Journey's 1981 classic “Don't Stop Believin'” has become an anthem for hospitalized patients recovering from coronavirus. Blabbermouth.com reported the song gets blasted at Detroit's Henry Ford Hospital and in the “Big Apple” at New York-Presbyterian Queens Hospital as patients slowly recover.
Veronica Hall, a resident nurse and president of the president of Henry Ford told The Detroit News: “The song is a sign of hope, a reminder to patients to never give up and a motivational thank-you to tired, never-stop-trying team members.”
New York-Presbyterian Queens Hospital posted on social media: “As a message of hope during these challenging times, #NYPQueens plays JOURNEY's 'Don't Stop Believin'' throughout the hospital each time a #COVID19 patient is discharged and on the road to recovery.”
Former frontman and the song's co-writer, Steve Perry, tweeted: “I wanted to share a little cheer from New York Presbyterian Queens Hospital in NY. They play 'Don't Stop Believin'' every time a COVID-19 patient is discharged. We're all in this together, and we'll get through this together. #DontStopBelievin.”
Co-writer and keyboardist Jonathan Cain also posted a message and a video: “Love this from a hospital in NYC where people are being released after beating Covid-19 while they played our song.”
Jonathan Cain recalled to us where the original inspiration for 'Don't Stop Believin'' came from: “I needed money. 'Called my father. 'Help me out. Should I come home to Chicago?' He says, 'No, stay in Hollywood — something good's gonna happen. Don't Stop Believin,' Jon.' So, y'know, I had. . . I write stuff down and I wrote down 'Don't Stop Believin'' somewhere in my spiral notebooks of many lyrics. And then when they asked me to come up and write the Escape album, we were looking for another song. And so Steve (Perry) said, 'Go see what you've got. You must have something laying around, y'know?' So I saw the lyric and then I said, 'Well, we need another song — I think Steve is gonna like this idea.'”
Neal Schon — Journey's co-founding guitarist — recalled how the legendary track originally took shape: “Y'know, Jonathan (Cain) brought in the chorus, which is the piano riff that ends up being the verse, also. Then I came up with, like, the B-section of the song. And then him and Steve (Perry) threw around the melodies more and more — Steve did his thing on it and then — bang! Y'know, like an hour later, two hours later, there the song was. And before you knew it, we were in the studio recording it, and I listened back to it when it was done and I went, 'Man, I think that song's gonna be big.'”
