Journey were “terrified” of ‘Don’t Stop Believin’’ being used in “teenybopper show” ‘Glee’

nme.com:

Journey have said they were “terrified” of their hit ‘Don’t Stop Believin’ being used in Glee.In a new interview with The Guardian, the rockers have opened up about the history of their smash hit, including its usage on several popular films and TV shows.“When I first heard the finished song I knew it was special, but it took years to get to the place where it’s a worldwide anthem,” said Journey guitarist and songwriter Neal Schon. “First, there was the movie Monster, with Charlize Theron.

Then came The Sopranos – I remember my phone blowing up and all my friends saying: ‘Man, did you see the final scene?'”“Then Glee happened,” he recounted.

The song was used in the show’s 2009 pilot episode; the glee club’s performance of the song convinced Spanish teacher Will Schuester to become their eventual director, kicking off the premise for the series.“I was terrified by that because I thought it was a teenybopper show, not so cool for us,” Schon revealed. “Little did I know that it would open up a younger generation to our music.

I’m a rocker and a blues guy, and we always joke that if I think something is too schmaltzy, it’s usually gonna be big!”Though ‘Don’t Stop Believin” was originally released in 1981, the song saw a resurgence when the hit Fox series featured it in its pilot episode.