10 Most Rocking Journey Songs

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Looking back at the history of Journey, it’s easy to argue that most of their songs are rockers. Of course, they have had some spectacular ballads and great success with them, but Journey is, first and foremost, a rock band. So, putting together a list of the 10 most rocking Journey songs is almost like putting together a list of the Top 10 Journey songs. However, moods change, and the songs we feel are the best rockers this week might not be the same ones we feel next week or even a few months from now. At this moment, in the mood we are in, these are the 10 Journey rockers that we think will cause a little excitement in the room.

We wanted to include songs from various periods and songs featuring three of the lead singers represented on this list: Gregg Rolie, Steve Perry, and Arnel Pineda. We thought that would be the most respectful way to pay tribute to this band that we love. We also tried to stay away from the hits so we could dig a little deeper, but of course there were some that we just could not ignore.

# 10 – Edge of the Blade – Frontiers

We open our most rocking Journey songs list with a great track from the album Frontiers. We could have easily also closed this list with this song. Just listen to the sound of those guitars by Neal Schon. That is some pretty heavy stuff there, my friends. Frontiers was released in 1983, with Steve Perry on lead vocals, Neal Schon on guitar, Jonathan Cain on keyboards, Ross Valory on bass, and Steve Smith on drums. “Edge of the Blade” is a perfect example of how much muscle Journey could put behind the polished sound that made the album so successful.

# 9 – Chain of Love – Eclipse

Once you get past the sweet piano and synth opening, “Chain of Love” turns into some very heavy playing. If you did not know it was Journey, you probably would never have guessed it was them. The song was released on the band’s 2011 album Eclipse, which was their fourteenth studio album. Arnel Pineda handles the lead vocal, with Neal Schon on guitar, Jonathan Cain on keyboards, Ross Valory on bass, and Deen Castronovo on drums. The album deliberately pushed Journey toward a heavier guitar sound, and this track is one of the clearest examples. It is a deep cut that deserves far more attention from fans who only know the classic radio years.

# 8 – Keep on Runnin’ – Escape

This just may be the most overlooked song on the Escape album. The band knew it was good because they opened side two of the record with it. However, this album is so big that songs like “Don’t Stop Believin’,” “Stone in Love,” “Who’s Crying Now,” and of course “Open Arms” far overshadow this rocking Journey song. Steve Perry tears into the vocal, while Steve Smith’s drums and Neal Schon’s guitar give the track a much tougher edge than some of the album’s better-known songs. It is fast, direct, and built to be played loud. On an album filled with gigantic hits, “Keep on Runnin'” is still one of the reasons Escape works as a complete rock record.

# 7 – Stone in Love – Escape

And speaking of “Stone in Love,” we could not put together this list without adding this classic rocker. What an album Escape was. It opened with “Don’t Stop Believin’,” followed by “Stone in Love,” and then “Who’s Crying Now.” Now that is three pretty killer tunes to open a record. The album was released in July 1981 and became the defining commercial breakthrough of Journey’s career. Neal Schon’s guitar work, especially the long closing section, is a huge reason this song still sounds so powerful.

# 6 – Mystery Mountain – Journey

It is amazing how different this band sounded in 1975 than they did just a few years later. That is what happens when you change lineups and musical direction. Of course, there are many fans who say they only liked the early Journey, and I guess it depends on when you first discovered the band, although maybe not. “Mystery Mountain” was the closing song on the band’s self-titled debut album, released in 1975, with Gregg Rolie handling the lead vocal and keyboards. Neal Schon, Ross Valory, Aynsley Dunbar, and George Tickner give the track the progressive, heavy sound of Journey’s earliest period. It is not a fast rocker, but it is pretty heavy, and it absolutely does the job.

# 5 – Castles Burning – Trial by Fire

I always felt Trial by Fire was a very overlooked Journey album with Steve Perry on lead vocals. The record did not produce the kind of run of giant hits Journey had enjoyed in the 1980s, although “When You Love a Woman” reached number twelve on the Billboard Hot 100 and number one on the Adult Contemporary chart. Trial by Fire was a reunion album for Steve Perry, Neal Schon, Jonathan Cain, Ross Valory, and Steve Smith. “Castles Burning” is one of the record’s harder songs and one of the reasons I have always thought the album deserved more attention. It became Steve Perry’s final Journey studio album, while Steve Smith later returned to the band years afterward. If you are unfamiliar with this record, I still recommend giving it a serious listen.

# 4 – Hustler – Next

If that opening guitar riff does not capture you right away, then I have nothing left to say to you. “Hustler” was featured on the band’s third studio album, Next, released in 1977. This is a great album that also features the much-loved song “Spaceman.” “Hustler” opened side two and gave Journey plenty of room to stretch out. Neal Schon really lights it up on this track with a smoking, red-hot solo. Aynsley Dunbar sounds like Keith Moon at times on this one, and the entire performance has a wildness that disappeared once Journey moved toward a more streamlined sound.

# 3 – Any Way You Want It – Departure

Like a few other very popular songs on this list, we decided to include this one because we really had no choice. We have always said that rock and roll songs do not have to be really fast to rock, but this one definitely is fast and it works perfectly. “Any Way You Want It” was the lead single from the band’s 1980 album Departure. Steve Perry and Neal Schon wrote the song, and the classic lineup of Perry, Schon, Gregg Rolie, Ross Valory, and Steve Smith gives it nonstop momentum. It is one of the most instantly recognizable Journey songs ever recorded. Sometimes the obvious choice is still the right choice.

# 2 – Separate Ways (Worlds Apart) – Frontiers

We tried to stay away from the hits on this list because everybody has heard them a million times, but there is just no escaping this one. Frontiers has always been my personal favorite Journey album, and “Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)” is one of the reasons why. The balance between the guitars, that synth line, the drums, the bass, and Steve Perry’s vocal performance is recorded so well that it almost sucks you into the car radio. Jonathan Cain and Steve Perry wrote the song, and Neal Schon’s guitar gives the track the kind of bite that keeps it from becoming just another polished arena-rock anthem. It was released as the first single from Frontiers in 1983 and remains one of Journey’s hardest-hitting major hits. No deep-cut rule was going to keep this one off the list.

# 1 – I’m Gonna Leave You – Look Into the Future

If this sounds a little familiar to you, remember that “I’m Gonna Leave You” arrived before Kansas released “Carry On Wayward Son.” Journey’s Look Into the Future album was released in January 1976, while Kansas released Leftoverture later that year and “Carry On Wayward Son” followed as a single in November. We are not saying one copied the other, but the chronology is worth pointing out because the comparison has followed these songs for years.

At the time, Journey consisted of Gregg Rolie on keyboards and lead vocals, Neal Schon on guitar, Ross Valory on bass, and Aynsley Dunbar on drums. George Tickner, who had already left the performing lineup, also shares a songwriting credit on “I’m Gonna Leave You” with Rolie and Schon. The song is heavy, dramatic, and still one of the strongest examples of Journey before Steve Perry.