While Journey was working on their 1983 album Frontiers, their track “Only the Young.” Before the band could record the song, an A & R rep suggested they cut the track from the album days before the band was set to record it, along with another called “Ask the Lonely.” Both songs were replaced with “Troubled Child” and “Back Talk.”
During the band’s Frontiers sessions, they also worked on the song “Only Solutions,” which instead made its way onto the soundtrack of the 1982 film Tron and was featured in the closing credits of the movie.
“Only the Young” would also find its place in the 1985 film Vision Quest and gave the band a top 10 hit, but it was never released on any of Journey’s albums. Written by Steve Perry, Jonathan Cain, and Neal Schon, lyrically, “Only the Young” touches on the privilege of freedom during youth.
Videos by American Songwriter
Another night in any town
You can hear the thunder of their cry
Ahead of their time
They wonder why
In the shadows of a golden age
A generation waits for dawn
Brave carry on
Bold and the strong
Only the young can say
They’re free to fly away
Sharing the same desires
Burnin like wildfire
[RELATED: How a Steve Perry “Perryism” Inspired Journey’s 1986 Hit “Be Good to Yourself”]
Scandal and Patty Smyth, and ‘Vision Quest’
Though shelved on Journey’s Frontiers, “Only the Young” eventually made its way to a New York City band Scandal, which formed a few years later and briefly featured Jon Bon Jovi on guitar in 1983.
When the band was working on their breakthrough debut, Warrior, they purchased the Journey song for the album.
In 1984, Journey also recorded “Only the Young” for the soundtrack of the 1985 film Vision Quest, starring Matthew Modine and Linda Fiorentino. The film follows an ambitious young wrestler, Louden Swain (Modine), who gets sidetracked by an older woman named Carla (Fiorentino).
Along with Journey’s “Only the Young,” Madonna‘s No. 1 hit “Crazy For You” was also featured in the film. Vision Quest also marked Madonna’s film debut. In the film, she plays a singer at a bar singing “Crazy for You” and another song she wrote for the movie, “Gambler.”
Upon release, Journey’s version of “Only the Young” was also an instant hit and went to the top 10 at No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100 and peaked at No. 3 on the Mainstream Rock chart.
Kenny Sykaluk
Before it was released, the band shared “Only the Young” with a 16-year-old fan, Kenny Sykaluk, through the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Band members went to visit the terminally ill boy who was suffering from cystic fibrosis and played the song on a Walkman for him in his hospital room.
“As soon as I stepped out of that hospital room, I lost it,” said Perry in the liner notes of the band’s 1992 compilation Time3. “Nurses had to take me to a room by myself.”
Less than a day after meeting his favorite band, Sykaluk died, and the experience left a lasting impact on the members of Journey, who were also dealing with some internal tensions at the time. “Here’s this little kid struggling for every breath he could,” remembered Cain. “And we were doing everything in our power not to ball in front of him.”
Perry added, “We played it for him, and that was really rough because he was in heaven. He was really in heaven.”
In honor of Sykaluk, Journey opened every show on their Raised on Radio tour (1986-987) with “Only the Young.” The song was also released as a bonus track on the 2006 reissue of Frontiers.
“To this day, I can only see his face,” said Cain. “And I can see his pleasure if hearing that song. … That song will always be his song.”
Photo: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
Leave a Reply
Only members can comment. Become a member. Already a member? Log in.