10/19/2026
Our namesake, mantra, and the centerpiece of the past two decades.💪🏼🤘🏼🎸🎤🎶
On This Day in 1981, Journey Released “Don’t Stop Believin’”
On October 19, 1981, Journey released “Don’t Stop Believin’,” the song that would grow from a major rock hit into one of the most enduring anthems in popular music.
Written by Steve Perry, Neal Schon and Jonathan Cain, the song appeared on Escape, the album that took Journey to a new level of success. Its unmistakable opening piano figure came from Cain, while the title had a deeply personal origin: during his struggling years in Los Angeles, his father repeatedly encouraged him with the words “don’t stop believing.”
Musically, the track was unusual from the beginning. Instead of opening with a conventional chorus, it builds gradually around Cain’s piano, Ross Valory’s bass, Steve Smith’s drums and Neal Schon’s guitar, while Perry delivers one of his most recognizable vocal performances. The actual chorus does not arrive until the final section of the song.
“Don’t Stop Believin’” became a Top 10 hit on the Billboard Hot 100, but its story was only beginning. Decades later, downloads, streaming, television, movies and sporting events introduced it to entirely new generations. It eventually became the first song from the 20th century to receive RIAA 18-times Platinum certification.
What began as a Journey single in 1981 ultimately became something much bigger — a rock anthem that refuses to disappear.
