I gave a listen to the new Steve Perry album on Spotify earlier in the week, it’s really good.
Speaking of Mr. Perry: this not-at-all white person has gotta give some love to the song that, in the last fifteen or so years, has become the Official Caucasoid National Anthem. “Don’t Stop Believin’” retains its five star rating despite its overuse on TV and in movies, being the last song at the end of every wedding, and being absolutely mauled by groups of drunkards at karaoke. I should hate it. But I don’t. Because it’s a glorious song, with a thrilling slow build into a powerful release. And Steve Perry is a fucking boss. The song was made for him and only him (although I suppose Arnel Pineda will suffice as a reasonable facsimile).
Common knowledge dictates that when a song jumps into “overplay” territory, one would get sick of it. In “Don’t Stop Believin’”’s case, ubiquity has caused me to reassess a song that I initially liked but didn’t think a whole lot of (I liked “Open Arms” and “Who’s Crying Now” more back in the early ‘80s). It’s a worthy reassessment.
Five Star Jamz 
[…] Anyway, I’d be surprised if you were reading this and not incredibly familiar with “Eye Of The Tiger”, but here’s some facts. It was the theme song to Rocky III (which is the one that introduced the world to Mr. T as Clubber Lang) and spent weeks at #1 on the charts. It was also Survivor’s first big hit. It clearly inspired Eminem’s “Lose Yourself”. Wikipedia says that Sylvester Stallone originally wanted to use Queen’s “Another One Bites The Dust” for Rocky III’s theme and was turned down. I have to say that I wonder if, before getting a hold of Survivor, who were definitely not a big-time band pre-“Tiger”, Stallone might have also approached Journey, whose Escape album had just completed a year of American chart domination. Survivor singer Dave Bickler’s vocal range is rather similar to Steve Perry’s, and “Eye Of The Tiger” has an anthemic appeal not unlike “Don’t Stop Believin'”. […]
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