In this episode of The Best 5 Minute Wine Podcast, we dive deep into the untold story behind Journey's legendary song 'Don't Stop Believin'. The narrative begins in Los Angeles in 1980, where a struggling musician named Jonathan Cain contemplates giving up on his dreams. With a powerful message from his father, Cain pens a phrase that will shape the future of music. One year later, as part of Journey, he collaborates with lead singer Steve Perry to craft a song that captures the essence of hope, heartbreak, and the ambiance of a smoky bar room.
As we unravel the songwriting process, we highlight how Perry’s evocative lyrics paint a vivid picture, using sensory details that resonate with listeners. From the choice of 'South Detroit' to the unconventional structure of the song, this episode reveals how 'Don't Stop Believin' became a cultural phenomenon. With its iconic chorus saved for the end, the track captures the emotional truth of a moment, solidifying its place in music history. Join us as we celebrate the artistry behind this timeless anthem.
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Every bottle has a front label.
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That's the story they want you to know.
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The back label is the story they didn't.
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This is the back label.
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A story that gives you the full pour.
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A broke piano player named Jonathan Cain
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stands at a payphone on Sunset Boulevard.
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He's pawned his gear.
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He's ready to cork his career for good.
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He calls his father in Chicago
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and asks if he should give up and come home.
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His father says the words that will provide the vintage
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for every stadium anthem thereafter.
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Cain writes it down in a notebook
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and lets it age for a year.
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One year later, Cain joins Journey.
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They're fermenting a new album called Escape
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and they need one more track.
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Cain flips open that notebook
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and the band starts brewing something special
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around his father's vision.
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Steve Perry takes that phrase
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and pairs it with a sensory masterpiece.
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While most songwriters describe a room
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by what it looks like,
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Perry goes for the aromatic profile.
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He gives us a smoky bar room
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where the air is a heavy swirl
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of wine and cheap perfume.
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I smell a wine and cheap perfume.
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Think of Perry as the winemaker
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staring out of a Detroit hotel window
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He sees the streetlights angled down
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creating pools of light in the darkness
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and strangers appearing and vanishing in the shadows.
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Those streetlight people aren't just lyrics.
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They are the heart of the blend
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hiding somewhere in the night.
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That's a sommelier's move.
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Perry didn't just write a song.
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He captured the scent of a moment.
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One sniff and you know the whole story.
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The hope, the heartbreak
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and the cheap glass of red sweating on the bar.
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Even the South Detroit boy
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was a choice made for the notes of the song.
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Perry tried singing North, East and West
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but they didn't have the right emotional truth.
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He chose a place that doesn't exist
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because it sang better
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creating a mystical vintage that lives in the mind.
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Here's the part that breaks every rule
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of songwriting viticulture.
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Most songs hit the hook early
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but Don't Stop Believin'
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keeps the good stuff decanting
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until the very end.
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We go through two pre-choruses
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before the central hook finally arrives
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with only 50 seconds left.
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When it came time to put it on tape
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the band recorded the instrumental live in one take.
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No do-overs, just lightning captured
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the first time the bottle was opened.
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Decades later, it became the most famous pour
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in TV history during the Sopranos finale.
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It is now the best-selling digital rock song
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of the 20th century.
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In 2022, the Library of Congress
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selected it for the National Recording Registry.
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Preserved forever as a culturally significant vintage.
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So, the next time you raise a glass
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in some dimly lit room
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take a breath and catch the nose of the story
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Steve Perry didn't just write a lyric
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he gave us the aromatic profile of a moment
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that heavy, smoky swirl of wine and cheap perfume.
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Smell the wine and cheap perfume.
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It is the scent of the midnight train
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the scent of every streetlight person
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who refused to let their glass run dry.
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Every bottle has a front label
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that's the story they want you to know.
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The back label is the story they didn't.
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You've just heard the full pour.
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