Many fans of The Sopranos are expressing dismay with the ending of the series finale, in which mob boss Tony Soprano and his family are eating at a cafe and the screen suddenly goes black.
Three members of the rock group Journey, however, couldn't be more pleased. Keyboard player Jonathan Cain, who wrote the hit single "Don't Stop Believin'," said he was "jumping up and down" when he learned the song had been licensed for the June 10 episode.
Cain, who wrote the song with vocalist Steve Perry and guitarist Neil Schon, said he didn't know how it would be used onscreen. Tony Soprano selected it in a jukebox, and it accompanies the episode's final, quick-cut images. Cain said he kept the song's presence on the episode a secret, even from his own family.
Released in 1981, "Don't Stop Believin'" reached ninth place on the U.S. chart and has become Journey's signature song. It has turned up in other TV and film scenes, while the Chicago White Sox baseball team employed it in its 2005 championship season.
Cain, who has a 13-year-old and 11-year-old twins, said the song's appearance in "The Sopranos" is a supreme honor: "It puts our feet in the cement. We're a staple in the American music culture. Like us or not, we're here to stay."
