Journey -Lovin’, Touchin’, Squeezin’

This band is not in my usual wheelhouse.  I do however like some songs and I liked Journey up until their mega album Escape. This coincided with the addition of ex-Babys keyboardist Jonathan Cain and the departure of singer/keyboardist Gregg Rolie.

After Cain joined…the songs had an obvious radio-friendly sound and they lost some of the bite of their earlier songs. Cain favored a then-modern synthesizer sound versus Rolie’s Hammond B-3 which had a lot to do with it. I just couldn’t connect to them after that and I was in the minority with my peers.

Lovin’, Touchin’, Squeezin’ was the highest-charting single from Journey’s fifth studio album Evolution, and the group’s first-ever single to break into the top twenty. The song was on Evolution and it peaked at #20 in the Billboard Album Charts and #37 in Canada.

When I heard this song I loved it. In the mid-eighties, our band covered this song. Our singer was the only singer around who could sing this one and any AC/DC song… with Bon Scott. We would always close with this song and people were amazed because the vocals excluded most other bands from covering it.

I have to admire these guys. They slowly built their popularity. I’ve listed their albums up to Escape and see the slowly rising chart success of each one. Journey, #138, Look into the Future, #100, Next, #85, Infinity, #21, Evolution, #20, Departure, #8, and Escape, #1.  My personal favorite is Departure.

Steve Perry wrote Lovin’, Touchin’, Squeezin’and it peaked at #15 in the Billboard 100, #12 in Canada, and #37 in New Zealand in 1979.

Gregg Rolie on why he left: “Everyone thinks it was because Perry came in and started singing all the leads. My God! Again, I was spread so thin with all these keyboards parts and singing leads, he was a welcome sight to me. And he could sing like a bird! It wasn’t too hard to figure out. I was never against it.”

“And by the way, my family was my best work, it truly is. My son and daughter, my wife, it’s extraordinary. I did the right thing, but it just doesn’t play well with the guys on Facebook.”

Lovin’, Touchin’, Squeezin’

You make me weep and want to die
Just when you said we’d try
Lovin’, touchin’, squeezin’ each other
When I’m alone all by myself
You’re out with someone else
Lovin’, touchin’, squeezin’ each other
You’re tearin’ me apart
Every day, every day
You’re tearin’ me apart
Oh what can I say?
You’re tearin’ me apart

It won’t be long, yes, till you’re alone
When your lover, oh, he hasn’t come home
‘Cause he’s lovin’ who he’s touchin’, he’s squeezin’ another

He’s tearin’ you apart
Ooh, every day, every day
He’s tearin’ you apart
Oh girl what can you say?
‘Cause he’s lovin’, touchin’ another
Now it’s your turn, girl, to cry

Na na na na na na
Na na na na na
Na na na na na na
Na na na na na
Na na na na na na
Na na na na na
Na na na na na na
Na na na na na
Na na na na na na
Na na na na na
Na na na na na na
Na na na na na
Na na na na na na
Na na na na na
Na na na na na na
Na na na na na
Na na na na na na
Na na na na na
Na na na na na na
Na na na na na
Na na na na na na
Na na na na na
Na na na na na na
Na na na na na
Na na na na na na
Na na na na na
Na na na na na na
Na na na na na

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Author: Badfinger (Max)

Power Pop fan, Baseball fan, old movie and tv show fan... and a songwriter, bass and guitar player.

50 thoughts on “Journey -Lovin’, Touchin’, Squeezin’”

  1. I should give this song a fair listen again, but it’s hard to do. It got so much airplay that I stopped hearing it long ago. I didn’t realize the vocals required something extraordinary. That’s really cool your band was able to perform it.

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    1. Hearing it really takes me back… yes his vocals are so high pitched…we started to play it the last time we got together and he was struggling.

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    1. Yea I wouldn’t have minded that either. My cousin and I were talking about them the other night and he saw them on the Departure tour.

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  4. A good song that still sounds pretty decent to me. It may or may not have been the very first thing I heard by Journey back then, but it was the first one I remember making note of back then. I would think trying to do any Journey song like Steve Perry would be tough for most guys – he had some voice! Like Jim suggested, though I know the difference between Journey and Foreigner I do link them together somehow in my mind. Both came to the forefront at the same time, they seemed prone to putting out albums around the same time and both were considered at the time real “hard rock” but of course, got mellower and bigger in the mid-’80s.

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    1. Yea his voice and Bon Scotts were upper register songs no doubt. He can still do it but it takes him a few trys lol.
      Yea they both toned down and left their 70s rock roots.

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  6. Damn good song. I knew Rolie wasn’t run off. His ass was tired. I used to have this incredible Journey box set. It covered everything about the band, going all the way back to little Schon in training under Santana. Journey’s original sound was Prog. Rock with a Spanish flair with mostly instrumental works. It was a big shock to a teen from the 80s.

    The set came with a huge booklet. Rolie left because he was tired and Fleischman sucked.

    The best part was learning about Prairie Prince being the first drummer before heading off to The Tubes.

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    1. Well since Rolie left…I wish they would have smashed Cain’s synth and ideas and songwriting…then I may have liked it.

      The Tubes were more of a show band…a theatrical band…all great musicians.

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      2. No comment lol… well…I liked the band before him and didn’t after him… so yea there you go!
        And they had every right to change their sound…I just didn’t like it but I’m in the minority…there are some that think the same though…I just couldn’t stomach “open arms” etc… it wasn’t because it was ballads…I love Stay Awhile…
        Have you ever noticed I haven’t posted a Pink Floyd after 1969? I do like some after though but the majority before.

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      3. Did you like their early Prog. Rock jazz fusion stuff? I couldn’t get into it.

        Open Arms makes me wanna woof my lunch out. Even Schon accused Perry of being a “crooner.” He didn’t think he was a good fit but, they made it work.

        I hadn’t noticed the Pink Floyd thing. I’m not that big of a fan but, I heard a lot of their stuff when I was with my Zappa ex.

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      4. No I’m not a prog guy…Yes and ELP I have to be in a mood.
        Perry had a great voice…I give that to him…my only problem was Mr. Cain. I just discovered their 60s stuff and it’s close to Beatles type….I like it

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      6. No he is just a ballad loving…fill in the blank. Let me change that… a rich ballad loving fill in the blank lol.

        Liked by 1 person

      10. That is one band that needs John Waite…it just does…he got pulled off stage when Lennon was murdered and it changed his mine on touring.

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      11. Wow. Shame.

        He was a founding member and the voice of the band. I loved their music but, at this point, they probably don’t sound like the real Babys, anymore than Foreigner sounds like Foreigner, anymore.

        So far, in my travels, AC/DC & Def Leppard were the only two that kept their sound…and, now, AC/DC doesn’t sound like themselves. Scott is dead & Johnson lost his voice. Here is a toast to Joe Elliott…

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  7. Very old 60s soul at the base of it all. It is better than most they put out, but back then I would never be one waiting for their next LP/CD or even single. Free to air on radio was enough for me. But- the closing last verse/chorus- wow, how did your singer remember that part- he had to be a linguistic genius!

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    1. No I never….wait…I take that back. I bought Departure second hand I believe.
      Fun you said that! He has come up to me on stage and asked….”what are the first words?” on many songs.
      I told him just make them up if you don’t know them but he can’t do it. A hell of a voice but he would need a teleprompter lol

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  8. I’m not a big Journey fan, to be really honest. I think I overdosed on “Don’t Stop Believin'” in 2005 when the White Sox used it as their theme song (it was no “Let’s Go, Go-Go White Sox”) en route to the World Championship…

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  9. Cain looks miserable on stage. He’s part of the Grumpy Rock Club headed by Don Henley. I don’t get guys like that. If unhappy stay home as 20,000 people are paying good cash to see you. Smile man…it’s free!
    This is a great track though…

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  10. My 3 favorite Journey songs are this one, “When the Lights Go Out in the City,” and “Oh Sherry.” This one and When the Lights are like mantras and I love getting in the zone singing them. Like the Doobie Brothers’ “Black Water.”

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      2. Yea the drummer smashed his hand or we would have got together around 2 weeks ago…when he is healed…we will again

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      4. Yea we set the date and he sent a pic of his hand…which I could have done with out…and said it would have to be later…we will though

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  13. Well, Max, you won’t be shocked to hear you have my full support here. Coz I happen to like a good number of Journey’s songs, including this one! As well as some of their very early tunes like “Of a Lifetime”, “Look Into the Future” and “Spaceman.” And, yes, also more pop-oriented tunes like “Don’t Stop Believin'”, “Who’s Crying Now” and “Separate Ways”. I realize the later may cause some eyes to roll, but I fully stand behind them! 🙂

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    1. I’m just a huge fan of Rolie and his B-3 made it sound so good. I’m glad you like some as well! Stay Awhile, Anyway You Want It, and more

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  14. I loved early Journey too, and their songs “Wheel In the Sky” and “Lights” got a lot of airplay on San Francisco radio. I loved those songs so much, I bought their album “Infinity”. I also liked “Lovin’, Touchin’, Squeezin’”, and also their hits “Separate Ways”, “Faithfully” and “Send Her My Love”. Got very tired of “Don’t Stop Believin'” though, thanks to its being way overplayed, and don’t care if I ever hear that one again.

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