Journey Tickets - The City by the Bay Song

[Musiclaydee]

This is kinda interesting... the article reads....



Journey, one of the most popular, beloved and successful American bands of all time, didn't know what a hit "Lights" would become when it was first recorded. When it debuted along with the album Infinity, it was only able to shine through to No. 68 on the U.S. Top 100, a light year behind other Journey singles sensations that would follow, like Top 10 hits "Who's Crying Now," "Don't Stop Believing" and "Open Arms." Today "Lights" gets plenty of airplay on oldies stations and has become one of the band's most recognizable songs, despite the fact that the title is often mistaken for "City by the Bay" or "Lights Go Down in the City."

Album
"Lights" appears on Journey's fourth studio album, Infinity, released in January of 1978 by Columbia Records. Infinity marked a sudden and somewhat unexpected increase in the band's popularity. It was the first time Journey had broken into the top 50 in the Billboard US Albums chart, and it eventually finished at No. 21. It went 3x-Platinum and has continued to sell well after the third decade since its release. Why the instant breakthrough? It probably had something to do with the addition of Steve Perry as the band's lead vocalist, a free agent replacement for the former front man and keyboardist Gregg Rolie. Perry's smooth, refined vocals were just what Journey needed to go mainstream, and the song that might accurately be thought of as the tip of the hammer in this monumental breakthrough was "Lights," the opening track to the album. Batting leadoff for the band's remade image and sound, "Lights" grabbed the attention of reviewers and held on tight. The song is simple, short and sweet, but the talent and potential blaze through. There was no way you'd stop the record after the first track.

Lyrics
According to interviews, Steve Perry was working on "Lights" long before he joined up with Journey. He was down on his luck, his previous band's bass player died in a tragic car accident, and he was thinking about quitting music. Some San Francisco fans might be surprised to find out that Perry, who grew up mostly in the lower central valley of California, wrote the song originally about Los Angeles. The lyrics were supposed to go "When the lights go down in the City/ And the sun shines on L.A." It didn't sound right to him, but when he joined up with the S.F.-based Journey, he changed the lyrics to "and the sun shines on the bay." It sounded much better that way. The rest, as they say, is history.

Impact
Besides perhaps Tony Bennett's "I Left My Heart in San Francisco," Journey's ballad is the best and most cherished song about San Francisco to date. While you don't have to be from Northern California to enjoy the tune, it helps if you're thinking about your home when Journey's singing their hearts out. You can sing along with the band when you get Journey tickets at StubHub for one of their upcoming shows.



http://www.echievements.com/Art/123966/ ... -Song.html