I was at my seventh grade dance, in the gymnasium. The lights were low and there was a disco ball hanging in the middle of the dance floor/basketball court. In typical seventh grade fashion, I was "with the guys", leaning against the farthest wall from the DJ table. Thats when I heard it, the strange time signature on the drums, the easy-as-pie chords, the throbbing keys, and the repeating bassline. "That guy sings like an angel," I thought to myself. I was about to begin a LONG love affair with a band that had just mesmerized my attention. I just stood there and listened to the slow crescendo, the harmonies, the silk and steel sound of the vocals clashing with those guitar notes, and the long wailing fadeout.

That was the first time I ever heard Don't Stop Believin'. The song remains my favorite not because it is the greatest song ever written, but because it was the first song that made me realize what music could do to me on an emotional level. How it could move me, touch me, and "speak" to me. That was the first time I FELT the music instead of just "hearing" it.

I know, pretty sappy, but it's the truth. That is the exact moment I fell in love with music.Not just Journey, but any kind of music that would move me in some way. Thanks for lettin' me share a fond memory.