cain dont stop

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7/28/2019 Cain Dont Stop http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/cain-dont-stop 1/3 LEGENDS n SONG STORIES D BRFAKOUTS THREE DECADES INTO ITS RELEASE, JOURNEY'S'DON'T STOP BELIEVIN'" seems even more popular than when it hit radio airwaves in i981. From shows like G/ee to the Broadway musical Rock of Ages to almost any jukebox in any bar, it feels like it's everywhere. This is the story of how it went from an unfinished chorus l'd penned at home to the song we all know today. Not long before joining Journey, I was struggling me to join and contribute material to finish up in the music business in Los Angeles, without theEscape album. I brought my chorus in, and a record deal, aqrd I a taken a break from music. that's where it all began. But my father always believed I would succeed, The original chorus included the chords, and would regularly say 'Jon, don't stop melody, and the lyrics "Don't stop believing, hold believing" on the phone to me from Chicago. on to that feeling." I didn't knowwhat the next So I wrote that down, and started working line was going to be at that point, but I knew. on it as a chorus. When Journey's original the melody would go up at the end to complete keyboardist Gregg Rolie left the band, they asked the phrase. The bass line was also different Ke6ord 12.2011 Journey's keyboardi Jonathan Cain (at ce photo at left) is ope new recording studi diction Sound, in Na in 2012. Learn about career and charity w ionathancain.com. THE JOURNEY OF Don't Stop Believinn BY JONATHAN CAIN at first, with just a driving eighth-note throughout. My original chorus looked [Lead singer] Steve Perry liked the much that he wanted to use them for t song, breaking them down to sing the over. So we started exploring the chord Perry said to me, "Instead ofjust playin give me one of your rolling, signature p I d just left the band the Babys, where "Turn and Walk Away" had a rolling pia Perry was looking for something that c that side of my musical personality, so the chords up into an eighth-note riff. we had the same chords for verses and we needed to make the verse stand ou

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Page 1: Cain Dont Stop

7/28/2019 Cain Dont Stop

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/cain-dont-stop 1/3

LEGENDS n SONG STORIES D BRFAKOUTS

THREE DECADES INTO ITS RELEASE, JOURNEY'S'DON'T STOP BELIEVIN'"

seems even more popular than when it hit radio airwaves in i981. From shows

like G/ee to the Broadway musical Rock of Ages to almost any jukebox in

any bar, it feels like it's everywhere. This is the story of how it went from anunfinished chorus l'd penned at home to the song we all know today.

Not long before joining Journey, I was struggling me to join and contribute material to finish up

in the music business in Los Angeles, without theEscape album. I brought my chorus in, and

a record deal, aqrd I a taken a break from music. that's where it all began.

But my father always believed I would succeed, The original chorus included the chords,

and would regularly say 'Jon, don't stop melody, and the lyrics "Don't stop believing, hold

believing" on the phone to me from Chicago. on to that feeling." I didn't knowwhat the next

So I wrote that down, and started working line was going to be at that point, but I knew.

on it as a chorus. When Journey's original the melody would go up at the end to complete

keyboardist Gregg Rolie left the band, they asked the phrase. The bass line was also different

Ke6ord 12.2011

Journey's keyboardi

Jonathan Cain (at cephoto at left) is openew recording studidiction Sound, in Nain 2012. Learn aboutcareer and charity wionathancain.com.

THE JOURNEY OFDon't Stop BelievinnBY JONATHAN CAIN

at first, with just a driving eighth-note

throughout. My original chorus looked

[Lead singer] Steve Perry liked the

much that he wanted to use them for tsong, breaking them down to sing the

over. So we started exploring the chord

Perry said to me, "Instead ofjust playin

give me one of your rolling, signature p

I d just left the band the Babys, where

"Turn and Walk Away" had a rolling pia

Perry was looking for something that c

that side of my musical personality, so

the chords up into an eighth-note riff.

we had the same chords for verses and

we needed to make the verse stand ou

Page 2: Cain Dont Stop

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the chords in the arpeggiated piano riff

lmows today. Perry and I loved classic

like Marvin Gaye, who could write great

with just four chords repeating over and over

That was the goal we set for ourselves.

then said "Let's keep the chords, but

up with a different bass line." The goal

make each section of the song unique. So

Neal Schon started experimentingthe bass line, and came up with a new one

over my moving piano part, which he showed

to [bassist] Ross Valory. Ross had a unique bass

sound, almost like a cellist. He tweaked his amp

and added a flanger to get his parts to really

bark. The piano and bass parts together are

shown in Ex. 2.

Perry then started looking for a melody to

sing over the verse that would take the same

chords into more soulful territory. We hadn'tcrafted the lyrics yet, but he was humming what

would eventually become the song's soaring

melody. It sounded great to all of us.

Next, he decided we'd play another ve

While we played the chords as the re-intr

the second verse, Neal started playing wh

would become his signature, sixteenth-no

"going down the train tracks" descending

guitar arpeggio, which he played double-

over my eighth-note piano part.After the second verse, the song felt like

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Ex.3

Keys/Guitar

Bass

it needed to go to the M chord. But instead of just playing a standard IV

chord on the B-section, Neal had the idea to play the V chord over the IV

bass note, rocking back and forth between that and the II/ chord. I doubled

Neal's guitar part on keyboards, using an ARP Omni string patch through a

Roland Dimension-D chorus. Perry picked up on Neal's alternating chordal

figure, eventually using the same melody notes for the B-section lyrics

"strangers" and "waiting." This added an element of tension and release,

and can be seen in Ex. 3.

The next day, after we d decided on an arrangement, I went to Steve

Perry's house and we worked on lyrics. He sang and played bass while we

listened to the tapes from the daybefore. I said, "This sounds like a train

going down the tracks." Perry agreed, and we started looking for clues to

tell the song's story. I said, "I love the song'Midnight Train to Georgia.'

What if this is the midnight train going anywhere?" We knew we were on

to something. Later, Perry and I would craft the B-section lyrics out of ourtime spent cruising the Sunset Strip in L.A., with its endless menagerie

of wandering souls. I'd think, "Where did all these people come from, and

what the hell are they doing here?" They would eventually become the

"streetlight people" in the chorus, completing the song that changed the

course of my life forever.J)

l'm embracing the new Roland V-Piano GrandJourney's current Eclipse tour. l'm also playing

new Jupiter-8O, which is an amazing synth. Tho

keyboards have just been tremendous. Having

on tour has made things much easier on everyo

We're more of a rock band now, and using my F

acoustic piano on stage has become almost

impossible. lt was hard to get the piano up in th

and it was howling in the P.A. as well. The V-Pia

solved all of that. Now, the Faz will have a perm

home in my new studio.'lll!ililh 9 ffi."!JF:"ffilif*":nr;,.'

Key&oad 12.2011