Steve Perry on “Don’t Stop Believin’” being inducted into the Library of Congress in 2022

Steve Perry on “Don’t Stop Believin’” being inducted into the Library of Congress in 2022

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

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