Ex-JOURNEY Bassist ROSS VALORY Always Knew 'Don't Stop Believin'' Would Become A Huge Hit

In a new interview with Chris Akin of The CMS Metal Show, ex-JOURNEY bassist Ross Valory was asked if he and his bandmates knew, at the time when they were recording it, that JOURNEY's "Don't Stop Believin'" would turn out to be one of the biggest songs of all time. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Without any sense of ego or self-importance, yes. 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']. We knew, once [keyboardist] Jonathan Cain had joined the band, that those five people was the best combination of musicians and writers. 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."

Ross continued: "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. 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. Alot of those people had been initially musicians. But anyhow, it's all about having had the opportunity. 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."

Back in March 2024, "Don't Stop Believin'" was officially declared the "Biggest Song Of All Time" by Forbes. According to the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America),the hit rock song likely heard by everyone around the world is now an 18-times-platinum-certified single.

Released in October 1981 for JOURNEY's seventh studio album "Escape" through Columbia Records, "Don't Stop Believin'" quickly became the band's signature song. Critical acclaim was instant, with Billboard praising the "fluid guitar and vocal." AllMusic declared "Don't Stop Believin'" a "perfect rock song" and an "anthem", featuring "one of the best opening keyboard riffs in rock." Neal Schon, founder and lead guitar of JOURNEY, wrote the instantly recognizable bass line, and keyboardist and rhythm guitar Jonathan Cain had kept the song title from encouragement his father gave him as a struggling musician living on Sunset Boulevard. Decades after its release, the song became the best-selling digital track from the twentieth century, with over seven million downloads.

In a 2009 interview with CBC's "Q" cultural affairs show, former JOURNEY singer Steve Perry said he always thought "Don't Stop Believin'" had potential as a single. It was always a hit with live audiences, though it didn't get great radio play at the time it was issued, he said.

"When we were doing the song in 1981, I knew something was happening, but honestly, when I saw it in the film 'Monster' with Patty Jenkins, I started think, 'Oh my goodness there's really something.'"

He added: "The lyric is a strong lyric about not giving up, but it's also about being young, it's also about hanging out, not giving up and looking for that emotion hiding somewhere in the dark that we're all looking for. It's about having hope and not quitting when things get tough, because I'm telling you things get tough for everybody."

Current JOURNEY singer Arnel Pineda, who has been fronting the band for 17 years, told CBS News in 2012, "Even before I discovered 'Don't Stop Believin'', it has been my motto — you know, to never stop believing in myself. The life that I've gone through, all those hardships, I never stopped believing that someday there is something magical that will happen in my life."

In 2020, at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, "Don't Stop Believin'" had become a rallying call for patients recovering from COVID-19 at two hospitals in New York and Michigan. The 1981 hit was being played at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, Michigan and the New York-Presbyterian Queens Hospital during celebrations for patients prevailing over the coronavirus.

Since the group's formation in 1973, JOURNEY has earned 19 top 40 singles, 25 gold and platinum albums, and has sold over 100 million albums globally. Their "Greatest Hits" album is certified 15 times-platinum, making JOURNEY one of the few bands to ever have been diamond-certified, and "Don't Stop Believin'" has been streamed over one billion times alone.

JOURNEY was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 2017, and 2018's co-headlining tour with DEF LEPPARD was the band's most successful tour to date, landing them in the Top 10 year-end touring chart with more than one million tickets sold, and earning them the prestigious Billboard "Legends Of Live" touring award. March 2019 saw the release of "Escape & Frontiers Live In Japan", a live DVD/CD set from their concert at the Budokan in Tokyo featuring the band's first-ever performances of the albums "Escape" and "Frontiers" in their entirety. JOURNEY has also received a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame and were inducted into the Hollywood Bowl Hall Of Fame. Additionally, the band is the subject of the award-winning documentary "Don't Stop Believin': Everyman's Journey" about the band's resurgence upon adding Pineda as lead singer after Schon discovered the Philippines native on YouTube.

The refreshed and remastered version of Ross's debut solo album, "All Of The Above", arrived on August 21 via OID Music. Available for the first time on vinyl and CD, the updated release includes a new Valory instrumental track and video for "City Lights". This marks the first time "All Of The Above" — originally released digitally in 2024 — was made available on vinyl and CD, and the new version includes a special purple swirl color vinyl with autographed photo exclusively available via Experience Vinyl.

Valory was part of JOURNEY from its inception in 1973 through 1985, then from 1994 to 2020, when he and drummer Steve Smith departed after being embroiled in a legal dispute with guitarist Neal Schon and keyboardist Jonathan Cain. Valory played on 13 of the band's 15 studio albums. In April 2021, Schon and Cain "reached an amicable settlement agreement" with Valory and Smith.

JOURNEY now consists of Schon and Cain, longtime singer Arnel Pineda, drummer Deen Castronovo, keyboardist/backing singer Jason Derlatka and bassist Todd Jensen.

Photo credit: Jérôme Brunet (courtesy of SRO PR)