How God Inspired Jonathan Cain to Write Iconic Journey Song, ‘Don’t Stop Believin”
By Movieguide® Staff
Musician Jonathon Cain is the man behind Journey’s iconic song, “Don’t Stop Believin’.” However, the 72-year-old artist, who helped inspire generations through music, said God was his inspiration.
In a recent interview with “I Am Second,” Cain revealed that his father not only encouraged him to pursue a relationship with God, but also to explore music.
“My story begins with my father when I was very young,” he recalled. “I would go to church with him and watch him pray and he would pray so fervently that tears would come down his cheeks and I wanted that so badly.”
“I said, ‘Can I go with you to Jesus?’ and he said, ‘You have to get your own walk with Jesus, get your own relationship, John,’” Cain explained.
Cain said that the first time he thought about his personal relationship with God came after a near-death experience.
“We went to Arkansas and I had a near-death experience when I stepped in a big hole in the lake and went down and I was drowning,” he said. “A man had seen me apparently and I felt a hand pull me out of the water, give me mouth-to-mouth and bring me back on the pier. I said to my parents I nearly died and it was only because of God I’m here.”
“It was also a wake-up call that God was preparing me to face life,” he continued. “Like, this is not going to be easy.”
Another traumatic experienced happened while Cain attended Catholic school, and the school burned down on Dec. 1, 1958.
“I watched 92 children die,” he recalled. “I felt just so lost. I was grateful to be saved but I wondered what happened that day. It was a big question: did Jesus abandon us that day? What happened?”
However, Cain found a new peace in music, which his father encouraged him to pursue and study.
“My father saw it right away and led me straight to music,” he said. “He said, ‘You know son, you were saved for something greater and that must be music.’ He got me straight to music school and music seemed to be a redemption for me, I was able to set myself free.”
After landing a spot with a band called The Babys, Cain discovered that he was a gifted songwriter.
However, early in his career, he struggled to make ends meet. After his dog was hit by a car, Cain was ashamed to ask his father for money.
“My father was the one that gave me the advice, ‘don’t stop believing,’” he said. “My dog got hit by a car, it was tragic, and I needed money to pay for the vet bill. Ihad to call him and I hated asking him for money but I said, ‘Dad I just wonder, should I give up on this music dream and come home to Chicago and forget about it?’ There was a silence for a minute and then he said, ‘John, this is your vision. No you’re not coming home, stay the course, don’t stop believing.’”
“I wrote it down in this little lyric book that I had when I was writing lyrics and it wasn’t until five years later, Steve Perry looked at me and said, ‘You got another song?’ I said, ‘Well, let me look at my book,’” Cain recalled. “Sure enough there’s what dad had said. I wrote a melody to have a city boy and a small town girl on a midnight train going anywhere… I came in the next day and it was history. I believe it is what got us intio the Rock N’ Roll Hall of Fame, 100%. Thank you dad.”
After Cain’s father passed away, the now famous writer and musician said that he reflected on his success and his relationship with his father.
“Years later, when my father passed, I was devastated,” he said. “I didn’t think I would be able to carry on. I always wrote for him, I thought. I said everything, every note I played I can trace back to my father.
“Then God, his voice came to me,” he continued. “I sat and was weeping on the piano, and [He said]: ‘No John, it’s been me. It’s me, John, it’s always been me. Through him, but I am the source. I am where it comes from.”
“It opened my eyes to the transcendence of a father reaching down to his son through his natural father,” he added. “There is this heavenly father, this voice that came to me and now I know where it all comes from.”
Now, Cain leads worship music at church and continues to tour with Journey.
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Now more than ever we’re bombarded by darkness in media, movies, and TV. Movieguide® has fought back for almost 40 years, working within Hollywood to propel uplifting and positive content. We’re proud to say we’ve collaborated with some of the top industry players to influence and redeem entertainment for Jesus. Still, the most influential person in Hollywood is you. The viewer.
What you listen to, watch, and read has power. Movieguide® wants to give you the resources to empower the good and the beautiful. But we can’t do it alone. We need your support.
You can make a difference with as little as $7. It takes only a moment. If you can, consider supporting our ministry with a monthly gift. Thank you.
Movieguide® is a 501c3 and all donations are tax deductible.
