I wrote a column a while back where I laid out my case for not
liking The Beatles. This column took a lot of thought, as I
attempted to pinpoint exactly why I couldn’t enjoy the most
influential rock band of all time. I constructed a fairly
bulletproof argument based on impossible expectations and knowing
what I was supposed to think of the music before even listening to
it.
I expected to have people harp on me for not liking The Beatles
that much and having the audacity to publicly declare it.
Interestingly, people who commented voiced their overwhelming
support. Only a couple people voiced disagreement, and it
wasn’t nearly as passionate as I expected.
So imagine my surprise when I went to Brew Co. recently. It was
Margarita Monday, so of course people were belting out karaoke.
Ironically, some friends and I were talking about my Beatles column
when Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin'”
came on. Of course, I reacted the way my mother had (thank God)
taught me to since I was 7 with respect to corporate arena rock: by
rolling my eyes and bluntly declaring, “God, I
(flippin’) hate Journey.” And you know the backlash I
expected? Well, it showed up, and then some.
I had not only my friends but also people around me who had
heard me turning in horror and saying, “How can you not like
Journey?!” I didn’t say anything, though not for lack
of a strong opinion ““ I was simply speechless. And it
wasn’t the first time. “Journey is so good, how can you
hate them?!” people asked me when I made a similar statement
at a party.
Now how did a band that was previously the butt of jokes in
“BASEketball” become more beloved than The Beatles?
Around this time, more of my friends echoed a similar love for
Journey, and it seemed like every time I got into someone’s
car I saw a “Journey’s Greatest Hits” album. Not
to mention that my roommates were constantly playing Journey or
downloading its ring tones.
It hit the pinnacle in October, when the Chicago White Sox made
“Don’t Stop Believin'” their “theme
song” as they marched to a World Series title, sweeping my
beloved Houston Astros in four games. And I still don’t care
what anybody says, Pierzynski was out at first base against the
Angels.
Anyway, I asked a friend who’s knowledgeable about music
(and a Journey fan) to explain why the band has such renewed
popularity. He gave me a reasoned analysis, stating that he feels
Journey, and particularly “Don’t Stop
Believin’,” speaks to American youth because the 2000s
are similar to the 1980s in terms of living in fear brought on by
military conflict, conservatism and greed.
All in all, a thoughtful philosophy that goes beyond the simple
quality of the music.
Though I think it gives our generation way too much intellectual
credit.
The real reason everyone suddenly loves Journey is no different
than how Journey became popular in the first place: Corporate
America is pushing it once again.
In August 2005, “Don’t Stop Believin'”
made an appearance on “Family Guy,” college
students’ favorite show (according to Facebook’s Pulse,
anyway). By the next week the song had become one of the top iTunes
downloads and is still consistently downloaded.
Before this, the song was featured in a FedEx Super Bowl
commercial with Burt Reynolds and a bear. The song was also on an
episode of MTV’s “Laguna Beach,” and Ryan on
“The OC” apparently talks up Journey as one of his
favorite bands.
Plus, I really get the feeling that people are confusing
“fun and cheesy” with actual quality. For instance, I
have more “fun” watching “Dead Alive” with
friends than I do watching something heavy like “The
Godfather.” But am I going to defend “Dead Alive”
as an actual good movie and not care if someone doesn’t think
“The Godfather” is one of, if not the greatest,
American films of all time? Good God, no.
What would happen if Paul McCartney were a musical guest on
“The OC” and played “Yesterday?” Or if
people started singing “Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds”
on “Laguna Beach?” Would people our age adore these
rock icons with the same fervor they do Journey?
I guess this is exactly what McCartney was trying to do at the
Grammys when he sang a rap-rock version of “Yesterday”
with Jay-Z and Linkin Park. I can’t decide what’s worse
““ that McCartney feels he has to butcher his classics by
making them accessible to a younger audience that gets its musical
cues from television and pop culture references, or that this
seemingly legitimizes a dime-a-dozen group like Linkin Park by
having it appear with a legend.
And really, the utter horror of that catastrophe makes this
whole Journey thing seem pretty trivial in comparison. Shame on
you, Sir Paul. I just stopped believin’.
E-mail Humphrey at mhumphrey@media.ucla.edu if you agree
that Europe’s “The Final Countdown” is the cheesy
song truly in need of a popular revival.