Former Journey lead singer Steve Perry tells the Library the story behind the writing of "Don't Stop Believin'" one late night in Detroit after a concert. The song was inducted into the 2022 class of the National Recording Registry.
The Conversation
the Detroit fans were
rabid for rock and roll and we were
rabid to give it to him and so
we had done a great show that night and
there was a hotel we stayed at right
across some square near there and i was
up at the top floor that night wasn't
tired just sitting there just kind of
trying to come down so i could go to
sleep and i just started staring out the
window you know looking down
and it's like three in the morning
and these people are still milling
around
so i thought wow streetlight people look
at these streetlight people they're just
out in the night
in this under the street lights and
they're still you know running around
and then i started thinking about that
well it came time to write the lyric i
told john kane about this moment and i i
i wanted streetlight people
living just to find emotion and then we
came up with hiding somewhere in the
night that that's where that came from
it came from downtown detroit it really
did every one of the songs we ever
recorded were treated like they were
special
but that song
over the years
has become something that has a life of
its own
and it's it's
it's about the people who've embraced it
and found the lyrics to be something
that they can
relate to and hold on to and sing
i i just want to say this is the
greatest honor of my life i've
i've gotten platinum albums and gold
albums and i've been inducted in the
hall of fame but
for my mother my father my grandmother
and grandfather
i truly am
beside myself
and grateful that this is happening
because
through me i i know they
are seeing this happen and i just want
to thank
everyone who has decided to induct this
song in the
library of congress i just want to thank you