''Sopranos'' Journey Ends With Journey
Entertainment Weekly

Guitarist Neal Schon says it's ''awesome'' that his band's ''Don't Stop Believin','' a song he cowrote back in 1981, closed out one of the most critically acclaimed series of all time

Who cares if Tony's dead or alive? The real question lingering after Sunday night's finale of The Sopranos is why did creator David Chase choose Journey's power ballad ''Don't Stop Believin''' to play during the last scene?! It certainly resonated with viewers: The tune had climbed its way into iTunes' Top 40 as of Tuesday morning. But what does it all mean? Does Chase want us to hold on to the feeeel-ay-y-ay-ing? Oh the questions, they go on and on and on and on.... We called up Journey guitarist Neal Schon, who cowrote the chart-topping ''Don't Stop Believin''' back in 1981, for some answers.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: I hear you haven't seen the episode yet, but I'm sure a million people have talked to you about it by now.
NEAL SCHON: [Laughs] I woke up to calls today — my phone was, like, ringin' off the hook. I was a big fan of the show, I just don't watch TV a lot. I've been working in the studio lately, writing some new material, and so I didn't even know it was on last night. I mean, the first notion I even had that it was gonna be on the show was the guy that works our publishing trying to get [our music] into different TV shows and whatnot e-mailed me the other day and said there was a possibility that it might get in the show. He didn't say that it did. But I heard about it from everybody today and everybody said it was great.

What was your reaction when you found out that ''Don't Stop Believin''' had made the cut?
I was like, awesome!

Why do you think David Chase chose that song?
I think there's probably a hidden message why they wanted to use that song. ''Don't Stop Believin''' means that they're gonna be back with a new series.

Really? You think that's why?
I mean, that's a given to me. That's the way I take it. I'm originally from New Jersey, and I've got Italian blood in me, so I was like, I hope they ask me to do a guest appearance if they rework the show and come back with a new series. I could be playing some blues guitar in a bar somewhere with a pool table. [Laughs] As far as it being a positive [for us], I can't believe that this song just surfaces in so many great shows and when the Chicago White Sox won [the World Series in 2005] and the St. Louis Cardinals winning games last year. The song just continues to be a big hit. So it doesn't even matter that we did it back in 1983 or whatever it was. [It was 1981.] It's a feel-good song and it's got a positive message.

Hearing your song play when Carmela walked in the restaurant to meet Tony got me all choked up. Your music moved me, man!
It's funny: I just ran into John Cain, the writer on the song with Steve Perry and me. He saw the show last night. He said, ''It was great — wait till you see it! They played the whole song. It stops on 'Don't stop!' And then it goes black.'' I go, Wow that's pretty heavy, that's great. Good for us! Good for them, good for us! [Laughs]

Are you going to watch the episode today?
Yeah, definitely. To be on the last episode of a show like that, the last scene, the closing of everything — everybody's talking about it. I'm actually pissed off that my agent didn't e-mail me and say, ''Watch tonight.'' I'm gonna drill him! Like I told you, last thing I knew was [HBO] were asking permission [to use the song]. We turn down a lot of stuff. And the reason that we turn down a lot of stuff is because this is what happens from turning down cheesy stuff.

What, being immortalized in one of the most critically beloved TV series of all time?
Yeah, exactly.

Journey's Steve Perry Thinks Sopranos Finale Hit Right Note
People.com

While fans might wish the Sopranos could go on and on and on, at least one of the 11.9 million viewers of the show's Sunday finale felt the controversial ending hit the right note.

Former Journey frontman Steve Perry co-authored the 1981 song "Don't Stop Believin'," which provided the soundtrack for Tony Soprano's final HBO moments. He talked to PEOPLE.com about holding on to the feeling.

PEOPLE: When did you get the request to use the song for the finale?
Steve Perry: A few weeks [ago]. I needed to know how this song was going to be used. I didn't want the song to be part of a blood-bath, if that was going to be the closing moment. In order for me to feel good about approving the song use, they had to tell me what happened. And they made me swear that I would not tell anybody. The song use actually just got approved last Thursday.

Was there any even implied threat that you'd get whacked if you told anybody the ending?
(Laughs.) Yeah, Tony was gonna whack me if I talked. No, I didn't get any life threats. But I had to keep it quiet. I had friends that were really upset at me. They knew I knew.

Where did you end up watching the show?
I watched it here in my house in Del Mar; I'm just north of San Diego. On my flat screen, yeah. Hi def, by the way. (Laughs.) Actually, I was home alone that night.

What was it like from your couch?
I loved when Tony is going through the little jukebox at the table. They stayed really tight on Tony Bennett, and I thought, "Well, there it is, Tony would play Tony Bennett." He presses the buttons and the next thing you know a Journey song starts. But the tension was insane. I'm getting worried that he's being whacked. And then they cut back, and Tony looks up and it goes black. In my opinion, he sees his daughter, but I guess we'll never know the ending. But the point of the song playing is that you just don't give up, life goes on even if you're the Sopranos. It doesn't matter what you do for a living. In the midst of his turbulent life and everything, there's always this sense of family and this sense of dreams and hopes for some kind of normalcy – some kind of don't-give-up, don't-stop-believing feeling. I actually shouted "All right!" at the end.

What's the reaction been?
The phone has been ringing off the hook and my email has been on fire. One friend e-mailed me, "Congratulations. The end of the entire legacy of the Sopranos ended with your song." What bigger honor is that?

Have you gotten a call from The Simpsons or anyone else with a show about to end?
You know, South Park might be next.

Journey Puts Hit On "Sopranos," Axes Soto
Showbuzz

There was only one hit in the final scene of the series finale of "The Sopranos" — but it wasn't the kind that would have killed Tony Soprano.

Instead, as the mob boss shared a plate of onion rings with his wife and son at a local diner, the 1981 Journey hit "Don't Stop Believin'" joyfully blared in the background.

Journey keyboardist Jonathan Cain, who shares songwriting credit with singer Steve Perry and guitarist Neal Schon on the anthemic power ballad, says that the show's producers couldn't have picked a more appropriate song.

"I always imagined 'Don't Stop Believin' as a street song," he told The ShowBuzz. "You know 'streetlight people/living just to find emotion/hiding somewhere in the night.' That sounds like Tony and his family."

"In a nutshell," he continued, "I think that Tony needed a feel-good song for the moment. The way I read it was his family meant a lot to him and as he was waiting there in the diner that's a feel-good moment."

Cain acknowledges that despite the "feel good" sentiment, there is tension in the song that reflects Tony's troubles.

"The lyrics 'some were born to sing the blues' was something he seemed to be doing a lot to his shrink," he said.

When Cain learned that the song would be used on the show, he decided to keep it a secret from his family and friends so they would enjoy the surprise on finale night.

"They absolutely freaked out — they were jumping up and down!" he said. "We were just riveted to the screen. It couldn't have been more of a dramatic moment in the series for us."

The band had its own dramatic moment Tuesday with the announcement of a parting of the ways with their lead singer, Jeff Scott Soto.

"We wish Jeff the best of luck," Cain said. "We just wanted to move in a different direction sonically. We're interested in our legacy right now. We want to sound like our records and we want to sound like the 65 million units that are out there."

Cain praised Soto for stepping in for Steve Augeri whose throat problems forced him to stop performing in the middle of the Def Leppard tour last July. The band named Soto their permanent lead singer in December.

"Soto came in," said Cain. "We were grateful for his energy and his time and his talent. We had a good 11 months with him."

Cain said that the band will be taking some time off and will begin their search for a new singer at the end of the year.

In the meantime, they're enjoying the additional popularity from their big night on "The Sopranos." On iTunes, the boost from the mob hit lifted "Don't Stop Believin'" to No. 19 in number of downloads, as of Wednesday.

Journey's Happy Ending
Forbes

Sopranos fans may not be thrilled with the series' ending, but Journey sure is. When 11.9 million HBO fans held their collective breath Sunday night, they did it to the aging rockers' 1981 chestnut "Don't Stop Believin.'"

Talk about desirable product placement. Late Wednesday afternoon, the song was the 19th most downloaded song on Apple's iTunes Store, where the Top 100 downloads are composed almost entirely of new releases. And during the past two days, "Don't Stop Believin'" saw a 153% spike in U.S. radio play compared with Monday and Tuesday of last week, according to Nielsen BDS.

"When you can get that kind of exposure, that's fantastic,'' says Justin Shukat, partner and general manager of Primary Wave Music Publishing of New York, which is one of the players trolling for opportunities in the music licensing arena.

Based on what other TV shows have previously paid for music licensing, Sopranos producers likely paid anywhere from $25,000 to $100,000 for the right to use the song, netting a nice pay day for Sony BMG Music Entertainment, which owns the master recording of the song, and Journey's then-lead singer Steve Perry, guitarist Neal Schon and keyboardist Jonathan Cain, who teamed up to write the song. Also among the beneficiaries will be Perry's own Lacey Boulevard Music and Schon and Cain's Weed High Nightmare Music, administered by Wixen Music Publishing.

Every time Time Warner-owned HBO airs a rerun of the series finale, it will also have to pay a performance royalty to the songwriters and their respective publishing companies, much like terrestrial radio stations have to pay publishing royalties whenever they play a song on the air.

What's particularly gratifying about such licensing deals is that they provide the kind of publicity that marketers are often willing to pay for in the form of product placements. Most importantly, for Journey and Sony BMG, the Sopranos' use of "Don't Stop Believin" provided great exposure for a song that probably hadn't been on the radar of many viewers for quite some time.

It's just the latest high-profile example of the growing use of music licensing by TV networks, Hollywood studios and advertising agencies. Colorado rock band the Fray received a big boost from Disney's ABC drama Grey's Anatomy when the show prominently featured the title track to its 2005 debut album How To Save A Life. Australian songbird Sia gained fans in the U.S. when HBO's Six Feet Under featured her song "Breathe Me" in its 2005 series finale. And, of course, there's British band A3 whose song "Woke Up This Morning" was used as the Sopranos theme song.

For the recording industry and performers, licensing songs provides a welcome source of additional revenue and publicity at a time when sales of recorded music continue to fall. And with so many other options available for consumers to access music and other entertainment options, recording artists recognize that licensing deals provide a valuable way of getting their music heard above the din.

Primary Wave, for instance, acquired a 25% stake in the song catalog of late Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain last year and more recently acquired a financial interest in the publishing rights of Earth, Wind & Fire frontman and principal songwriter Maurice White, and Darryl Hall and John Oates of Hall & Oates fame. The company licensed the Hall & Oates song "One On One" for an episode of the NBC Universal drama Medium. And the company is well versed in the advantages of getting a song on the finale of a hit show, having licensed the Nirvana song "Scentless Apprentice" for use in the season finale of the ABC hit series Lost. The Sopranos wasn't the first time "Don't Stop Believin'" generated additional income for its record label and its songwriters. The song appeared on Viacom's MTV reality show Laguna Beach, News Corp.'s Fox animated comedy The Family Guy, and numerous other shows and movies, and was adopted by the Chicago White Sox baseball team as an unofficial theme song for the team's successful 2005 run for a World Series championship.

Journey Singer Insisted On Knowing 'Sopranos' Finale Before Allowing Song Use
MTV

If you were surprised by the "Sopranos" series-ending cliffhanger, just imagine how show creator David Chase was feeling just days before the finale aired: He still had not received permission to use Journey's "Don't Stop Believin' " in the show's controversial final scene.

"The request came in a few weeks ago and it wasn't until Thursday that it got approval, because I was concerned," revealed former Journey singer Steve Perry on Tuesday (June 12). Perry and former bandmates guitarist Neal Schon and Jonathan Cain had to agree on the use of the song in the show, and though Perry said the trio don't agree on much, the "Sopranos" denouement was one of the few times since Perry left the band in 1998 that the guys have shaken hands on something unanimously.

But first, Perry made Chase an offer he couldn't refuse: He insisted on knowing what happens to the Soprano clan before signing off.

"I was not excited about [the possibility of] the Soprano family being whacked to 'Don't Stop Believin'," said Perry, who watched the show with glee Sunday night and again on Monday. "I told them, 'Unless I know what happens — and I will swear to secrecy — I can't in good conscience feel good about its use.'" The show's producers made Perry promise to keep it under his lid, which he did, and then they spilled the beans on how the song was used and how the show ends, after which Perry signed off.

Interestingly, Cain — who wrote the song with Perry and Schon — told The Associated Press that he didn't know how it would be used when they agreed to the licensing. He kept the fact that the song would be used in the show a secret even from his family.

"I didn't want to blow it," he told AP. "Even my wife didn't know. She looked at me and said, 'You knew that and you didn't tell me?' "

"I can hardly put in words how good it makes me feel, to be honest with you," said Perry about the pivotal role the song played, jokingly adding that he's not nearly as "reclusive" as MTV News made him sound in a story that ran on Monday .

"There's nothing more in my lifetime that I wanted than to be part of a band that wrote the kind of music we did when we were together. ... When I saw ['The Sopranos'] last night, what I saw was the director pull back into the foundation that was there all along during the most important moment when all this chaos [is going on]. The song was, literally, cutting from lyric to lyric, from mother to son to James [Gandolfini] at the key moment and on [the lyric] 'streetlight people,' it pulls back with the cameras to reveal a streetlight and I said, 'My God, this director [Chase] got it. He got the song!' "

When told that Chase revealed to the New Jersey Star-Ledger that "Don't Stop" was the only song he wanted all along for the show capper, Perry said he wasn't surprised. "I felt he must have heard the song enough that he wrote something that fit the lyrics," Perry said. "The whole thing blew my mind."

'Sopranos' Is Latest To Keep The Faith In Journey's 'Don't Stop Believin'
MTV

Who knows why "Sopranos" creator David Chase chose the Journey nugget "Don't Stop Believin' " to end his show's legendary run? Maybe it was to create an underlying sense that while our window into Tony's world is closing, we should know that life goes on (and on and on and on) for the sanitation executive, his obliterated crew and troubled family.

Or maybe Chase was not so subtly telling us that despite the bloodbath of the last few episodes, AJ's suicide attempt and Meadow's career hopping and hookup with a potentially whack-worthy lawyer, there is justice for the righteous (OK, maybe not righteous, but the more righteous than some other guys).

Or maybe Chase was simply telling us that despite what you might think, Journey rocks.

After all, the lasting image of the show's finale, not to mention the buzz that was likely in everyone's brain when they woke Monday morning (June 11), was the refrain of the 1981 hit by the arena rockers as the screen abruptly clicked to black. But the fade to oblivion on the wings of Journey was just the latest in what has been a multimedia renaissance for the tune over the past few years.

"It's heavy, very heavy," said Journey's founding guitarist, Neal Schon, who is a fan of the show but had not yet seen the finale. "It's one of those feel-good songs that's not going to go away."

As to why he thinks Chase picked it, Schon chalks it up to the song's moral core. "I think it's just the basic message," he said. "Don't stop believin' in yourself, don't stop believin' in the world, don't stop believin' in anything. It's a positive message and a feel-good song with a great melody and I kind of like the guitar solo, which is one of the easiest solos ever to emulate because there's not much to it."

The "Sopranos" wasn't the first to harness the power of "Believin'." The nearly three-decade-old soft-rock-radio staple was the unofficial theme song of the 2005 Chicago White Sox during their World Series run. Reclusive ex-Journey singer Steve Perry even appeared at the team's hometown celebration to belt it out for exuberant fans. St. Louis Cardinals skipper Tony La Russa also adopted the song as a call to arms during the team's 2006 World Series run, according to Schon.

But it really got a huge bump in 2005, when it was featured in the "Laguna Beach" finale and the prime-time cartoon "Family Guy" during the same week, which propelled the power balled to #4 on the iTunes top 10 the next week.

The song was also in the trailer for Will Ferrell's 2006 NASCAR comedy "Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby" and prominently played in the 2003 Oscar-winning flick "Monster." Around that time, it was also the subject of a bizarre, yet affecting 2003 tribute video, which, who knows, could have triggered the song's rebirth.

And though none of the contestants have belted it yet, "Believin' " was also unspoiled during a musical montage charting the paths of finalists Taylor Hicks and Katharine McPhee during the season-five finale week of "American Idol." And the hits keep coming: On the soon-to-be-released indie-rock tribute to guilty pleasures Guilt by Association, former That Dog member Petra Haden sings it a cappella.

As old-school classic rock as "Believin' " is, with its arena-ready wheedly-wheedly guitar solo, lyrics about big-hearted small-town boys and girls trying to make it and places that don't exist (find South Detroit on the map, I dare ya), the choice of Journey fits perfectly with Tony's love of meat-and-potatoes rock and the show's eclectic musical tastes, which this season swung from the land of punk (X, Johnny Thunders) to moody rock (Daniel Lanois, Tindersticks) and classic tunes (Rolling Stones, Chuck Berry).

Chase even had a bit of fun in the end, having Tony skip past a few other tunes whose titles would have made for much easier tidying up (Heart's "Who Will You Run To" and Tony Bennett's "I've Gotta Be Me"/"A Lonely Place").

That's further proof that hitting just the right tone with just the right song in your season finale is a lot harder than it looks, according to music supervisor Tricia Halloran ("Men in Trees"). "You need a song that wraps up your season and helps define the idea of the show," said Halloran, who 'fessed up to being turned down once when she asked Journey for permission to use "Believin' " in a burger commercial.

"And even after the music supervisor has seen the script, which might have some suggestions from the writers, the first question is, 'Does it fit the writer's palette of music that has been used on the show?' and then, 'Can you get clearance?' I'm sure Journey don't approve all TV requests, but it's a heritage song and they'd be crazy to turn down 'The Sopranos.' "

One thing is for sure: Because rights requests routinely do get turned down, anyone working in TV or film has to have one, or more, backups just in case their ideal track doesn't get cleared. "For 'The Sopranos,' it was perfect," she said. "They tried to do something Tony would love, and it says, 'We're family, we're here, and nothing will get us down.' But I'm sure they had a few other songs just in case it didn't work out."

So just be glad Tony didn't stop on one of the other choices, because you might be walking around singing Sawyer Brown's "My Baby Drives a Truck" or T. Graham Brown's "Rock It, Billy" for the next week.

Big Moment for Journey at 'Sopranos' End
Newsday

The songwriters of Journey's power ballad "Don't Stop Believin'" were "jumping up and down" when they learned a few weeks ago it had been licensed for use in the final episode of "The Sopranos."

But even they couldn't believe how it would prove so integral to one of the most memorable final scenes in television history.

"It was better than anything I would have ever hoped for," said Jonathan Cain, Journey keyboard player, who watched at home with his wife and family.

Tony Soprano chose the song after flipping through a jukebox at a New Jersey restaurant where he dined with his family. The song played in the background as ominous characters flitted about and, right as Steve Perry was singing "don't stop," the HBO series did exactly that, for good. The ending infuriated some fans, amused others and intrigued all.

Cain, who wrote the song with Perry and Neal Schon, didn't know how it would be used when they agreed to the licensing. Cain kept the fact that it was going to be in at all a secret, then watched the episode with his family.

"I didn't want to blow it," he told The Associated Press on Monday. "Even my wife didn't know. She looked at me and said, `You knew that and you didn't tell me?'"

Journey released the song in 1981, and it reached No. 9 on the singles chart. It has taken a life of its own since then, often reflecting the attitude people had toward Journey itself. "Don't Stop Believin'" brings back fond memories for many, is unbearably cheesy for others.

It's easy to imagine Tony Soprano, back in the day, taking a young Carmella to a Journey concert.

David Chase, creator of "The Sopranos," has an eclectic musical taste. He's curated two songtrack albums for his series, and made music a key part of the stories, particularly as the ending credits rolled. It's possible "Don't Stop Believin'" was part of the elaborate inside joke he made of the final episode.

It's also possible he found the end of the last verse too hard to resist: "Some will win, some will lose," Perry sings. "Some were born to sing the blues. Oh, the movie never ends. It goes on and on and on and on ... "

"Don't Stop Believin'" has been featured in a several television and movie scenes. It crept onto an iTunes top-10 list when, during the same week, it was on Fox's "Family Guy" and in a romantic scene on MTV's "Laguna Beach."

Sports teams have adopted it, too. After the Chicago White Sox used it in 2005, Perry sang it at the parade to celebrate the team's World Series victory.

Cain, who has a 13-year-old and twins aged 11, said the songwriters are careful about how they license the song, and have resisted several advertising campaigns. They debated its use in the film "Monster" with Charlize Theron but, in the end, "she's too cute to say no to," he said.

He was a little nervous Sunday when, as he watched with his children, the mob boss Phil was shot and viewers heard his head crunched as it was run over by an SUV. But he loved the final scene.

"It was very smart writing," he said. "I always love movies where you don't see the guy whacked. You wonder whether he's going to get whacked."

It could help Journey's visibility, too, as it did for singer Nick Lowe when his song "The Beast in Me" was used over the closing credits for "The Sopranos" very first episode. There had been some speculation that Chase would return to it for the finale.

"A lot more people knew Johnny Cash's version (of `The Beast in Me') and this put Nick's version on the map," said Jake Guralnick, Lowe's American manager. "Nick's version is a lot more vulnerable."

Cain said it indicated that a wish he and Perry had -- that their songs would have a long life -- was coming true.

"It puts our feet in the cement," he said. "We're a staple in the American music culture. Like us or not, we're here to stay."

Journey Lead Singer Trades Song For 'Sopranos' Finale Secrets
MSNBC

NEW YORK, New York (June 12, 2007) -- Millions of fans might have been surprised by the ending of "The Sopranos" on Sunday night. But Journey lead singer Steve Perry wasn't one of them.

That's because the rocker knew exactly what was coming. According to an article on MTV.com, the only way the former Journey front man would allow "Sopranos" boss David Chase to use the band's song "Don't Stop Believin'" for the series' final moments was if Chase revealed how the show was going to end.

"I was not excited about [the possibility of] the Soprano family being whacked to 'Don't Stop Believin'," said Perry, who tuned in along with 12 million other fans on Sunday night. "I told them, 'Unless I know what happens-- and I will swear to secrecy-- I can't in good conscience feel good about its use.'"

The show's producers reportedly made Perry promise to keep it under his lid, which he did, and then they spilled the beans on how the song was used and how the show ends, after which Perry signed off.

"There's nothing more in my lifetime that I wanted than to be part of a band that wrote the kind of music we did when we were together. ... When I saw ['The Sopranos'] last night, what I saw was the director pull back into the foundation that was there all along during the most important moment when all this chaos [is going on]. The song was, literally, cutting from lyric to lyric, from mother to son to James [Gandolfini] at the key moment and on [the lyric] 'streetlight people,' it pulls back with the cameras to reveal a streetlight and I said, 'My God, this director [Chase] got it. He got the song!' Perry told MTV. "The whole thing blew my mind."

Fellow Journey member Jonathan Cain, who wrote the song with Perry and Neal Schon, didn't know how it would be used when they agreed to the licensing. Cain kept the fact that it was going to be in at all a secret, then watched the episode with his family.

"I didn't want to blow it," he told The Associated Press on Monday. "Even my wife didn't know. She looked at me and said, `You knew that and you didn't tell me?"' Some have suggested Chase, who has curated two soundtrack albums for his series, and made music a key part of the stories, used "Don't Stop Believin"' was part of the elaborate inside joke he made of the final episode.

It's also possible he found the end of the last verse too hard to resist: "Some will win, some will lose," Perry sings. "Some were born to sing the blues. Oh, the movie never ends. It goes on and on and on and on ... "

Journey released the song in 1981, and it reached No. 9 on the singles chart. And clearly, using it during one of the most talked-about moments of recent TV history hasn't hurt the song's popularity.

On Tuesday, the track was listed as #26 on iTunes Top Songs of the Day, as determined by user downloads.