Every once in a while you’ll have an epiphany. I’ve had a musical one again about something I’ve thought about for the last few years. It was like a giant “night moves” moment. If you knew the phrase then you know what I mean and you’re most likely the people I want to speak to.
I think we’re (Gen Xers) the most nostalgic because we were the last generation that grew up with the things that mattered most. We were the last generation that enjoyed growing up and enjoyed that experience. We were the last generation, other than family matters, that didn’t have or allow things, like technology, to hinder us from experiencing the world around us. As adolescents and teens we lived life. We created something we can look back at and smile about. For instance, we were the last generation to ride our bikes all over town until the street lights came on. We would be on the other side of town without supervision and still come home safe by dinner. We were the latch key kid generation too unfortunately but that still created memories we can look back at to smile about. We were the last generation to actually live life and enjoyed it. I’m sorry millennials you only got a glimpse, no matter what you say.
I would like to believe that every generation has a band that defines them. And, some of you may not agree with me and that’s okay. The generation before the Boomers, I’m not entirely sure but for the Boomers, I’ll go out on a limb and say the Beatles. For Gen Xers it's a toss up for me. You could go with pure pre teen, adolescent, teenage wanderlust and new romantic young love first kiss feeling with Journey. However, our teen angst, spirituality, politics, humanitarianism, let’s go save the world and love one another came from U2.
Steve Perry is the voice of our generation but Bono is the songwriter of our generation.
When I think of a generation I think of teens. Generations are defined during their teens. Usually the memories that stick with us most when we look back would be that “night moves” moment, a first kiss, your senior year, your favorite hangout, a specific 80’s film, favorite place at the mall, what you did during the summer of 80 something or taking that driver’s ed summer class. Those memories are best captured or frozen in time by a Journey song. As Gen Xers I am referring to the original line up, up until Steve Perry’s final “departure” in 1998. So, from their inception in 1973 starting with Greg Rollie (forming out of Santana), then adding “the voice” Steve Perry in 1978 on the Infinity album and the rest is history.
As children, if you were born in the 70s you heard Journey until you came into your own at the young age of 10 for me, though for some it may have been 8, 9, 11 or 12 when you first heard Don’t Stop Believin’ on the radio, in 1981. And, from that point on every Journey song defined a moment in your life. Steve Perry’s voice colored every infatuation and romantic interest from that central point in time; and most likely still does.
Might I add that even if you grew up not a fan of Journey it still defined you due to the fact that you were Raised on Radio like the rest of us Gen Xers so there were at least a handful of Journey songs you liked and they are attached to some powerful memories.
And, no millennials you did not. You were not Raised on Radio. Please stop saying you did because you actually didn’t. (The Xenillennals did though) The Buggles predicted you. You are video and you killed our star.
Before their official parting with Steve Perry in 1998 after the Trial by Fire album, Journey’s last album of the 80s was their 1986 album Raised on Radio. It was released in April of 1986 to be exact.
Raised on Radio is exactly how I would define our generation. I know I was. My station was KISW in Seattle. My radio stayed tuned in to it daily. If you’re reading this and you’re from there you know what I’m talking about. I never missed their nightly segment of Get the Led Out. Obviously it was an hour of nothing but Led Zeppelin. But Journey aptly named their last 80s album. 1986 was when a good portion of us were just entering their sophomore year of high school like me or about to enter college; or you were graduating high school next year in ‘87. I will go out on a limb here again, and say that Journey’s Raised on Radio could arguably be in the top 3 albums that defined my generation. I know some would disagree. Some would say either Escape or Frontiers. I see why but then again in my opinion “Raised” is the only one where we can put all of our adolescent experiences next to each one of those songs whether they were good ones or bad ones (and regardless of our own personal interpretation of those songs, too). Each one of those tracks can definitely define a moment in our lives. It can define a moment that we as Xers can all identify with.
I know for me this album resonates with me all too well (I’ve always been a romantic, for those who really know me), thus the epiphany I was talking about at the beginning of this essay. As I was spinning this album for the millionth time last week it finally occurred to me why this album meant so much to me.
Everything literally changed for me in 1986. Specifically the summer of ‘86, so about two months after this album’s release. I had just finished my freshman year at Eleanor McMain Magnet School in New Orleans. I had the first surgery of my life that summer, too. But, that’s not the pivotal point. What’s pivotal is the one thing I thought would never happen, happened: my parents reunited. Then my mom gets orders to go to Seattle, so now we’re moving again. Such is the life of a military brat, except this time the roles were reversed. My mom was serving and my dad was the dependent. He had done his time of 18 years in the Army.
Now I would do the rest of my high school years in Seattle. New city, new school and finding new friends. Housing was located in Redmond, Washington, about half an hour from Seattle, so I attended and graduated from Redmond High School (06/12/89). Redmond is where the first kiss happened, the first job, the first girlfriend, first car accident, first party I wasn’t supposed to be at, first beer and where I met my brother of the last 38 years. So much more happened there that can be attached to Raised on Radio. You should go put it on right now. I’ll be right here when you get done listening to it again.
Back? Okay.
We opened with Girl Can’t Help It. What a way to open an album. Two people who still love each other but can’t be together for whatever reason or are allowing mediocre reasons to keep them apart. She doesn’t realize that he does still love her madly. 80s high schools ran rampant with this story. It played out in all of our movies. I know you remember relationships like this. It could have been you.
Then we roll into track 2: Positive Touch. Steve sings to us about leaving a current relationship for a new one. Something more meaningful than the one we're in but also due to conflict in the former one. It expresses all of the internal emotions dealt with and you feel it when he sings it. Oh, that sax combined with Steve’s vocals is haunting and bittersweet (you will see this word a lot).
Suzanne: Everybody's end of summer love lost song. We’ve all had a “Suzanne” or maybe you were a “Suzanne”. Ladies, you had that one guy you fell in love with over the summer, too. This is as I had interpreted the song. More so, when finding the true meaning of the song, it's about a man who observes his former high school sweetheart achieve fame, and as he watches her on television, he reminisces about their younger days. I don’t know which interpretation hits harder. Again, definitely bittersweet nostalgia which just saturates this entire album.
Be Good To Yourself is as self explanatory as it gets. Everyone should remember to be good to themselves. Take care of yourself, physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. This is what Steve had to remind himself during the recording of this album due to all of the personal issues that were happening in his life at the time.
Once You Love Somebody will do you in quick. Amazingly written and powerful. You can’t escape Perry’s voice. Love can bring happiness though it can also carry the risk of heartbreak and lasting sadness. Once You Love Somebody there’s no turning back, it can burn forever, it can haunt you, haunt you in the night.
Happy to Give: Where is the one who’s happy to give you love? Simple and to the point. There’s someone out there who is and I hope you find them. It’s not foolish to believe this even though you may have endured broken relationships there still is hope.
Next is Raised on Radio which pays homage to the power of radio and music on a young person’s life. Radio definitely had an impact on Gen Xers lives. The music that was on the airwaves during our adolescent and teen years is untouchable.
I’ll Be Alright Without You is what we all say after a break up. Journey turned the coined term or catch phrase into an anthem. A bittersweet (there’s that word again) anthem, but one nonetheless. It’s hard to move on after a breakup. Thus we continue to tell ourselves I’ll Be Alright Without You.
Which is followed by It Could Have Been You, which is about one of Perry’s former girlfriends getting a taste of her own medicine. It’s believed to be a very personal track inspired by actual events in his life. In essence, she cheated and then later on was cheated on by someone else. That’s why there are so many emotions in this one song due to the pain of being hurt but the joy of her getting her just desserts. It’s actually one of my favorite tracks on the album. You can feel Perry’s raw emotion on it. Come to find out my interpretation of the song was different from the actual meaning.
The Eyes of a Woman is about when you first see her and she sees you. Love at first sight. Being completely captivated and hypnotized by a woman’s gaze. Everytime she looks at you, you get lost in her eyes. There’s nowhere to run and you don’t want to. You have fallen madly and deeply in love with her.
We started, once again bittersweet, and we end it that way with Why Can’t This Night Go On Forever. This song immaculately captures the feeling of wanting a perfect moment (how I feel being married to my wife) to last forever, even though it’s understood that it can’t. To hold on to cherished experiences while acknowledging the inevitability of change and moving forward. Unfortunately time moves on just as we all did in the 80s when we graduated high school, left home, started families and careers. Like a photograph, that time won’t erase, why can’t this night go on forever?
Who ends an album like this? Who ends an album like this in the mid 80s? If this album does not move you or evoke some type of emotion you have no heart. Every song on this album has the power to put you on an introspective thought process for days. It’ll literally, not pull, but yank your heartstrings and wake up your emotions. It’s like attaching jumper cables to this album and putting the other end on your heart. It takes us back to the height of the 80s through coming of age memories. To understand what it feels like to miss your adolescence you only have to spin this one time. Even though the band had their stories behind the songs, our own experiences are connected to these songs to tell a different story. They tell our own personal, individual stories as music should because music connects us all. Each one of us has our own personal, private memories attached to these songs. No matter how you interpret the songs they evoke strong emotions. It should due to the beautiful orchestration of this entire album. All of those past times are flooding back to you right now.
Gen Xers are reading this and most likely tearing up (or you have the album playing right now). Not because you miss those people necessarily but you miss that time (You miss how those days made you feel). Some not for either one but because you know eventually all of those memories will soon be lost…like tears, in rain.
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