my 2nd favorite song!! JOURNEY KICKS ASS!!
• Dee from Indianapolis, In This has to be one of the best love songs ever written. Between this and Open Arms you can't go wrong for slow dancing or romancing. This reminds me of some of my 1st crushes I had as a early teen. I still can tear up over this one at times.
• Ryan from Mobile, Al True True...it is a great song. I do think of the one that got away :'(
• Joe from Ocala, Fl You can't hear this song without thinking of the girl that got away in your own life.

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Behind the Song: “Faithfully” by Journey

by Tina Benitez-Eves September 10, 2021, 9:44 am 1 Comment

Highway run / Into the midnight sun / Wheels go round and round / You’re on my mind. 

Videos by American Songwriter

“In all honesty, it’s a road song,” says Jonathan Cain.

Observing the band’s touring crew, many of which didn’t have the money to fly their wives and kids around with them, the Journey keyboardist felt drawn to write a song about being on the road, far removed from loved ones, and found “Faithfully,” the first lines coming to Cain one evening after a show when the band was stuck in a snow storm.

“I watched the crew take down the whole stage—the speakers, the lights, the trusses,” Cain tells American Songwriter. “I watched the daredevils climb to the top like ‘Oh, my God, this is like a circus performance.’ I was so touched, and I thought we didn’t have a song, but if we had a song, or we sent one home to our loved ones, like a postcard to help bridge the distance between the road and home what would it be.”

Snowed in for the night, Cain started writing the first few lines of “Faithfully” on a napkin.

“I started thinking about me and my relationship, and I was missing my new wife at the time, and we were having trouble,” shares Cain. “There were early signs that we would probably split apart. I knew I needed to do something that said, ‘I love you, and whether or not you want to leave me, here it is,’ so I got on the bus, and there was this grey sky, and the moon was doing some kind of crazy stuff in the clouds, and it looked like the midnight sun. Then I wrote Highway run / Into the midnight sun / Wheels go round and round / You’re on my mind.”

After starting the song, Cain downed a beer and went to sleep, awakened by the smell of diesel fuel from the band’s bus. “In the morning, I saw the napkin sitting there on the nightstand and I said to myself, ‘This is a good song, so I started automatically lining up the lines and filling it in. In 30 minutes, all the lyrics were done. Then all of a sudden, I believe the Holy Spirit sent it to me, but I thought of the line ‘I’m forever yours, faithfully.’” 

Cain took the napkin to the band’s next soundcheck in Saratoga Springs, New York, placed it on his piano, and started quietly singing “Faithfully,” working out the melody and piano parts, yet never recorded any demo until he revisited “Faithfully” with the late producer Keith Olsen (Fleetwood Mac, Ozzy Osbourne, Heart) and finally recorded the track.

Olsen played the song for Heart’s Ann Wilson, who loved it, but it was a Journey song. By the time the band was recording Frontiers, they needed a ballad, and “Faithfully” was ready to go.

“Perry said to me ‘I’ll sing it on one condition, you can’t be in the room when I’m singing,’” remembers Cain. “I said, ‘fine,’ and we cut it in three takes. We never played it before. We never rehearsed it. That’s how good Journey is.” 

He adds, “Neil didn’t know what to play, and I looked at him and I said, ‘be a French horn”… and the song became a classic.”

Reflecting more on the track, Cain tells American Songwriter that the circumstances around the song give it deeper meaning threaded in love, faith, and music. “It was my first year out on the road, and I was in a really grateful place being young with a band like Journey, and grateful for how far up God had elevated me,” says Cain. “My identity was sort of acknowledged, finally. As a writer and performer, I felt like I belonged there. I didn’t feel like, ‘Oh, I don’t deserve this.’”

Replacing original keyboardist and Journey co-founder Gregg Rolie, who left the band to explore new projects and start a family, Cain, then 31, began working on the band’s seventh album, Escape , writing many of the tracks, including “Faithfully,” along with singer Steve Perry and guitarist Neal Schon in 1983. By the time Frontiers was released Cain already had “Don’t Stop Believin”—an encouraging phrase his father shared with him when he was younger—“Open Arms,” and more Journey hits under his belt. 

“I feel like I earned every bit of it,” says Cain of the recognition he felt by the time “Faithfully” was released. “At the same time, I was grateful.

Today, the song, which originally peaked at No. 12, has never left the Journey setlist, but Cain regrets that “Faithfully” never found placement in a film. He can’t even get the song covered, and once approached Garth Brooks as well as Tim McGraw and Faith Hill to cover the ballad.

“I can’t get it covered,” laughs Cain. “I guess they’re afraid of the original. It is a great song.”

Read Jonathan Cain’s recent interview with American Songwriter , here .

One Comment

According to Allmusic.com, “Faithfully” by Johnathan Cain has been covered 18 times including versions by Lorrie Morgan and Cain himself.

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Journey Have Revealed The True Meaning Behind Their Hit “Faithfully,” And It’s Not What You’d Expect!

Image via vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net

I’m forever yours…

Back in 1983,  Journey released one of their most popular, and emotional songs to date:  “Faithfully.”  The song is a power ballad that is commonly played as a slow dance song at weddings, proms and other celebrations. It showcases lead vocalist  Steve Perry’s amazing voice, and is one of the band’s best songs!

Not many people know the true meaning of this classic tune. The song is a love song, and most people think that it’s about a guy who is just expressing his love to a woman he loves. This is true, however songwriter and keyboardist  Jonathan Cain revealed the true meaning behind this amazing song!

Cain wrote this song about the challenges of being a married man on the road in a rock band. He said: “God gave me that song. I started it on the bus heading to Saratoga Springs. I woke up the next day with a napkin on the side of my nightstand and I looked at the lyrics, ‘Highway run into the midnight sun.’ Then I got this supernatural download: This is the rest of the song. I wrote rest of it down, almost frantically. I’d never had a song come to me so quickly that it was anointed, supernatural. Literally, in 30 minutes I had written that song. I had the napkin in my pocket and I put it on the piano. I had a big grand piano there by the orchestra. I played through it and I thought, ‘Man, this is good.’ The Lord gave me permission to finish it. Normally I would go to Steve Perry or somebody and say, ‘Help me finish this song.’ No. God gave me the mind to finish it, and the rest is history. That would be a love song to God, absolutely.”

That’s a pretty inspiring story of how this wonderful song was written! I bet you’ll never listen to it the same way again! Check out the song down below and enjoy!

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Highway run Into the midnight sun Wheels go round and round You're on my mind Restless hearts Sleep alone tonight Sendin' all my love Along the wire They say that the road ain't no place to start a family Right down the line, it's been you and me And lovin' a music man ain't always what it's supposed to be Oh, girl, you stand by me I'm forever yours Faithfully Circus life Under the big top world We all need the clowns To make us smile Through space and time Always another show Wonderin' where I am Lost without you And being apart ain't easy on this love affair Two strangers learn to fall in love again I get the joy of rediscovering you Oh, girl, you stand by me I'm forever yours Faithfully Faithfully I'm still yours I'm forever yours Forever yours Faithfully

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63 Comments

Lyrics submitted by Phlick_2002

Faithfully Lyrics as written by Jonathan Cain

Lyrics © Hipgnosis Songs Group

Lyrics powered by LyricFind

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this song means an undying love. the way love should be. this is a song that describes the perfect way two bound hearts shoudl be. they are faithful throughout everything. plus journey just kicks ass. -ashley-nicole

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This song is a prime example of how true love should be. Nothing's perfect but you have to work on it to make it work!

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Thank you,that is exactly!

This song pretty much tells its own story. I find it fascinating that it could be mis- understood- with Steve Perry pouring his heart out (whether he wrote it or not) and really conveying deep emotion. Anyone ever married to, or involved with, a touring musician has no problem understanding or appreciating this song.

the song is about a long distance relationship. "sendin all my love along the wire". they are not together but they are able to still love each other. such an emotional song.

Most of you guys sound like a bunch of high schoolers here...maybe you are-who knows, but I wanted to say that Journey is classic, and so is this soing...beautiful meaning for so many people, and very special for those relationships that try and hopefully make it work long distance

i really love this song cuz my bf is in the army and in iraq at the moment and let me tell you what this distance between us is hard to deal with. this song reminds me of him a lot. he sent these lyrics to me when he first got into iraq.

i know exactly how you feel. the entire 4 1/2 years me and my fiancee have been together it has been long distance. it didnt helpo when he joined the army though. he was deployed for a year only a month after he got out of boot camp and AIT. but we made it. it is songs like these that heloed me through it. just send him lots of care packages and write as often as you can.<br /> <br /> on his 4 day leave between briefing and deployment, we went and got "forever yours faithfully" tatooed in each others hand writing so that we would never forget it. cheezy and risky i know.

i can relate to this song so well, because my boyfriend and i are working on our second year of a long-distance romance. this song is about fighting the distance and making it work nonetheless.

"And being apart ain't easy On this love affair Two strangers learn to fall in love again I get the joy Of rediscovering you"

that is so incredibly beautiful!!! i wish i could write like that...

i fucking hate the new singer, steve perry is the fucking band, journey sucks without steve, they should soon realize it, brother!,

i agree with everyone who says the band is much better with Steve Perry, especially this song...the new guy, whoever the hell he is, really botches it....i've had several opportunities to see the Arrival tour, but without Steve Perry, Journey isnt worth seeing

Beautiful song...I think that we can all relate to it in a certain ways...space, time, work, stuff gets between people in a relationship--It can take time to get to know that person all over again after long periods of space and time....but in the meantime there's this passionate commitment to overcome all the stuff that could potentially break us apart...and to stay committed. A beautiful song.

whether Perry had anything to do with the making of this song or not...it still sucks with him not singing it

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Why Prince Asked for Journey’s Blessing Before Releasing ‘Purple Rain’

We've been hearing plenty of "Purple Rain" in the days since Prince's shocking death, from onstage tribute performances to last-minute screenings of the 1984 film by the same name around the world…

By Gary Graff

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We’ve been hearing plenty of “Purple Rain” in the days since Prince’s shocking death , from onstage tribute performances to last-minute screenings of the 1984 film by the same name around the world. But it turns out “Purple Rain” the song might not have happened without a little cooperation from the members of Journey .

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Singer/songwriter Jonathan Cain tells Billboard that he was notified in early 1984 that Prince wanted to speak with him. Curious, Cain went to Columbia Records’ offices in Los Angeles and took a call from Prince, who told Cain, “I want to play something for you, and I want you to check it out. The chord changes are close to ‘Faithfully'” — a top 20 single from Journey’s 1983 album Frontiers — “and I don’t want you to sue me.” After listening, Cain says, “I thought it was an amazing tune, and I told him, ‘Man, I’m just super-flattered that you even called. It shows you’re that classy of a guy. Good luck with the song. I know it’s gonna be a hit.’

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“And it was ‘Purple Rain.'”

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The two songs definitely share more than just similar chords, including the wordless outer vocals and the tone of the guitar solos. “Prince felt, I guess, it was obvious enough that he was worried we were going to sue him,” Journey guitarist Neal Schon recalls. “I think he called our office asking about it and we all talked about it and everybody said, ‘Nah, it’s the highest form of flattery. Let it go.'” But Cain never had a moment’s second thought about even asking for a co-writing credit on the anthem. “No, no, that’ll just bring bad juju on you, and you don’t want to do that,” Cain says. “I just thought it seriously showed the kind of caring, classy guy Prince was. He wanted to check in with Jonathan Cain and make sure I wasn’t going to say, ‘That sounds like ‘Faithfully.'” There’s so many other things that have come down the pike that were more of a rip-off, that have stolen Journey songs. There was a One Direction song I was upset about and I just let it roll. But that particular phone call [from Prince] was amazing.”

There were perks for playing ball too. “He got me these amazing seats at the Purple Rain [Tour] show when he played the Cow Palace in San Francisco, and I thought it was ridiculous how cool it was,” Cain says.

Prince’s ‘Purple Rain’ Expanding in Theaters Thanks to Fan Demand

“Faithfully” was the second single from Frontiers , peaking at No. 12 on the Billboard Hot 100 . The song was a late addition to the album, after producers Mike Stone and Kevin Elson asked for another power ballad for the set. “The next day, [Cain] brings in this song that just came to him in the middle of the night and wrote down all the lyrics and had the basic song put together,” remembers Schon, who nevertheless had trouble coming up with a solo. “I didn’t know what to do on it so I said ‘I’ll just sit this one out,’ and everybody went, ‘No, no, just play, play whatever comes to your mind,'” the guitarist says. “So I wrote out my own little chart and I went out, and I believe we played the song twice and that was it. There were no vocals on it yet. Steve [Perry] came in the next day and kicked everybody out of the studio ’cause he wanted to sing it by himself.”

The Journey members subsequently learned that the similarities between the “Purple Rain” and “Faithfully” guitar solos were not coincidental either. “There’s a guy that Jonathan and I both know in Minneapolis who worked with Prince in the last few years,” Schon says, “and he told Jon to tell me that Prince was talking about my guitar playing, how it really moved him and how he liked my playing. It was just so cool.”

“How much he loved Neal Schon is crazy,” Cain adds. “He studied Neal for so many years, learned his licks and made them his own. You can hear it on (‘Purple Rain’) for real.”

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Meaning of Faithfully by Journey

"Faithfully" by Journey is a ballad about the sacrifices and hardships that come with being in a long-term relationship while living a non-traditional lifestyle. The song is written from the perspective of a rock musician who spends much of his time on the road touring. The first verse talks about the loneliness that comes with being away from the person they love, but still keeping them in their thoughts.

The pre-chorus touches on the struggles of starting and maintaining a family while constantly being on tour. It emphasizes how the singer's partner has always been there for them despite the difficulties faced by a musician’s significant other.

In the chorus, the singer declares how committed they are to their partner. They promise to love them forever and be faithful to them.

The second verse talks about the "circus life" of being a musician, being on tour constantly and often putting on a facade to entertain people. The singer realizes that in the midst of all the craziness, their partner is still their constant source of love and support.

The outro reinforces the sentiment of the chorus, with the singer declaring that they are still faithful to their partner and always will be.

Overall, "Faithfully" is a song about the ups and downs of a long-distance relationship and the importance of staying true and committed to the one you love, even when things get tough.

This meaning interpretation was written by AI. Help improve it with your feedback

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How Journey Helped Bryan Adams Reach No. 1 With ‘Heaven’

Bryan Adams spent a lot of evenings cooling down after his shows in 1983 by watching the headline band Journey in action. During Adams' sets, Journey drummer  Steve Smith would spend time under the stage, warming up by playing along.

The pair become friends, but that wasn’t all Adams took away from Journey's  Frontiers tour. Inspired by their hit “Faithfully,” he started work on a song of his own that followed a similar creative direction. When the time came to record the track, “Heaven,” it provided a surprise opportunity for Smith to reconnect with Adams.

“There were times when we hung on one of the band buses and watched people walking through the parking lot and coming into the arenas – which made for some incredible people-watching!” Smith tells UCR. “I like to warm up before I get onstage. Most nights I would play along to Bryan’s entire set underneath the stage. I had a practice pad and a drum throne. I would jam along to get myself ready to play with Journey. It was a fun way to warm up.”

Co-writer Jim Vallance recalled how he and Adams came up with “Heaven,” explaining on his website  that "in 1983, our publisher asked me and Bryan to write a song for the film A Night in Heaven , starring Lesley Ann Warren and Christopher Atkins. The film flopped at the box office, and the soundtrack album, which included our song ‘Heaven,’ suffered a similar fate. … So, for all intents and purposes, ‘Heaven’ was untainted … a new, unheard song.”

Watch Bryan Adams' Video for ‘Heaven’

The track was recorded at the Power Station in New York in June 1983, “but the session didn’t go smoothly,” Vallance added. Drummer Mickey Curry earlier told Adams that he was already booked for a Hall & Oates  recording at the time. Because Adams' session ran overtime, Curry “had no choice but to walk out,” Vallance said. Responding quickly, Adams placed a call to Smith.

“I was in my hotel room in New York City, and I got a call from Bryan,” Smith says. “We were on the 1983 tour and it was a day off. Bryan asked me if I’d come down to the Power Station studio to record a song with him that he was working on for a movie soundtrack. I was excited to play on one of his songs, plus I wanted to experience the Power Station and work with his producer, Bob Clearmountain.”

Regardless of how things were going for anyone else, Smith found the session smooth and simple. “By the time I got there, the band knew the song, and I took some time to listen to the track, learn the form and then we started to record,” he explains. “I had developed some ballad chops playing with Journey, and I was able to easily adapt my concept. Bryan and Bob wanted the big toms fills and wide beat that I had used on Journey songs like ‘Open Arms’ and ‘Faithfully.’”

Using Clearmountain’s kit meant Smith “didn’t have to do anything as far as setup or tuning, just sit down and play," the drummer says. "After I came up with my approach, we got the song fairly quickly, if I remember correctly. Once we did get the track, they wanted me to play some more fills that they could possibly use, and I’m pretty sure one of those fills ended up on the fade near the end of the song.”

With the movie quickly forgotten, Adams could do what he liked with the song – but Vallance remembered his colleague thinking it was a poor fit for Reckless , the album Adams was working on at the time. “I’m not sure who changed Bryan’s mind,” Vallance said. "But at the last minute Bryan added ‘Heaven’ to the track list. Excellent decision! The song became the album's flagship single, reaching the top of the U.S. and Canadian charts in the summer of 1985 - as did the album.”

Watch Journey's Video for ‘Faithfully’

“Heaven” was released as a single on April 9, 1985, while Adams was touring the U.S. “We kept in touch by telephone, our excitement growing as the song climbed the charts, rising through the 50s and 40s [in April], the 30s and 20s [in May] and finally entering the Top 10 in June 1985,” Vallance said. “‘If the song reaches No. 1,’ I told Bryan on the phone, ‘I’ll fly to wherever you are so we can celebrate.’ Two weeks later I was on a flight to Cincinnati.”

It was Adams’ first – and Smith’s only – visit to the top spot on the singles chart. “I’m very pleased that I had the chance to play on ‘Heaven,'" the drummer says. “It’s a fantastic song with a powerhouse vocal, and I feel good that I got to make my own contribution. … As big as some of the Journey hits were, we never had a No. 1. Bryan sent me a platinum album, which I still treasure.”

Adams said he never doubted “Heaven” would appear on Reckless , and has disassociated its connection to A Night in Heaven : “The film was so awful,” he said in 2019 . “I knew it was a good song, but you don’t think of songs being standards when you write them. I waited a year and put it on the Reckless album and released it as a single two years after it had been written.”

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This week’s featured song story comes to us from TobyMac. We’re excited to share with you the story behind his song “Faithfully.”

“ I was still so numb, my heart broken. And another song came out of our loss. It’s actually one of my favorite’s on the record, a song called ‘Faithfully.’ I wrote ‘I may never be the same man, but I’m a man who still believes.’ ” – TobyMac

Click on the video below to hear Toby share the story. Scroll down to listen and read the full lyrics of the song.

“Faithfully” – Single Version .

“Faithfully” Lyrics

It’s been a long year; it almost took me down I swear Life was so good, I’m not so sure we knew what we had I’ll never be the same man, I’ll never feel like I felt before It’s been a hard year, it almost took me down

But when we my world broke into pieces You were there faithfully When I cried out to you Jesus You made a way for me

I may never be the same man But I’m a man who still believes When I cried out to you Jesus You were there faithfully

I’ve had a hard time, finding the blue in the skies above me And if I’m keeping it real, I’ve been half fakin’ the happy they see I may look like the same man, but I’m half the man I was It’s been a hard year it almost took me down

In my darkest hour, You met me So quietly, so gently You said You’d never leave, and You stood by Your word  

So quietly, so gently In all my pain, You met me You said You’d never leave, and You stood by Your word

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Music and Concerts | Journey’s 50th anniversary tour makes its way…

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Music and concerts, music and concerts | journey’s 50th anniversary tour makes its way to norfolk with a ‘dirty dozen’ in store.

Journey is back with its 50th-anniversary tour, headlining arenas this spring before spending a chunk of the summer on a stadium tour with Def Leppard.

Guitarist and founding member Neal Schon and keyboardist/guitarist Jonathan Cain say that today’s band has never played better.

“Finally, it sounds like the Journey everybody knows,” Cain said of the group, which formed in 1973 in San Francisco. “It’s back to the ’80s, that’s what it sounds like.”

Journey with special guest star Toto is coming to Scope Friday.

Schon and Cain are the two remaining members going back to the early 1980s when Journey was churning out hits like “Don’t Stop Believing,” “Any Way You Want It” and “Open Arms.” The two reflected on the band during a recent video interview, including on recent lawsuits, disputes and personnel changes, and regaining a level of popularity that has Journey back on the road.

But there were more issues to come – this time between Schon and Cain. Schon sent a cease-and-desist letter to Cain after Cain joined a sing-along of “Don’t Stop Believing” at a November 2022 event for former president Donald Trump. Cain’s wife, Paula, had worked as a spiritual advisor to Trump. Schon took offense to Cain’s performance, noting that Journey never was and never would be a political band.

Then last year, Schon and Cain traded lawsuits over a financial account for the group. The bandmates hashed out their differences without the courts, they said.

“All we really did was get fed up with the legal and having legals talk instead of us,” Schon said. “We talked for a couple of hours and we talked through it all. I think that’s what fixed everything.”

Now Schon and Cain are leading Journey (with Pineda, Castronovo and Jensen) on one of the band’s biggest touring years. Fans can expect to hear Journey’s biggest hits — the “Dirty Dozen” as the band has nicknamed them — with a handful of new or deeper cuts. This makes crafting set lists a challenge but it’s a problem many bands would welcome.

“We just have a massive catalog,” Cain said, “with so many great songs that we don’t get to.”

When: 7:30 p.m. Friday

Where: Scope, 201 E. Brambleton Ave., Norfolk

Tickets: Start at $49.50

Details:  sevenvenues.com

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