Journey’s Return After a Decade
A powerful, energetic track fueled by nostalgia and fond memories
This week’s issue of 6SSC is going to be a guest post by my friend and fellow Substack writer, Nikhil Rajagopalan. He writes ‘What’s Curation?’, a twice-weekly newsletter recommending tracks across the spectrum of genre, culture, and language. I wrote a guest post for Nikhil in June and introduced Big Wreck to his audience. Since I’ll be away this Sunday, and I’ve never missed posting, I thought Nikhil would be a great guest to have on 6SSC. Thanks, Nikhil, and over to you!
Thanks for having me, Brian! Today we’re listening to an amazing song by Journey, called The Way We Used To Be. Rock-and-roll fans and guitar enthusiasts are no doubt familiar with the sound of this iconic band. Their titular track “Don’t Stop Believing” with former frontman Steve Perry was featured in American pop culture programs such as The Sopranos and Glee.
The band went quiet after 2011, after the release of their album titled Eclipse. Finally, in 2021, they underwent a change in lineup, and released the single The Way We Used To Be with Arnel Pineda on lead vocals. Neal Schon remained as the lead guitarist and Randy Jackson on the bass.
The ongoing (but surely diminishing) COVID19 pandemic plays a huge role in this song, both thematically, and in the music video. In an interview with Billboard, Schon said that he composed the barebones piano and blues lead guitar segments during the isolation periods and sent it off to Johnathan Cain. Cain, on keyboard and backup vocals, added his magic and returned the piece to Schon.
Pinada’s vocals have the range to prepare the listener for the epic chorus:
Can we ever get back?
To the way we were doing it
To the way we were livin’ it/ Back to the way we used to be.
The music video features a loving couple whose relationship comes under duress because of the pandemic. They isolate in their own homes, counting the hours that pass them by, recollecting the memories of them playing music together or watching a horror movie. Finally, when they’re allowed to meet in person, they wrap each other in a warm embrace, to the wicked solo played by an animated Schon.
I’ll leave you all with an observation: the animation quality gets progressively better as the video plays. Note the smooth lines, the emotive eyes and the fluidity of the band playing on stage. Perhaps I’m reading a little too much between the lines, but maybe the band is signaling that they’ve left the past behind and moving full-steam into the future–a new, improved Journey brimming with creative possibilities in a world still struggling with the pandemic.
Thanks again for having me and I hope you all enjoyed this guest post. If you’d like more recommendations in other genres and languages, subscribe to What’s Curation?
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