Stop “Don’t Stop”

In a recent case study, researchers have come to the realization that 87 percent of college parties will eventually play Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believing.” The song will not only be played, but it will also be enthusiastically lip-synced, sung or danced to by 92 percent of the party’s population.\nOK, by researchers, I mean me, so don’t hold me to those statistics. But “Don’t Stop Believing” has been a recurring anthem throughout my college career. The song itself is a vague enough description of a “small town girl” and “city boy” who practically any boy or girl could relate to. Or perhaps the subject matter and lyrics are universal. Maybe we’re all “living just to find emotion” and “born to sing the blues.” While the song touches on themes of loneliness and desperation, the title and overall theme are hopeful. \nFor a long time, I thought this song might just be a Hoosier anthem. It was not until I visited a friend at Middlebury College that I realized it might be a universal college phenomenon. For those of you unfamiliar with this college, Middlebury is a Vermont liberal arts school with an undergraduate population of about 2,350. In short, it shares few similarities with our dear old IU. When I accompanied my friend to her school’s formal, I found myself at an open-air dance with a cover band consisting of middle-aged men. The band tried its best to play classics as well as Top 40 hits, including Eminem. What got the biggest response from the crowd was, of course, “Don’t Stop Believing.” I couldn’t find a single individual not singing and dancing along.\nOf course, it’s not just college kids who love Journey’s power ballad. It was popular when it was first released in 1981 and has since passed the test of time. It’s been featured in movies such as the “The Wedding Singer,” “Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby” and “Monster.” It was even dubbed “the greatest song ever written” in the final credits of last year’s “Aqua Teen Hunger Force: Movie for Cinemas.” Kanye West recently performed a cover of the song in honor of his belated mother, Donda West. Shortly following the Sopranos series finale which closed with “Don’t Stop Believing,” the song became the No. 1 most downloaded song on iTunes. Although the finale itself received mixed reviews, it was clear fans didn’t want to stop believing. \nPersonally, I’ve always been impartial to the song. It was not until I realized its curious popularity that I became intrigued by its appeal. I understand the significance of artists like the Beatles, and even Boyz II Men. How many of their hits have become anthems of a generations? It is the longevity and quality of a song that makes it a classic, but I find this particular anthem more kitschy than anything else. This is why I ultimately believe we might need to stop believing and find a new anthem.