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Only The Young by Journey Lyrics Meaning – The Anthem of Youthful Defiance and Hope

by SMF AI · Published January 24, 2024 · Updated April 26, 2024

Music Video

Echoes of a Generation’s Cry – The Call of the Youth

Unearthing the hidden meaning: a battle cry against complacency, the promise and the lie: discerning the illusions, fire in their hearts: the symbolism of wildfire, memorable lines that capture the essence of youthful rebellion.

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 desire Burnin’ like wildfire

They’re seein’ through the promises And all the lies they dare to tell Is it heaven or hell? They know very well

Full Lyrics

Journey’s ‘Only The Young’ captures the zeitgeist of youthful spirit, intertwining a message of hope, freedom, and the perennial struggle between generations. In an era where the voices of the young often feel drowned out by the cacophony of an entrenched status quo, this song stands as a testament to the unquenchable fire that burns within the hearts of the young.

Digging deeper into the lyrics reveals layers of meaning that resonate with the lived experiences of the youth across decades. It’s a song that transcends time, remaining as current and poignant today as it was when it first echoed through the airwaves. ‘Only The Young’ isn’t just a song; it’s an anthem that continues to galvanize the spirit of successive generations.

The opening lines of ‘Only The Young’ paint a vivid picture of a universal scene: a night in an indistinct town where the collective cry of the young reverberates with the potential of thunder. This thunder is more than just a sound; it’s emblematic of the burgeoning power and restlessness of a rising generation. Ahead of their time, they grapple with feeling misunderstood, yearning for a world that welcomes their ideals and innovations.

The song’s acknowledgment of this generational cry speaks volumes about the isolating sense of being ahead of one’s era, capturing the essence of what it means to be young and filled with visions of what could be – visions not yet shared or comprehended by the surrounding society.

Amid the seemingly traditional rock façade, ‘Only The Young’ harbors a hidden depth – a clarion call resisting complacency and challenging the status quo. This battle cry isn’t one born of violence, but of the potency inherent in the young’s shared desire; it’s a fight for the freedom to believe, hope, and forge a new path.

With a deft blend of powerful lyrics and electrifying guitar riffs, Journey propels listeners into the very heart of youthful defiance. The message conveyed is not a passive one; it is an active inspiration for the young to take the reins of their own fate, to share in the collective ambition – and to ignite change like wildfire.

The lyrics suggest a generation that has come to recognize the duplicity within promises and the deceit woven into lies they have been fed. This realization prompts the essential question: Are they living in a heaven of their own making, or a hell fabricated by the misguidance of previous generations?

Such acuity in distinguishing truth from fabrication hints at an innate wisdom among the young – an understanding that the narratives handed down to them are to be approached with skepticism and their truths verified through the lens of their own experiences and judgements.

Throughout ‘Only The Young,’ the recurring image of ‘burnin’ like wildfire’ holds profound symbolism. It evokes the uncontrollable, all-consuming nature of fire, likening the shared desire of youth to a force that, once kindled, cannot be easily extinguished. This wildfire represents their passions, dreams, and quest for freedom.

This potent imagery testifies to the vitality and fierce determination of the youth to enact changes that leave a lasting imprint. As wildfire rejuvenates even as it consumes, so the young carry the promise of a new dawn, a rebirth of ideas capable of reshaping their world.

The lyrics of ‘Only The Young’ are filled with memorable lines that resonate deeply with the spirit of youthful rebellion. Phrases like ‘They wonder why’ and ‘They’re free to fly away’ reinforce the notion of a misunderstood generation yearning for escape and liberation.

The anthem concludes with a simple, yet powerful repetition of the title phrase, ‘Only the young can say,’ transforming the song into a chant that echoes the sentiment of countless young hearts. Each repetition is a declaration, an affirmation of the unique place the young hold in the chronicle of human endeavor – able to envision, to challenge, to transform.

Journey’s “don’t stop believin’” lyrics meaning.

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“Keep On Runnin'” by Journey

January 4, 2022

by Amanda London · Published January 4, 2022

Song Meanings & Facts

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How a Leftover Song Changed Journey Forever

"Only the Young" became an inspirational touchstone, a homecoming spark, then an in-concert triumph. But first, it got left off one of Journey 's biggest albums.

"It was actually written for the Frontiers record," Journey keyboardist Jonathan Cain told WCSX in 2018. "And some people, when we put the album together, thought it didn't work on the album and they wanted to put some other song in place of it. And I was kinda like opposed to it and I got outvoted, and it just sat on the shelf there in the vaults."

The first person outside of Journey's inner circle to hear the still-unreleased song was Kenny Sykaluk, a 16-year-old Ohio native battling terminal illness. His mother wrote the Make a Wish Foundation in the hopes that the band could visit Sykaluk.

"Back in 1983, when Make a Wish first began, one of the boys who was sick wanted to meet Journey," Cain told One One 7 in 2013. "He was in a cystic-fibrosis clinic in Cleveland, and we went off to see him. We had no idea how bad he was, but he was dying."

They brought an autographed platinum-album award, a football helmet signed by the San Francisco 49ers, and a Walkman. Inside the Walkman was a cassette recording of "Only the Young."

"Slipping the headphones over Kenny's ears, we watched as the kid began to listen to our unreleased song," Cain said in 2018's Don't Stop Believin': The Man, the Band, and the Song that Inspired Generations . "While the tune played, Kenny looked up and his eyes got huge."

Written by Cain, ex-frontman Steve Perry and guitarist Neal Schon , "Only the Young" eventually saw release, eventually became a hit, eventually turned into a concert staple. But in that moment, it became Sykaluk's song.

"As soon as I stepped out of that hospital room, I lost it," Perry said in the liner notes to the Time3 box set. "Nurses had to take me to a room by myself."

Listen to Journey Perform 'Only the Young'

Sykaluk died hours later. "When we did VH1's Behind the Music ," Cain told One One 7, "I was asked about the most powerful things that happened to me as a member of Journey, and it had to be with Kenny Sykaluk on that last day."

A leftover song suddenly took on deep new meaning within the group. "The lyrics to 'Only the Young' are powerful lyrics," Perry says in Don't Stop Believin' . "I really have to give credit to Jonathan Cain for coming up with the concept to write about, before we even knew about Kenny, about ' only the young can say they're free to fly away .' Because there's a certain innocence that the youth have. That's just a wonderful gift."

Journey was in the midst of a period marked by solo projects and internal strife. "Only the Young" ended up being covered on Scandal's debut album, while the original version – and Journey itself – continued to languish. They'd essentially split following Frontiers .

Then "Only the Young" was released on the soundtrack for Vision Quest on Feb. 12, 1985, and belatedly soared to No. 9 on the Billboard charts. Months later, sessions began for Journey's reunion on 1986's Raised on Radio .

Syaluk's passing put things in perspective. "It changed my outlook on life," Schon said on Behind the Music . "It makes you realize that the things you were making a big deal out of, maybe, were not so big."

Credit a label guy for finally smoothing the way for the release of "Only the Young." "David Geffen somehow got ahold of it and called our manager and said, 'I have this movie, Vision Quest ," Cain told WCSX. "And so we ended up taking it to New York to mix for Vision Quest ."

Journey subsequently opened every show on the Raised on Radio tour with "Only the Young." Later reissues of Frontiers also included it as a bonus track. For Cain, that winding path came to make perfect sense.

"Each song has its place and purpose," Cain said in Don't Stop Believin' , "and 'Only the Young' was meant to stay off Frontiers initially, simply because it belonged to Kenny."