Journey hit the ’80s running as one of the biggest crossover artists in the arena rock genre. But they needed a catapult to get to that status, and their 1979 Top-20 hit single “Lovin’, Touchin’, Squeezin’” delivered the goods in that department.
What is the song about? How did it mark a departure of sorts for the band? And how did it represent Steve Perry’s growing presence within the band? Here is the story of “Lovin’, Touchin’, Squeezin’,” Journey’s soulful breakthrough.
A Journey Indeed
When Journey formed in 1973, they played music very much in the vein of Santana: elongated, exploratory pieces that featured virtuosic playing from the instrumentalists. That made sense, since two of the band’s members, Gregg Rolie and Neal Schon, had played with Carlos Santana’s outfit before making the jump.
When the band released their self-titled debut in 1975, it began a slow period of growth. They churned out three albums in three years, each one doing a little better than the rest, but none exactly lighting up the charts. They also toured incessantly in an attempt to grow their fan base wider than their San Francisco home base.
Rolie acted as the lead singer, but since he was trapped behind the keyboard during shows, Journey lacked a traditional frontman. They decided to see what a standalone singer would bring to the table, and they hired an up-and-comer named Steve Perry to take over that role. That immediately paid dividends on their fourth album Infinity (1978), as both “Lights” and “Wheel in the Sky,” featuring Perry’s powerhouse lead vocals, gave them their widest FM airplay.
“Touchin’” the Charts
For their 1979 album Evolution, Journey decided to push further toward mainstream success. That decision didn’t go over smoothly with everyone, as drummer Aynsley Dunbar decided he didn’t like the direction they were taking. He left and was replaced with Steve Smith.
In addition to being a stellar singer, Perry had come aboard with serious writing chops. He was the sole writer on “Lovin’, Touchin’, Squeezin’,” which was based on an actual situation where his girlfriend started seeing somebody else. The subject matter was relatable, and the sound owed more to Sam Cooke than progressive rock.
That proved to be the right recipe for pop chart success, as the song proved to be the band’s first big Billboard hit single. By the ’80s, each Journey single seemed to outdo the next, meaning that “Lovin’, Touchin’, Squeezin’” was a huge catalyst for that success.
What is the Meaning of “Lovin’, Touchin’, Squeezin’”?
At one point, the title for “Lovin’, Touchin’, Squeezin’” was “Love Justice,” and that should give you a good idea of Perry’s meaning. His narrator is on the wrong end of a cheating relationship: After the girl promised fidelity, she quickly turns at betrays his trust: When I’m alone all by myself / You’re out with someone else.
You’re tearin’ me apart, Perry bellows in soulful anguish. But as the song progresses, he predicts she’ll soon feel his pain: It won’t be long, yeah, ’till you’re alone / When your lover, oh, he hasn’t come home / ‘Cause he’s lovin’, he’s touchin’, he’s squeezin’ another.
Now it’s your turn, girl, to cry, he asserts, before heading into a na-na-na chorus that takes the song home. With “Lovin’, Touchin’, Squeezin’,” Journey hit the big leagues of rock hitmakers, and they weren’t leaving anytime soon.
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