Is Journey’s ‘Don’t Stop Believin” The Most Overplayed Karaoke Song?

The popular, interactive entertainment of karaoke-style music has been an enduring force in popular culture for decades. Originating in Japan in the ’70s, karaoke (two combined Japanese words meaning “empty orchestra”) became a hit simply by offering participants (at home or out socially) a musical backing track, a microphone to sing into, and lyrics shown on the screen to vocalize.

This attractively straightforward approach has made karaoke fans of all ages, activity levels, and (potential) levels of inebriation. It doesn’t hurt that a wide range of tracks are available to play the metaphorical lead singer to, including the essentials of the classic rock set as well as the best from the boy bands (some of the catchiest earworms in existence).

But despite how fun and attractive karaoke can make songs like these (for singles or in a group), what about when the music suffers the opposite effect? When the consistent karaoke staple feels more like it’s stapling your ears shut rather than uplifting your spirits? This epidemic struggle is real, and we’ve found one of the most worn-out genre offenders.

Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin'” Is The Most Overdone All-Time Karaoke Song

The rock band Journey burst onto the scene in 1973, led by the unforgettable powerhouse singing talents of the iconic Steve Perry. “Don’t Stop Believin'” originated as the group’s second single from their 1981 album Escape, right as the group was becoming one of the most successful of the era. The song would later become a top-10 North American hit.

While there’s no question that “Don’t Stop Believin'” has developed a high-ranking reputation in pop culture (and become Journey’s signature song), it has been played well beyond the bounds of over-saturation. The track has been used in commercials, amusement park rides, baseball games, professional wrestling, and TV shows of every shape and size, from cartoons to competitions.

Karaoke is just the latest offender in a long list of criminal charges. Odds are, the moment that you hear those light, airy (almost synthy) piano chords kick in for “Don’t Stop Believin'”, it is already too late. You might be in a karaoke bar, a sports bar, maybe even an Apple Genius Bar; a sing-along will soon be imminent.

It will be blindly optimistic, it will almost certainly be off-key (with a certain trademark slurry edge), and it will once again bring the song’s blue-collar Bud Light-level Bruce Springsteen Bon Jovi-isms back under the wearily collective microscope. No offense to the illustrious Perry and his Journey bandmates, but “Don’t Stop Believin'” can’t hold onto that karaoke feeling.

That Doesn’t Mean “Don’t Stop Believin'” Is A Bad Song Though

While “Don’t Stop Believin'” does suffer from enough overproduced ’80s cheese to cover a party-sized pizza, Perry has long had one of the great rock vocals in music history, and his backing band in Journey did help him create plenty of big-league stadium anthem-worthy career moments. This song is more the victim of enthusiastic, long-term overplay than genuinely poor quality.

Noted autotune rapper T-Pain even recently pulled out a faithfully strong cover version of “Don’t Stop Believin'” for an album he recorded that showed off his legitimately stellar singing voice. So while it might not be fair to write off this Journey staple just yet, maybe give us all a break and leave it off your karaoke setlists for a while.