Hello, and welcome to the second edition of No Skips, a column where I analyze an album and deem every track as unskippable. This week, we will look at Journey’s “Greatest Hits,” an album that defined my childhood and built a musical bond between my dad and me.
I was first exposed to Journey as a child when my dad played their hits while driving in his blue Ford Mustang. I knew all their songs at a young age and sang along to all the words (and guitar solos) with my dad.
Journey is an American rock band that formed in San Fransisco, California in the 1970s. Being a San Franciscan myself — and my dad growing up a stone’s throw away in San Jose — enjoying Journey’s music was no surprise. My dad saw them multiple times in concert during his teens and twenties and shared his love of the band with both me and my little brother. Nowadays, I listen to Journey on warm sunny days and reminisce about drives with the windows down in the back of my dad’s car.
With tracks like “Don’t Stop Believing,” “Lights” and “Any Way You Want It,” Journey’s “Greatest Hits” has no skips. The album is filled with rock songs that maintain an edge even 35 years after they originally came out. Furthermore, the album was remastered this year, demonstrating its reach and popularity as a “no skips” album.
The album, as illustrated in the title, is filled with the band’s greatest hits. It opens with “Only the Young,” a rock powerhouse that always merits a listen. “Only the Young” holds a lot of meaning to me because a) I would listen to it with my dad growing up, and b) it covers themes of growing up and having dreams — ideas that hit pretty hard as a 22-year-old college senior.
The next few tracks, “Don’t Stop Believing,” “Wheel in the Sky” and “Faithfully,” are arguably Journey’s most famous releases. “Don’t Stop Believing” is one of those songs that, as soon as it comes on, everyone is singing along to both the lyrics and the screaming guitar solos. You can never skip “Don’t Stop Believing,” especially at a sporting event or karaoke bar. “Wheel in the Sky” is also a classic. Every time it comes on, I catch myself singing and dancing along to the track.
The album continues to live up to its namesake with other phenomenal songs like “Separate Ways (Worlds Apart),” which had a resurgence in popularity with its remixed feature on the fourth season of “Stranger Things.” This song has been and always will be unskippable due to its thrumming bass lines and roaring drums. Additionally, the “Stranger Things” remix with Bryce Miller and Alloy Tracks is also a bop — one that I listened to a lot in the summer of 2022.
Love songs are also common on this album. “Faithfully,” “Open Arms” and “Send Her My Love” each have messages of love and care for one’s partner and are great songs musically as well. “Faithfully” is one of my favorite Journey songs of all time and illustrates Journey’s ability to create powerful lyrics and even more powerful scores.
On the flip side, the album also features themes of loss and heartbreak. “I’ll Be Alright Without You,” “Who’s Crying Now” and “Ask the Lonely” emphasize those themes. “I’ll Be Alright Without You” touches on moving on after a breakup and working through those big emotions. The drums and tone of this song are softer than many other Journey songs, and it continues to be a profound piece by the band.
The album ends with “Be Good to Yourself” and “When You Love a Woman” — two songs that are just as significant as the 14 other tracks on this powerhouse of an album. “Be Good to Yourself” continues the roaring guitar and upbeat keyboard that are characteristic of Journey’s discography and maintains its place (alongside “Faithfully”) as one of my favorite Journey songs of all time.
To conclude, this album is a perfect reminder of summer drives and a shared love of music with my dad. The lack of skips on this album highlights Journey’s ability to craft rock music with a timeless sound that continues to gain fans 35 years after being released. I highly recommend this album to everyone reading this column — especially as the weather gets warmer and summer quickly approaches.