Journey - Don't Stop Believing - Lyrics Meaning

The song "Don't Stop Believing" by Journey was one of the first songs which Jonathon Cain played on as the keyboardist for Journey. The song is unique in structure as it only plays the chorus once in the end of the song instead of repeating numerous times throughout the song which helped it to quickly gain popularity and stick in your mind. Although Neal Schon and Steve Perry are the ones which were given credit for the writing of the song, the entire band contributed to the finished lyrics. The music for the song was created first and the lyrics were added later.

The lyrics were inspired by Cain and Perry's experiences on the sunset strip. Steve Perry originally got his inspiration for the song lyrics on a sleepless night in Detroit spent in a hotel room. When he couldn't sleep he found himself staring out the window of his hotel room watching people walk up and down the boulevard. Their shadows which were reflected in the street lights were the inspiration behind the term "Streetlight People" in the lyrics of this song. Although Detroit was in the forefront of Perry's mind when writing this song it tells the story of a couple who come from two different worlds.