Raised on Radio is a hidden gem among the catalogue of everyone’s favourite karaoke arena rock band. The first song I latched onto was the third track. Suzanne is a phenomenal song, mainly due to one of the unsung (pun intended) heroes of rock, Steve Perry. Perry is one of my favourite singers, so of course I’m probably being slightly biased here, but the not-so-tiny expression just before the second chorus became the best part of the song for me purely because it showcases the sheer power of his voice. The song itself applies the generic Journey formula of repetitive verse, hugely uplifting chorus, spectacular crescendo. Very difficult not to dance to, sing into a hairbrush, etc. Just me? Cool, cool, cool…
If you’re listening to this album in a bad mood, you won’t end it in a bad mood. As if the soaring happiness of Suzanne isn’t enough, Be Good to Yourself explodes in about 1.5 seconds later. As the little ray of sunshine that I am (ha ha ha), I’m obviously never in a bad mood. On these rare occasions, I genuinely find it difficult to maintain said bad mood whilst listening to this track. It’s a synthesized, distorted, raspy eighties guide to self help. Perf.
I’m not such a big fan of Raised on Radio. It doesn’t stand out particularly prominently for me, but it’s difficult to place my finger on why exactly this song and not the others. Obviously every band has a trademark sound (AC/DC) – but the track doesn’t have any particularly remarkable features. It’s always a bit of a letdown when the title track seems to fall into the category of filler rather than standout single for me.
Now, let’s examine It Could Have Been You. Riff: too catchy. Not the sort of thing I’d expect from the style that I’d become used to from Journey before hearing this album. Plus, the return of Steve Perry’s vocal loveliness, particularly the last chorus. It’s an interesting song musically; the staccato elements of the guitar riff, the sudden bursts of drums and keyboards. Despite this, Perry still provides an overlaying swathe of power ballad vocals, making a fantastic contrast between music and voice.
I absolutely adore the lyrics of The Eyes of a Woman. I think the idea behind the song is beautiful and my favourite lines are present in the chorus – “the eyes of a woman/there’s nowhere to run” – it has an intensity behind it, as if the female gaze forms an inescapable trap and there is nothing to be done but surrender to emotion. It’s an incredibly passionate yet mature approach to a love song. Once again, *Steve Perry greatness klaxon.*
The final song on the album, Why Can’t This Night Go On Forever, is the other song besides Suzanne that I listened to when I first discovered the album. It’s a hauntingly beautiful piece of music, melodically and lyrically . Two lines stick out for different reasons. “Lover, don’t fade away” – you never hear the word ‘lover’ anymore – and “tell me secrets that make you cry.” Not so much for the lyrical content, but you really have to hear this line in the song to understand why it’s so brilliant; the sheer power of Steve Perry’s voice, yet again, is overwhelming. If you don’t believe me, try and hit that note.
It always angers me when people consider Aerosmith’s Don’t Wanna Miss a Thing as the best power ballad of all time. This is a whole separate rant but I can condense it down to the following: you fucking what? These idiotic people have skipped along, blissful in their ignorance of a billion better ballads than the Aerosmith song (although I still love Diane Warren), Why Can’t This Night being one of them. Sounds like you could make a tongue twister out of that. Tyler had a ballad but the ballad was too basic, Perry had a better ballad to make the basic ballad…something…something…anyway…
I love this album. It’s one of my desert island records and it doesn’t deserve to be as overlooked as I think it has been. The songs are a testament to the lyrical and musical skills of all the members. Overall, it’s energetic, dynamic and awash stellar songwriting and musicianship. It’s well worth a listen, so that if anyone ever says to you that Don’t Stop Believing is the best Journey song, you can say “ah, but…”
