For the first time since their Eclipse LP in 2011, rock and roll band group Journey has released a new single entitled “The Way We Used to Be”. It is not only their first single in almost a decade, but it’s their first single to feature the new lineup of members such as Narada Michael Walden on drums, Randy Jackson on bass, and Jason Derlatka on keyboard and backing vocals.
Lead singer Neal Schon dishes in on the song, “This song came out of one of the many loops I’d written while the long downtime continued with the pandemic we all had to deal with. So utilizing my time and trying to keep fans in touch I started posting many jams and loops I created very quickly almost every day. On ‘The Way We Used To Be’ I laid down the keyboard loop with over-dubbed rhythm and a little blues lead guitar and sent it to Jonathan. He sent it back very shortly after with demo vocals and lyrics and I said to myself with a smile, ‘We’ve still got it!’”
The “Don’t Stop Believing” singer includes numerous homages to the impact of the pandemic in his lyrics. Examples include: “Can we ever get back? To the way we were doin’ it? To the way we were livin’ it? Back to the way we used to be?” The lyrics had been written by band member Johnathon Cain which he considered “The new beginning chapter for Journey” and now have over 26 songs they have composed throughout the pandemic.
In terms of a new album, Schon dishes in with Rolling Stone magazine: “Narada and I have been working nonstop. Jonathan is also working from his houses in Florida and Nashville. Arnel is working from Manila. Randy Jackson is working mostly from L.A. And it’s one of those Zoom sessions and it sounds phenomenal. It sounds like we’re all playing in the room at the same time.” In the end, the band had agreed that their album is tentative to release by the end of the year.
We are pleased to know that a band that has entertained a generation of people throughout the 80s will entertain the 2020s as well. We are also excited to learn what content the band will produce in the future. As life returns to normal and music returns, hopefully we will truly return “to the way we used to be”
