On this very day in 2009, the hit musical television show Glee aired for the very first time. It was a smash hit just after one episode. And during that episode, the cast of Glee performed a rendition of a famous rock song. Despite the fact that the song itself was released back in 1981, its inclusion in the pilot episode of Glee catapulted the song back to the top of the charts. In fact, the second time around, the song charted even higher than it originally did back in 1981.
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‘Glee’ Breathed New Life Into the Classic Rock Song “Don’t Stop Believin’” by Journey
The rock song that Glee boosted in the 21st century is none other than Journey’s 1981 hit, “Don’t Stop Believin’”. Released on the band’s album Escape, “Don’t Stop Believin’” was a pretty big Top 10 hit upon its release. In 1981, it peaked at no. 9 on the Billboard US Hot 100 chart, among others. It’s still a deeply loved rock song today, and it is considered one of the finest rock singles to come out of the 1980s.
However, the crazy thing about Glee’s rendition of the tune is that after airing the pilot in 2009, “Don’t Stop Believin’” reentered the charts. And it outperformed its original position on the charts in 1981. In 2009, it would debut again on the Hot 100 chart, this time at no. 4.
The members of Journey were actually not initially thrilled to let Glee use the song on the show. According to an interview with guitarist Neal Schon via The Guardian, he was “terrified” by the idea of Ryan Murphy’s hit series implementing the tune into their pilot episode.
“I thought it was a teenybopper show,” said Schon. “Not so cool for us. Little did I know that it would open up a younger generation to our music. I’m a rocker and a blues guy, and we always joke that if I think something is too schmaltzy, it’s usually gonna be big!”
The movers and shakers behind Glee realized how much people loved the song, so much so that they performed the song seven times throughout the show’s lifespan. The tune was even featured in Glee: The 3D Concert Movie.
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