Don't Stop Believin'

"Don't Stop Believin'" is a song by the American rock band Journey. The song debuted on their 1981 album Escape and was an instant hit. It is today considered the band's signature song. The song is well known for its lyrics.

Return to popularity

White Sox

The song has recently been brought back to prominence as the unofficial theme song of the 2005 World Champion Chicago White Sox. The song was popular with fans and players alike when first played during the 2005 season and was considered the anthem of the Sox playoff run. The song became such a symbol for the Sox that Journey lead singer Steve Perry, a lifelong San Francisco Giants fan, was invited to travel with the team during the World Series. After the victory, he was seen in the clubhouse celebrating and singing this song with several players. On October 28, 2005, Steve Perry led the team and the crowd in an a cappella rendition of the song, on the podium at the World Series Championship celebration in Chicago.

There is a version done by the bluegrass band Pine Mountain Railroad.

Many other MLB teams also adopt the song such as the Cleveland Indians.

Television show appearances

The song's popularity had surged earlier in 2005 after being featured in various television shows. After these appearances, it rose to the top of the list of songs downloaded on iTunes; this is very unusual for a song which was released more than 20 years earlier.

• In the 2006 motion picture Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, featuring Will Ferrell, the song is featured as the theme song during the trailer.
• An episode of MTV's reality television show Laguna Beach featured the song.
• On the Family Guy episode "Don't Make Me Over", Peter Griffin and friends Quagmire, Joe, and Cleveland sing this song karaoke-style in a bid to save their favorite bar, The Drunken Clam.
• On the South Park episode "Tsst," Cartman sings "Don't stop believin', hold on to that feelin'" while hooking up his Xbox 360.
• The song also features in a Scrubs episode from 2003 entitled "My Journey".
• In the 2003 motion picture Monster, featuring Charlize Theron, the song is played as a sort of love theme and also during the end credits.
• In the 2002 motion picture Mr. Deeds it was featured on the trailer.
• The song is also featured in the CBS crime drama Cold Case.
• The song was played on the performance night of the finale of season 5 of American Idol in a video montage featuring finalists Taylor Hicks and Katharine McPhee showing their paths from the auditions to the finale.

Trivia

• The phrase "Streetlight people" refers to prostitutes and other shady people.