Top 10 Alert!
Song#: 2690 Date: 04/12/1986
Debut: 51
Peak: 9
Weeks: 15
Genre: Arena Rock
Pop Bits: Following the success of their 1983 LP Frontiers, Journey decided to take a little break. Frontman Steve Perry ventured into solo territory with a hit album while guitarist Neal Schon did well with his side project Hagar Schon Aaronson Shrieve. Three years would pass before the band would finally get back together to start work on their ninth studio album. They announced the arrival of the new LP, titled Raised on Radio, with this first single that was issued out ahead of the album's release. The song was a welcome shot of arena rock that landed at #2 at Rock and became their sixth Pop Top 10. The hit would help the album get to #4 and go double-platinum. However, this song would end up being their last to reach the Pop Top 10 and the band wouldn't release another album for a decade.
ReduxReview: I've always loved the big power pop beginning of this tune. It really made a statement and after being out of the spotlight for a few years Journey needed something with punch to announce they were back. This song did the trick. It's also quite joyous and inspirational, which a bit unusual for Journey. They didn't often do bright tunes like this and it was something different that still maintained their arena rock sound. Unfortunately, the rest of the album wasn't nearly as good as this tune. Let's just say that Perry's time in the pop spotlight certainly had lingering effects. At least they had this rockin' tune that was a solid addition to their hits catalog.
ReduxRating: 8/10
Trivia: If you ever watched American Idol and heard judge Randy Jackson say (to Simon Cowell's chagrin and chastisement), "when I was with Journey...," well here he is! When Journey convened to make Raised on Radio, dynamics in the band had changed. Steve Perry had moved over into the producer's chair and it seemed that the music he was writing with Jonathan Cain and Neal Schon was less like rock and more like pop. Bassist Ross Valory and drummer Steve Smith weren't keen on Perry's approach and the tension that came about due to that led to the pair being dismissed from the band. Valory was an original member of the band and Smith had joined in 1978. Down two members, the band had to bring in session players to finish off the recording. The band was already familiar with Randy Jackson as he had supplied some bass parts to the Frontiers song "After the Fall" (#23 Pop). They not only brought Jackson in to play on the album, but had him accompany them on the supporting tour. Unfortunately, Journey then went on hiatus for nearly a decade and Jackson went back to session work and working behind the scenes as a producer and as an executive for a couple major labels (and then, of course, American Idol). Had Journey stayed together after Raised on Radio, who knows what would have happened. Perhaps Jackson might have become a full-time member.
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6/10, while this was a fairly good song but I liked "Girl Can't Help It" (which I think is a very underrated song by them) and "I'll Be Alright Without You" better than this one.
ReplyDeleteThose are good songs. I prefer "Girl" over the other, but both took them in a more AC/solo Steve Perry direction and away from the rock side of Journey, which is what I prefer. So this one was more in line with the Journey I grew up with.
DeleteI do wish "Girl Can't Help It" was the follow up single to this instead of "Suzanne" (which I didn't think was that great of a song).
ReplyDeleteYes, it probably would have made a better follow-up. Would have come off more like a "Who's Crying Now."
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