For us to determine whether Journey’s Steve Perry had anything to do with the highly controversial ending of the beloved Y2K mob show The Sopranos, we first have to warn you: this article might contain spoilers. So, if you haven’t watched the six-season series starring the late James Gandolfini and E Street Band guitarist Steven Van Zandt (oh, Marone), you need to carve out some time to enjoy that pop culture experience. We’ll wait.
Already seen it? Then come along on our journey to Holsten’s, a Bloomfield, New Jersey, ice cream shop—they make a mean fried egg sandwich, too, by the way—and setting of the last scene of the Sopranos, released to the anger and delight of millions on Sunday evening, June 10, 2007.
Journey’s Steve Perry Held Out On ‘Sopranos’ Ending
Those who have watched The Sopranos know that the last scene of the six-season series features one of Journey’s most iconic songs of all time, “Don’t Stop Believin.’” The series long made it clear that its titular character, Tony Soprano, was a classic rock fan (in addition to Dean Martin, used to stunning effect in the fourth season.) So, while it wasn’t totally out of left field for Tony to enjoy Journey, the song seemed to be a bit too saccharine and hopeful for a show that, by that point, had delved into chaotic violence.
Journey’s lead vocalist Steve Perry wasn’t convinced he wanted the song in the finale, either. Perry held out giving his blessing for show creator David Chase to use “Don’t Stop Believin’” in the last episode even after Perry’s two co-writers, Neal Schon and Jonathan Cain, had given their permission. In a 2018 interview with SiriusXM, Perry said he feared Chase was planning on “mowing down” the entire Soprano family á la a Martin Scorcese mafia, er, waste management film. Perry refused to acquiesce to the show’s requests, telling his sub-licensing agent that his answer was no unless Chase or one of his colleagues would confirm that the Soprano family remained unscathed.
The Journey vocalist wasn’t wrong, either. At the height of its popularity, The Sopranos had a near-constant tornado of rumors surrounding it as viewers speculated how the tumultuous storyline would come to a close. Plenty had already happened leading up to the finale. Ironically, this public intrigue is why Chase wasn’t eager to give up the show’s final moments before it aired. Eventually, The Sopranos’ team gave in—just in the nick of time, too. Perry got what he was looking for on the Thursday afternoon before its Sunday evening airtime.
So, Did The Rock Star Know This Whole Time?
We won’t get into the specifics about why The Sopranos ending was so controversial. If you want to Google it and ruin the surprise, then that’s your prerogative. However, as this writer (and Journey vocalist Steve Perry) can attest, the abrupt shock of the series finale is part of the entire experience. It’s as integral to the show’s legacy as James Gandolfini’s captivating performance as Tony Soprano or Paulie Walnuts’ silver-winged pompadour. The showwriters were careful not to ruin the surprise for Perry, either.
On that fateful Thursday afternoon, Perry’s licensing agent called him to relay a top-secret message from The Sopranos’ crew. The agent told Perry almost the entire ending, starting with the family’s arrival at the New Jersey diner and sweets shop. But show writer Chase kept the last seconds, arguably the most controversial part of the show, a secret from Perry. “They didn’t tell me that,” Perry said in his SiriusXM interview. “That’s okay. At least nobody got whacked.” (Okay, there’s a bit of a spoiler.) “I loved the way it was used,” Perry continued. “I really did.”
Perry wasn’t just a fan of Chase’s divisive technique for ending The Sopranos. He also loved the fact that Tony passed on Heart and Tony Bennett while looking for a song to play on his table jukebox. “What it says is, ‘Oh my god, he loves Journey!’” Perry joked.
While we’re sure David Chase had the storyline in mind before he decided to use Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’” in the show finale, we can’t help but imagine Chase wanting to use the Journey song so badly that he said, “Okay, fine, we just won’t show anything at all. This f***in’ guy.”
