The Effect, a new band featuring Toto guitarist Steve Lukather’s son, Trevor, and Phil Collins’ son, Nic, has debuted its cover of the 1986 Journey tune “It Could Have Been You,” which features guest backing vocals by Steve Perry.
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The track is available now as a digital download and via streaming services. In addition, a music video for the tune has premiered on The Effect’s official YouTube channel. The clip shows the band members performing the song on a darkly-lit soundstage, interspersed with footage of a woman who is seen dancing in the shadows.
The Effect offer up a rocking, supercharged rendition of “It Could Have Been You,” which originally appeared on Journey’s 1986 album Raised on the Radio. Perry’s backing vocals blend in with the powerful lead vocals of Effect frontman Emmett Lee Stang, and the ex-Journey singer also contributes some ad-libs to the track.
Perry and Trevor Lukather both shared how the collaboration came about in recent posts on their respective social media pages. The two artists also were interviewed via Zoom by Rolling Stone, and they talked with the magazine about their friendship and the new track.
How Perry and Trevor Lukather Became Friends
Perry first met Trevor when Lukather was just 9 years old, and the two reconnected 11 years later and developed a friendship after the guitarist, who is now 37, played Steve some of the music he was recording at the time.
“He was like, ‘Oh my gosh, man, this is great,’” Lukather recalled. “He wound up coming by the studio. And from that moment on, Steve has just been a mentor to me, along with my dad, and just a dear brother.”
As Perry explained to Rolling Stone, “When I hear somebody that’s musically got talent, just God-given talent … I can’t stay away from it. And that’s what happened when I heard Trev play the first time. I thought, ‘Jesus, man, this kid has taken his DNA to the next level.’”
How Perry Feels About The Effect’s Version of the Song
Meanwhile, Perry told Rolling Stone he was blown away by The Effect’s cover of “It Could Have Been You.”
“They did an amazing version of it,” he said. “In my opinion, it’s completely current, refreshed, and ready to go out there and do some damage.”
The track is the lead single from The Effect’s upcoming debut album, which is due out later in 2024.
Perry’s Contributions to the Track
Perry decided to contribute to the track after Lukather played him the version on which the band was working.
“They had reimagined it so beautifully that I just had to do my best to fall into what felt right for the track and what felt believable for where they took it,” explained Perry. “They had already stacked the parts that were there, and I added some embellishments and some inversional choices against their chord arrangements. … All I did was follow the sketches of the backgrounds they already put in there.”
How Trevor Lukather Discovered “It Could Have Been You”
Besides being Perry’s friend, Lukather has another connection to Journey. In 2022, he married Madison Cain, daughter of Journey keyboardist Jonathan Cain. “It Could Have Been You” was co-written by Perry, Cain, and Journey guitarist Neal Schon. Lukather revealed to Rolling Stone that the idea to cover the song happened after he and his wife discovered the tune while listening to some old Journey tracks during a road trip.
“I loved the funkiness of it, and Steve Perry’s vocals were just insane,” Trevor told the magazine. “We kept playing that song on repeat.”
He eventually brought it to the band, and everyone agreed it would be a great tune to cover.
The Effect’s 2024 Concert Plans
The Effect are preparing to kick off a series of U.S. dates opening for Billy Idol, starting with a show in Flagstaff, Arizona, this Friday, May 10. The band also will be playing a variety of concerts in Europe in June and July.
Lukather revealed to Rolling Stone that his band plans to close all their shows with “It Could Have Been You.”
“It’ll give us a chance to jam out and really have this huge ending,” he explained. “It’s also a great story, obviously, which I’m going to lay onto the crowd before we play it.”
Tickets for The Effect’s concerts with Billy Idol are available now via various outlets, including StubHub.
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