Only the Young
Encyclopedia
"Only the Young" is a song recorded by the American rock band Journey
in 1983. Previously intended for the Frontiers album, it was pulled from the album within days of recording in favor of songs "Back Talk" and "Troubled Child". The song was eventually released as a single (which reached No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100
chart in March 1985) and appeared on the soundtrack to the 1985 film Vision Quest
. The song's lyrical theme focuses on young people and the hope and future they all have in front of them.
The song's first live performance was for a young boy named Kenny Sykaluk who was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis
. His mother wrote a letter to the band telling them about her son's terminal condition, and how big a fan he was of Journey. The band flew to his hospital bedside at the request of the Make a Wish Foundation. Along with a Walkman containing the new track, the band also brought Kenny a football helmet signed by the San Francisco 49ers
and an autographed Journey platinum record
award. The experience of playing the song for Kenny left Steve Perry and Jonathan Cain deeply affected. Perry said "As soon as I walked out of the hospital room I lost it". Perry also says "The nurses had to take me out of the room". On VH1
's Behind the Music
featuring the band, Cain broke down in tears recalling the event, remarking that "children should not have to live with that kind of pain". Kenny died the next day, with the Walkman still in his hand. The song brought life into perspective for the band and left them humbled. Neal Schon said that Kenny's death affected Journey by making them re-evaluate the issues that were causing friction inside the band itself. In honor of Kenny Sykaluk, the band used the song as their opener for the Raised on Radio Tour
.
The song was also recorded by American rock band Scandal in 1984. The song was featured on their album The Warrior.
Journey (band)
Journey is an American rock band formed in 1973 in San Francisco by former members of Santana. The band has gone through several phases; its strongest commercial success occurred between the 1978 and 1987, after which it temporarily disbanded...
in 1983. Previously intended for the Frontiers album, it was pulled from the album within days of recording in favor of songs "Back Talk" and "Troubled Child". The song was eventually released as a single (which reached No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
chart in March 1985) and appeared on the soundtrack to the 1985 film Vision Quest
Vision Quest
Vision Quest is a 1985 coming of age drama film starring Matthew Modine, Linda Fiorentino, and Ronny Cox. It is based on Terry Davis' novel of the same name. In some countries, it was released as Crazy for You to market on Madonna's emerging fame and the popularity of the song...
. The song's lyrical theme focuses on young people and the hope and future they all have in front of them.
The song's first live performance was for a young boy named Kenny Sykaluk who was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis
Cystic fibrosis
Cystic fibrosis is a recessive genetic disease affecting most critically the lungs, and also the pancreas, liver, and intestine...
. His mother wrote a letter to the band telling them about her son's terminal condition, and how big a fan he was of Journey. The band flew to his hospital bedside at the request of the Make a Wish Foundation. Along with a Walkman containing the new track, the band also brought Kenny a football helmet signed by the San Francisco 49ers
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and...
and an autographed Journey platinum record
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
award. The experience of playing the song for Kenny left Steve Perry and Jonathan Cain deeply affected. Perry said "As soon as I walked out of the hospital room I lost it". Perry also says "The nurses had to take me out of the room". On VH1
VH1
VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...
's Behind the Music
Behind the Music
Behind the Music is a television series on VH1. It originally ran from 1997 to 2006, before it was stopped and only aired new episodes sporadically. The series places its generality on documentation of musical artists or groups who are interviewed and profiled, and discuss how their careers became...
featuring the band, Cain broke down in tears recalling the event, remarking that "children should not have to live with that kind of pain". Kenny died the next day, with the Walkman still in his hand. The song brought life into perspective for the band and left them humbled. Neal Schon said that Kenny's death affected Journey by making them re-evaluate the issues that were causing friction inside the band itself. In honor of Kenny Sykaluk, the band used the song as their opener for the Raised on Radio Tour
Raised on Radio Tour
The Raised on Radio Tour was a concert tour by the American rock band Journey. The tour was the last with former lead singer Steve Perry. The tour started on August 23, 1986 at the Mountain Aire Festival in Angels Camp, California and ended Feb. 1, 1987 in Anchorage, Alaska. Opening acts for the...
.
The song was also recorded by American rock band Scandal in 1984. The song was featured on their album The Warrior.