Still They’re Seaching…

I don’t know.  I get the feeling that The City Forever has becoming more and more personal of late.  I guess I never really wanted that because I always invisaged this site as somewhere for me to tackle problems which I encounter in an impartial, objective way; a way not always afforded to us when we try to sort things out in our own hearts and minds.  Perhaps it was inevitable from the begining; perhaps our thought’s and feelings as human beings are so much entwined with our very sense of being that it’s completely impossible to separate them completely from rationale and reason.  Maybe no matter what we do… it’s always personal.

Most people became familiar with the band Journey from a certain episode of Scrubs or from the finale of The Sopranos.  I must admit, I’ve never seen the Sopano’s, but I do owe the wonderful people at Scrubs a debt of gratitutde for introducing to to such a wonderful band.  I am little Journey mad at the minute because myself and a good friend are heading down to Dublin to see them on Wednesday and the prospect of seeing possibly my favourite band live is all too much!

I got a copy of Journey’s newest studio album a couple of weeks back and I must say I didn’t really know what to expect.  Most of Journeys biggest hits were released when they were fronted by the mullet-sporting Steve Perry, a man with a voice which, in my opinion sounds as good (if not better) live as it does in the recorded material.  Journey’s newest album is fronted by Arnel Pineida, a philipino chap discovered by Journey guitarist Neil Schon in a way beffiting of the 21st century.  I was a little bit wary of popping in this new album, entitled ‘Revelation,’ for the first time.  I mean, to hear one of your most loved groups voiced by a complete newcomer is a little bit disconcerting.  My concern was shortlived.  I can honestly say I was blown away by the new sound.  Even disc two of the album, featuring re-recording of Journey’s biggest hits by the new band line-up, was stunning.  It has to be said that possibly my favourite track on the new album is a re-recorded version of a song written in the years between Perry and Pineida and originally released on the album ‘Generations.’  The song, ‘Faith in the Heartland’ has been kind of playing on my mind of late.

“He goes to work in a brand new dawn
With the early morning sunrise
He’s got his dream and he’s holding on
It’s getting harder everyday
Loves a girl who speaks her mind
Don’t always look at life the same way
Sharing truth that will heal in time

Time moves on as a fading town, they struggle with the changes
The stores have closed, friends have moved away
Now it’s hope that sees them through
The kids have gone but they’ll see them all
At the Sunday congregation
Sharing dreams truth will heal in time

They wanna believe something real still they’re searching
They’re keepin’ the faith in the heartland tonight
It’s words that divide them, it’s love that defines them
They’re keepin’ the faith in the heartland tonight

In our darkest hour we look to the sky
With a silent prayer believe that God’s on our side
In the land where freedom reigns and where eagles fly

Got faith, got dreams, believe
We’re keeping the faith alive”

Faith in the Heartland – Journey

You know, I’ve often sat down and wandered what it would be like to be interviewed for a music TV show like Top of the Pops.  I should say that I’m not really in a band or anything but if I would, I would have a desire to reinstitute a lost decade of music.  Imagine trying to sell yourselves as a retro yet original 80’s style band in todays music climate.  If you were in that position and asked on music television what exactly you were trying to achieve, how would you respond?  There’s something about songs in the 80’s which remind me how hopeful everything seemed.  I mean most of that decade of music was not about ‘how drunk that girl was in the club,’ or ‘what kind of promiscuous habits one persues on the dancefloor’ or even about ‘just how rubbish life feels.’  It was a time when people cared about real values; love, family, the future… hope. 

I was a big fan of the first National Treasure movie.  A few folks had told me that the second one wasn’t quite as good but having seen it a couple of weeks back, I must say that I enjoyed it just as much.  There is this great scene where the main character, Ben Gates, played by Nick Cage, is talking to the President of the United States.  Ben is talking in grand meta-terms, describing things like honour, the weight of history, the importance of oath and of constitution.  The President stoicly informs Gate’s that people don’t believe in that ’stuff’ any more.  Gates replies;

“They wan’t to believe it…”

Maybe it’s just me, but I feel exaclty the same about those grand meta-narratives of 80’s music.  Sure, people don’t believe in that ’stuff’ anymore but I can’t help but think that surely, despite what the world today has become, people want to believe it…  People want to believe in hopes, in dreams, in the future.

I guess that I, pesonally (there’s that word again), am just feeling a little melancholic this morning and maybe that’s why I have this burning desire to see hope shining through… who knows?  According to Journey, it’s hope that can see us through.   Let’s ‘hope’ so…