Wheel in the Sky

Last updated
"Wheel in the Sky"
Wheel in the Sky - Journey.jpg
Single by Journey
from the album Infinity
B-side "Can Do"
ReleasedMarch 1978 [1]
Recorded1977
Genre Hard rock
Length3:31 (single)
4:12 (album)
Label Columbia
Songwriter(s) Robert Fleischman, Neal Schon, Diane Valory
Producer(s) Roy Thomas Baker
Journey singles chronology
"Spaceman"
(1977)		"Wheel in the Sky"
(1978)		"Anytime"
(1978)

"Wheel in the Sky" is a song by the American rock band Journey, recorded in 1977 and included on their fourth studio album, Infinity. It was written and composed by Robert Fleischman, Neal Schon, and Diane Valory.

Contents

Background

At the time of the song's composition, the band had decided to follow a new direction into an edgier sound and began recording simple hard rock pieces with new lead vocalist Fleischman. He was replaced by Steve Perry once work on Infinity began in earnest. The song had started out as a poem titled "Wheels in My Mind", which had been written by Diane Valory, the wife of Journey bassist Ross Valory. [2]

Reception

Cash Box said it has "tight lick guitar work and effective lead and backing vocals." [3]

"Wheel in the Sky" reached #57 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1978, becoming Journey's first song to chart on the Hot 100, and also reached #45 on the Canadian RPM 100.

Structure

The song opens with an instrumental that lasts for 28 seconds. Perry then sings the first verse, which is followed by the chorus, and the second verse with the chorus repeated once again. Neal Schon joins with a guitar solo which is filled with Perry's vocals. The chorus is repeated four times before the outro that closes the song.

Lyrics content

The narrator of "Wheel in the Sky" describes the newly arrived winter, as he is lamenting not having been home "in a year or more." He is missing home and longing to return and reconnect with an unnamed woman, and he hopes that "she holds on a little bit longer." He sings forlornly of "running down [a] dusty road" and admits, "I can't take this very much longer."

Throughout the refrain narrator notes the "wheel in the sky" which "keeps on turning," and hence can be interpreted as Diane Valory's metaphor for the various twists and turns of the narrator's life on the road as he repeatedly emphasizes, "I don't know where I'll be tomorrow." Alternatively, the wheel in the sky has often denoted the sun, which "keeps turning" as the earth rotates on its axis, with each successive turn marks the passage of another day, bringing one closer to an anticipated date or event, and in this case the narrator's reunion with the woman.

Personnel

Chart performance

Chart (1978)Peak
position
Canadian RPM 100 45
South Africa (Springbok) [4] 12
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 [5] 57
U.S. Cash Box Top 100 [6] 52

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA) [7] 2× Platinum2,000,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Related Research Articles

<i>Infinity</i> (Journey album) 1978 studio album by Journey

Infinity is the fourth studio album by American rock band Journey, released in January 1978 by Columbia Records. It was the band's first album with vocalist Steve Perry and the last to feature drummer Aynsley Dunbar.

<i>Evolution</i> (Journey album) 1979 studio album by Journey

Evolution is the fifth studio album by American rock band Journey, released in March 1979 by Columbia Records. It is the band's first album to feature drummer Steve Smith.

<i>Escape</i> (Journey album) 1981 studio album by Journey

Escape is the seventh studio album by American rock band Journey, released on July 17, 1981 by Columbia Records. It topped the American Billboard 200 chart and features four hit Billboard Hot 100 singles – "Don't Stop Believin'", "Who's Crying Now", "Still They Ride" and "Open Arms" – plus rock radio staple "Stone in Love". In July 2021, it was certified Diamond by the Recording Industry of America (RIAA) for at least ten million sales in the US, making it the band's most successful studio album and second most successful album overall behind Greatest Hits.

<i>Raised on Radio</i> 1986 studio album by Journey

Raised on Radio is the ninth studio album by the American rock band Journey, released in April 1986 on the Columbia Records label. It is the first album not to feature founding bassist Ross Valory, who was replaced initially by session bassist Bob Glaub and then by Randy Jackson. Drummer Steve Smith contributed to a few tracks, but was replaced during the recording by session drummer Larrie Londin and then Mike Baird for the subsequent tour.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Journey (band)</span> American rock band

Journey is an American rock band formed in San Francisco in 1973 by former members of Santana, the Steve Miller Band, and Frumious Bandersnatch. The band as of 2024 consists of guitarist/vocalist Neal Schon, keyboardist/guitarist/vocalist Jonathan Cain and keyboardist/vocalist Jason Derlatka, drummer/vocalist Deen Castronovo, bassist Todd Jensen, and lead vocalist Arnel Pineda.

<i>Greatest Hits Live</i> (Journey album) 1998 live album by Journey

Greatest Hits Live is a live album released by the American rock band Journey in 1998, recorded in 1981 and 1983. It contains songs from the studio albums Infinity (1978) through Frontiers (1983). The album peaked at No. 79 on the US Billboard 200 chart. The songs recorded in 1981 would later be released on Live in Houston 1981: The Escape Tour, featuring the full concert, in 2005. The full concert from 1983 remains unreleased as of 2023.

<i>Time<sup>3</sup></i> 1992 box set by Journey

Time3 is a 1992 three-CD compilation box set by the American rock band Journey. The tracks are arranged chronologically and include both studio and live tracks. A booklet documenting the band's history and song details is included.

<i>Trial by Fire</i> (Journey album) 1996 studio album by Journey

Trial by Fire is the tenth studio album by American rock band Journey. Released on October 22, 1996, the album marked the reunion of the classic 1981–1985 lineup, which had not recorded together since 1983's Frontiers. Trial by Fire was produced by Kevin Shirley, who continues to produce the band's albums. It is the first album to feature bassist Ross Valory and drummer Steve Smith since Frontiers and the last to feature Smith and vocalist Steve Perry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert Fleischman</span> American singer

Robert Fleischman is an American singer and songwriter. He is known for briefly working with the rock band Journey as their lead vocalist in 1977 and occasionally thereafter as a songwriting collaborator.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Open Arms (Journey song)</span> 1982 single by Journey

"Open Arms" is a song by American rock band Journey. It was released as a single from the Heavy Metal soundtrack and their 1981 album, Escape. Co-written by band members Steve Perry and Jonathan Cain, the song is a power ballad whose lyrics attempt to renew a drifting relationship. It is one of the band's most recognizable radio hits and their biggest US Billboard Hot 100 hit, reaching number two in February 1982 and holding that position for six weeks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Any Way You Want It</span> 1980 single by Journey

"Any Way You Want It" is a song by American rock band Journey, released in February 1980 as the lead single from the band's sixth album Departure (1980). Written by lead singer Steve Perry and guitarist Neal Schon, it peaked at number 23 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart.

<i>The Essential Journey</i> 2001 greatest hits album by Journey

The Essential Journey is a compilation of songs from the rock band Journey. Released on October 16, 2001, it is part of Sony BMG's "Essential" series of compilation albums. The album includes most of Journey's major and minor hits that have charted on Billboard Hot 100. It covers material recorded while Steve Perry was lead singer of the band, from 1978's Infinity to 1996's Trial by Fire, neglecting Journey albums recorded before and after his membership. The first disc is Greatest Hits with some minor changes: tracks are in a slightly different order, "After the Fall" replaces "Be Good to Yourself", and "When You Love a Woman" is included.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Who's Crying Now</span> 1981 single by Journey

"Who's Crying Now" is a song by the American rock band Journey. It was written by Jonathan Cain and Steve Perry. It was released in 1981 as the first single from Escape and reached No. 4 on both the Billboard Hot 100 and the Mainstream Rock Tracks charts. The song charted at No. 46 in the UK Singles Chart, and was the band's highest charting single in the UK until "Don't Stop Believin'" incurred a resurgence in UK popularity in 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lovin', Touchin', Squeezin'</span> 1979 song by Journey

"Lovin', Touchin', Squeezin'" is a song by American rock group Journey released as a single in 1979 from the album Evolution. Lyrically, the song is about a woman who is cheating on her boyfriend, the narrator, but at the end of the song the woman's lover is cheating on her. Distraught, the woman goes to the narrator in the hope that he will take her back, but he rebuffs her and tells her "Now it's your time, girl, to cry."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">After the Fall (song)</span> 1983 single by Journey

"After the Fall" is a song by the American rock band Journey. Written by Jonathan Cain and Steve Perry, it was the third single released from their 1983 album Frontiers.

<i>Greatest Hits 1978–1997</i> 2003 Journey music-video DVD

Greatest Hits DVD 1978–1997 – Music Videos and Live Performances is the second DVD by the American rock band Journey, released in 2003. It contains music videos and live performances of songs from the band's history with longtime lead vocalist Steve Perry, who left the band in 1998. It is Journey's best selling concert video going 4× Multi-Platinum since its 2003 release.

"Lights" is a song recorded by American rock band Journey and written by Steve Perry and Neal Schon, released in 1978.

<i>Greatest Hits 2</i> (Journey album)

Greatest Hits 2 is a greatest hits album by American rock band Journey. The album was released on November 1, 2011 by Columbia Records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Be Good to Yourself</span> 1986 single by Journey

"Be Good to Yourself" is a song by Journey from their ninth studio album, Raised on Radio. Released in 1986 as the first single from the album, the song reached number 9 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100.

The Infinity Tour was a concert tour by the American rock band Journey. The tour was in support of their 1978 album Infinity which peaked at #21 on the Billboard 200.

References

  1. ↑ "Journey singles".
  2. ↑ "Steve Perry Remembers Journey's Wheel in the Sky".
  3. ↑ "CashBox Singles Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. March 11, 1978. p. 13. Retrieved 2021-12-26.
  4. ↑ "SA Charts 1965–March 1989" . Retrieved 5 September 2018.
  5. ↑ Wheel in the Sky Billboard #57
  6. ↑ Cash Box Top 100 Singles, May 27, 1978
  7. ↑ "American single certifications – Journey – Wheel in the Sky". Recording Industry Association of America . Retrieved January 26, 2024.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.