We Didn't Stop Believing (April 20, 2009)
As someone with a wide range of musical tastes and a musician boyfriend, I found the prospects for this music artifact assignment overwhelming. However, my experience with our second subject option- graphic novels- is rather limited (okay, "French Milk," a graphic novel written by a twenty-something art student about her trip to Paris with her mom is the only graphic novel I've finished to date). Thus, writing about music as a cultural piece is ultimately more accessible for me.
This past weekend, I attended my first bachelorette party. It was the real deal (though, no male strippers, thank god). Out on the town (specifically, Minneap downtown), one song dominated the clubs and bars. We danced to it at least three times. I was later informed that the coinciding bachelor party also heard the song twice during their own bar-hopping adventures in Northeast.
You, dear reader, must wonder, what is this wondrous tune? Well, if you didn't pick up on the reference in this post's title, the song is none other than Journey's chart-topper, "Don't Stop Believing"!
Nearly three decades old, this song is still celebrated as Journey's best song and one of the top karaoke songs in history. Debuted in their 1981 album, Escape, "Don't Stop Believing" was #8 following its release. Starting around 2006, the song began it's huge comeback. The song has been played in a number of television shows, VH1 specials, and included in the video game, rock band. Oh yeah, and a few weeks ago, American Idol contestants sang the song as an ensemble at the beginning of a results show.
After hearing the song three-fold on Saturday night (and then again at a pizza place on Sunday evening), I will ask again: What is it that makes this '80's hit still beloved today? First, I'll argue that the ballad is pertinent to a wide range of people. The song's first line, "Just a small town girl, livin in a lonely world" speaks to America's heartland. The third line, "Just a city boy, born and raised in south detroit" reflects the blue collar, hard-working spirit that many Americans take pride in.
However, I believe the song's rebound is also linked to the development of the "hipster" subculture in America's cities.
The hipster subculture is largely based around a sense of irony and a tendency towards kitcsh. Basically, anything that was cool 20+ years ago is cool today. I'm talking about mustaches, trucker hats, huge eyeglasses, sweatbands, mullets. Further, hipster style often reinvents the blue collar look. Ultimately, it's not cool to look rich; the grudgier, the better. With this in mind, hipsters enjoy listening to songs like "Don't Stop Believing" on the record players and boom boxes. Perhaps this is one of the reasons the Journey song has become a current karaoke go-to.
With the midwest small town farm communities and the urban hipsters on board, who wouldn't resist the lure of this power ballad?
As I think about Journey, I also wonder how seriously its band members take themselves. Do they view their current rise in popularity as ironic as hipster communities do? Like, it's cool to be the best worst '80's song? Or, do they still consider their song a timeless chart-topper? Regardless, I think part of the charm of "Don't Stop Believing" is it's ability to walk the fine line between post-modern kitsch tastes and authentic American nostalgia.
This past weekend, I attended my first bachelorette party. It was the real deal (though, no male strippers, thank god). Out on the town (specifically, Minneap downtown), one song dominated the clubs and bars. We danced to it at least three times. I was later informed that the coinciding bachelor party also heard the song twice during their own bar-hopping adventures in Northeast.
You, dear reader, must wonder, what is this wondrous tune? Well, if you didn't pick up on the reference in this post's title, the song is none other than Journey's chart-topper, "Don't Stop Believing"!
Nearly three decades old, this song is still celebrated as Journey's best song and one of the top karaoke songs in history. Debuted in their 1981 album, Escape, "Don't Stop Believing" was #8 following its release. Starting around 2006, the song began it's huge comeback. The song has been played in a number of television shows, VH1 specials, and included in the video game, rock band. Oh yeah, and a few weeks ago, American Idol contestants sang the song as an ensemble at the beginning of a results show.
After hearing the song three-fold on Saturday night (and then again at a pizza place on Sunday evening), I will ask again: What is it that makes this '80's hit still beloved today? First, I'll argue that the ballad is pertinent to a wide range of people. The song's first line, "Just a small town girl, livin in a lonely world" speaks to America's heartland. The third line, "Just a city boy, born and raised in south detroit" reflects the blue collar, hard-working spirit that many Americans take pride in.
However, I believe the song's rebound is also linked to the development of the "hipster" subculture in America's cities.
The hipster subculture is largely based around a sense of irony and a tendency towards kitcsh. Basically, anything that was cool 20+ years ago is cool today. I'm talking about mustaches, trucker hats, huge eyeglasses, sweatbands, mullets. Further, hipster style often reinvents the blue collar look. Ultimately, it's not cool to look rich; the grudgier, the better. With this in mind, hipsters enjoy listening to songs like "Don't Stop Believing" on the record players and boom boxes. Perhaps this is one of the reasons the Journey song has become a current karaoke go-to.
With the midwest small town farm communities and the urban hipsters on board, who wouldn't resist the lure of this power ballad?
As I think about Journey, I also wonder how seriously its band members take themselves. Do they view their current rise in popularity as ironic as hipster communities do? Like, it's cool to be the best worst '80's song? Or, do they still consider their song a timeless chart-topper? Regardless, I think part of the charm of "Don't Stop Believing" is it's ability to walk the fine line between post-modern kitsch tastes and authentic American nostalgia.
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