If you’ve ever found yourself tapping your foot to the beat at a sporting event, singing along in the car with your parents, or swaying to the melody at weddings, chances are you’ve encountered the timeless anthem, “Don’t Stop Believin’.” This iconic track has officially snagged the title of ‘biggest song of all time,’ as declared by Forbes.
In 1981, Journey dropped “Don’t Stop Believin'” as part of their album Escape with Columbia Records. The song became their trademark. Critics loved it right away, praising its guitar and vocals. ALLMusic even called it the ultimate rock tune. Neal Schon, the band’s founder, came up with the cool bass line, while Jonathan Cain, the keyboardist, got the song’s title from his dad’s pep talk back when he was struggling on Sunset Boulevard.
Fans of Journey are in for a treat this summer as the legendary band gears up for a co-headlining stadium tour with Def Leppard. Journey toured with Def Leppard back in 2018, and it was their most successful tour to date, with over 1 million tickets sold.
The accolades for “Don’t Stop Believin'” continue to pour in decades later.
The much-loved song has won big in several countries, going multi-platinum in places like Australia (10x), New Zealand (7x), the UK (4x), and Denmark (2x). Not only that, Journey also bagged the prestigious GRAMMY Hall of Fame award for the song, and it made it to the 133rd spot on Rolling Stone’s famous list of the 500 greatest songs ever.
Additionally, Journey made a big mark in rock music with 19 ‘Top 40’ singles and 25 albums that went gold or platinum. Their Greatest Hits album is super popular, with a rare diamond certification for selling 15 million copies. And “Don’t Stop Believin'” alone has streamed over one billion times.
As Journey gets ready for their text tour, the power of “Don’t Stop Believin'” feels stronger than ever. This song has brought people together from all walks of life, crossing generations and borders. Its many awards and lasting popularity show just how important it is in rock music history. So, as Journey gets back on stage, both old and new fans are encouraged to keep holding onto that famous chorus, because, like the song says, don’t stop believin’.