1981 Journey Classic, Ranked Among Their Top 10 Songs, Was Co-Written by the New Guy on Day 1
The 1981 Journey rock power ballad "Who's Crying Now" remains one of the band's most beloved songs. More than four decades after its release, fans still rank the swoon song among Journey's very best. What many don't realize, however, is that the hit came together almost immediately after the band's newest member arrived on the scene.
In 1980, founding keyboardist Gregg Rolie left Journey and was replaced by Jonathan Cain, whose piano, synthesizers, and songwriting would soon reshape the band's sound. Steve Perry already had a good start on "Who's Crying Now," but he needed help getting it over the finish line.
Perry said the song's inspiration first struck when he was driving, "I heard the whole chorus. I don't know where it came from!" Perry shared on the Ultimate Classic Rock Nights radio show. He says he headed to Cain's place with the song's start. "I didn't have all the lyrics finished," Perry recalled. "The melodies were done and the rhythm was done; I knew what the pocket was."
"Boom, he just like zeroed in on it," Perry said about then-newcomer Cain's songwriting contribution. "We had the beginning, we had the middle, he helped do the lyrics with me … it was done!"
Related: 1981 Rock Song Became an Anthem About Grief and Resilience
Cain remembered the day the duo co-wrote "Who's Crying Now" well, too - because it was essentially his first day of songwriting for the rock band. "That was the first thing we wrote, first day," Cain told Louder. "I can't remember exactly how long it took, but not long. Maybe an afternoon.
"We had an instant chemistry," Cain added.
The song marked the earliest collaboration of the Perry-Cain songwriting partnership. Cain's piano and songwriting complemented Perry's melodies, and their collaboration helped define the sound of Escape, Journey's seventh and most successful album. In fact, this partnership went on to produce other memorable Journey songs, such as "Don't Stop Believin'" and "Open Arms."
"Who's Crying Now" was released in July 1981 as the first single from Escape and, by October, peaked at No. 4 on both the Billboard Hot 100 and the Mainstream Rock Tracks charts.
Perry's soaring vocal and Neal Schon's unforgettable guitar solo helped make the song one of Journey's influential recordings. Even today, Schon's emotional riff is regularly celebrated by fans and guitarists alike.
@evan.novoa one of the best solos ever tbh 😤 using the Strum app #whoscryingnow#journey#80s#guitar#electricguitar
♬ original sound - Evan Novoa
Billboard and Louder have both ranked "Who's Crying Now" among Journey's top 10 best songs. The track has also surpassed 156 million Spotify streams and continues to find new life on TikTok, where fans celebrate its soaring vocals, iconic guitar solo, and timeless message of vulnerability and heartbreak.
@tonyandthekiki press number 1 in the comments if you've ever been wronged but are currently wondering WHO'S CRYING NOW 🦹🏻♀️ #whoscryingnow#rockmusic#coversong#steveperry#journey @JOURNEY @Steve Perry
♬ original sound - Tony & The Kiki
Few could have predicted that one of Jonathan Cain's very first writing sessions with Journey would help produce one of the band's defining songs. More than 40 years later, "Who's Crying Now" remains one of Journey's most beloved - and emotionally enduring - classics.
Listen to the official audio for "Who's Crying Now" by Journey:
Watch Journey's 1981 performance of "Who's Crying Now":
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This story was originally published July 10, 2026 at 6:58 PM.