Former Journey bassist Ross Valory recently addressed whether he and his bandmates realized, at the time they were recording it, that “Don’t Stop Believin'” would become one of the biggest songs of all time.
Valory explained that the band sensed something special not just about the song, but about the entire 1981 album “Escape.” He credited the group’s chemistry, timing, and management for that success.
“Without any sense of ego or self-importance, yes,” Valory said. “Not only did we know, when the song was written and rehearsed and then recorded and then performed, we knew that, but we actually knew that about the entire album [Journey’s 1981 studio album ‘Escape’].”
He went on to describe how the addition of keyboardist Jonathan Cain solidified the band’s lineup and creative direction.
“We knew, once [keyboardist] Jonathan Cain had joined the band, that those five people was the best combination of musicians and writers,” he continued. “It was at the right time, at the right age, in the right place, and, of course, with the right kind of management and promotion. Not to mention Herbie Herbert, our longtime partner/manager. So the answer is yes, we knew it. We knew it. And what a blessing.”
Valory then reflected on the broader music industry and how talent alone doesn’t always guarantee success.
“There’s so many good musicians that I know or have known, creative, good writers, and I’ve seen that so many of them never get noticed or never get that shot in the business,” he said. “Some of them are very, very flexible. They wanna stay in the business. They haven’t made it as a writer or musician, and they go into management or promotion or lighting or audio engineering. A lot of those people had been initially musicians.”
He closed by emphasizing the role of opportunity and timing in Journey’s success.
“But anyhow, it’s all about having had the opportunity,” Valory said. “Yes, Journey had the talent, and has the talent, but all of us were in the right place at the right time in the right combination. Magic — it was magic.”
Valory’s confidence in that lineup wasn’t misplaced. The numbers surrounding “Don’t Stop Believin'” and “Escape” back up his recollection of a band operating at its peak.
“Don’t Stop Believin'” was released in October 1981 as the second single from “Escape,” Journey’s seventh studio album. Its release marked one of the earliest showcases of the newly formed five-man lineup Valory described.
That lineup change proved pivotal to the song’s very existence. Jonathan Cain had only recently joined Journey when he brought the phrase “don’t stop believing” into the writing sessions. He drew on words his father once told him during a difficult stretch as a struggling musician in Los Angeles, and that personal history became the seed for what would grow into rock’s most enduring anthem of perseverance.
The payoff for that new chemistry was immediate and lasting. “Escape” went on to become Journey’s most successful studio album, topping the Billboard 200 chart. The record eventually earned Diamond certification from the RIAA, a testament to the staying power Valory credited to the band’s timing and lineup.
