Any Way You Want It

Hey there, Zoo Freaks, the Zoo Crew is spinning that high-energy number "Any Way You Want It" from Journey right off the Departure album, and man, does it still hit with that raw drive that makes you want to crank it up and feel the road under your wheels. This track came together back when the band was touring with Thin Lizzy in 1979, and Neal Schon has talked about how hanging out with those guys, especially Phil Lynott, inspired the chunky guitar rhythm and that back-and-forth vocal-guitar give and take. Schon recalled being inspired by their sound, like from Jailbreak, and how he and Steve Perry would jam during soundchecks. Perry has said they were swapping ideas with Lynott in Miami, picking up that interchange where the guitar and voice trade off, and then they reworked it on the tour bus with Schon on acoustic and Perry singing the lines. Gregg Rolie remembered hearing it and knowing right away it could come together quick. In the studio for Departure, Rolie tried a Mellotron but it was acting up, so co-producer Geoff Workman doubled it with the organ, and that layered with the stacked vocals gave it this kind of soaring ring that still stands out. The song peaked at number 23 on the charts and got a big boost when it showed up in Caddyshack, with Rodney Dangerfield blasting it from his golf bag radio and dancing around the course. It has stuck around as one of those fun, no-nonsense rockers that captures the spirit of the late seventies turning into the eighties, written by Perry and Schon as a simple three-chord riff that just rolls and keeps pushing forward.

That whole process shows how these classic rock tunes often come from real road life rather than some polished plan. Schon has described it as taking ideas you like from bands you dig and making them your own, and he has always been open about the Thin Lizzy influence rubbing off after nights of hearing them. It was not some big production thing at first; it was spontaneous, born from soundchecks and bus rides between shows, with the band knowing when something had that spark. Departure itself marked a shift for Journey, their first top ten album, and this lead single set a tone of energetic arena rock that built on what they had been doing but leaned more into catchy hooks without losing the guitar edge. Fans and DJs have kept it alive on the radio for decades because it just feels like pure rock and roll momentum, the kind that gets a crowd moving whether you are at a show or just driving with the windows down. Over at THE ZOO we dig these deep cuts and stories that bring the music to life for the Zoo Freaks listening in.

Now, getting into how Journey got started, the band formed in San Francisco back in 1973 from a group of players who had been around the scene. Neal Schon, a guitar prodigy who had played with Santana starting at age fifteen, teamed up with keyboardist and vocalist Gregg Rolie, also from Santana, along with bassist Ross Valory from the Steve Miller Band and Frumious Bandersnatch, and rhythm guitarist George Tickner. Initially they were called the Golden Gate Rhythm Section, meant as a backup group for local Bay Area artists under manager Herbie Herbert, but after a show in Hawaii they decided to go for their own sound, blending progressive rock with jazz fusion influences. They settled on the name Journey after a roadie suggested it, following a radio contest that did not quite pan out. Prairie Prince of the Tubes was on drums early on, later replaced by Aynsley Dunbar. Their first three albums, starting with the self-titled debut in 1975, then Look Into the Future and Next, showed off instrumental chops and a more progressive style, but they were not lighting up the charts the way they hoped, and the label was getting restless.

By 1977 they were looking for a stronger vocal presence to open things up commercially. They briefly worked with Robert Fleischman, who even co-wrote some material like Wheel in the Sky, but that did not stick. Then manager Herbie Herbert heard a demo from Steve Perry, who had been fronting a band called Alien Project after earlier groups like Pieces. Perry was from the Central Valley, had been grinding with various bands, and almost quit music after a bandmate died in a car accident, but his mother encouraged him to take the call. He joined Journey in October 1977, making his live debut at the Old Waldorf in San Francisco, and right away he and Schon wrote Patiently while rooming together in Denver. Perry brought that soaring tenor voice, influenced by soul singers like Sam Cooke, that fit perfectly with Schon's guitar work. Their first album with him, Infinity in 1978, started the climb with tracks like Lights, and from there the band moved toward more accessible songwriting while keeping the rock edge. Departure in 1980, with Any Way You Want It leading it off, was part of that evolution before Jonathan Cain came in on keys and helped take them even higher with Escape. Schon has been the constant through all the lineups, from the early fusion days to the arena rock peak and beyond, and the band has kept rolling with later singers after Perry stepped away, always rooted in that San Francisco start where a bunch of talented players decided to make their own path instead of just backing others up.

It is wild to think how a group that began as a high-level jam outfit with players from Santana and other local acts turned into one of the defining arena rock bands, with that early instrumental focus giving way to the big vocals and anthems once Perry came aboard. The road stories, like the Thin Lizzy tour that fed into Any Way You Want It, show how they kept drawing from what was around them while forging their sound. Zoo Freaks, if you want more on the band, check out their official site at Journey Music, where they have the history and merch from albums including Departure. You can also follow them on Facebook, Instagram, and X for updates. For fan communities, groups like the Absolute Journey Fan Club on Facebook keep the conversation going among those who have been with the music from the early days through all the lineups. That is the kind of connection that keeps these records spinning year after year for folks who love the real rock and roll spirit.