Any Way You Want It

Album: Departure (1980)
Charted: 23
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Songfacts®:

  • Steve Perry and Neal Schon wrote this and played it for the rest of the band on their tour bus, with Schon strumming on acoustic guitar and Perry singing. Keyboard player Gregg Rolie said, "It was pretty obvious it could be done real quick."

    The liner notes to Journey's Time3 compilation explain: "In the studio, Rolie tried a mellotron on the number and the instrument proved defective. Co-producer Geoff Workman managed to correct the sound somewhat and, once doubled with Rolie's regular organ, the combination created a unique sound which, coupled with the stacked background vocals, gave the song a kind of celestial ring."
  • Gregg Rolle's organ was double-tracked to create the keyboard effect. He was going to play a Mellotron, but it malfunctioned in the studio.
  • This was used in the 1980 movie Caddyshack in a classic scene where Rodney Dangerfield dances to it using the sound system in his golf bag. The song was used in a tribute to this scene when Dangerfield appeared on The Simpsons in the 1996 episode "Burns, Baby Burns."
  • This was featured at the end of Charlie's Angles 2: Full Throttle during a blooper reel with credits.
  • The song featured in a commercial from State Farm insurance in both spoken word and musical form. The ad starts with a 'little journey moment' as a State Farm rep tells his customer, "we're here, anytime, anywhere, anyway you want it," to which his client replies, "that's the way I need it." Prompted by the quoting of the song's lyrics, the client shares his experience of seeing a Journey gig before the music kicks in at the end.

Comments: 32

  • Ken from Louisville, KyThe lyrics were humorously used in a recent car insurance commercial. The agent tells the customer "Any way you want it". The customer replies "That's the way you need it". The agent repeats "Any way you want it". The customer then asks "Did we just have a Journey moment?".
  • Brent from Denair, CaAgreed John from Grand Island. I am a huge Journey fan and have many faves, but this will always be the Rodney song from my all time favorite comedy. "Now I know why tigers eat their young".
  • Barry from Sauquoit, NyThe Dave Clark Five released a completely different "Any Way You Want It" in 1965, it peaked at No. 14!!
  • Melissa from Windsor, CanadaI agree with what some commenters here have already said: singing about sex is NOT perverted! Love and sex are parts of being alive, so it is only natural that they would be expressed in song and other artforms. I think ACCUSING something of being perverted simply because it has the smallest reference to sex is actually more perverted than the reference itself ... it is like assuming that sex is inherently dirty or bad or wrong which is a sick way to look at it. In fact, I that's exactly what this song is about: sex NOT being wrong or perverted. The song is saying that, whatever your desires, it's normal. It's almost like it incourages acceptance and discourages shame.
  • Paul from Detroit, MiThis great tune only reached #23, while their ultra chessy "Open Arms" was a #2 over rated smash? Not fair!
  • Michael from Staten Island, NyI didn't really explain myself. My little sister is in love with this song, but has absolutely no clue what it is about.
  • Michael from Staten Island, NySal, if that is really is the meaning of the song, I should go tell my little sister that. She's only eight years old that's a real fine way to start. Sorry, next time, I won't tell a Led Zeppelin reference in a Journey song.
  • John from Grand Island, Ny"So What? So Let's Dance!".....Al Czervik (aka Rodney Dangerfield). This will forever mean Caddyshack to me.
  • Sal from Brentwood, NyThe song is and will always be about sex. I have seen many interviews where they have said it. Sorry I do not have the dates and times, but it is not perverted and one hell of a kick ass song.
  • Stu from Philly, Pamy band Raised On Radio often closes a set with this song, it never gets old.
  • Hannah from Adelaide, AustraliaSome people can be so thick.
    Just because it says "all night" and "hold tight" doesn't mean they're talking about it in a physical way.]
    They could mean it emotionally or mentally.
    It's a beautiful song and fills me with inspiration.
    Open your minds or close your mouths.
    Thank you.
  • Landon from Winchester, OhBenny, any fans of Journey's song will know better than them writing any songs about sex, compared to the obvious references in today's rappers and r&b artists.
  • Nancy from Isle Of Wight, United KingdomI have to say I don't think this song is perverted at all, the sex references in it are very mild compared to some songs and could be interpreted any way you want (excuse the pun). I think the song is more about other aspects of being in love than just sex too if you listen to the lyrics.
  • Teri from Ca., CaIn an interview I heard, can't remember which one at the moment, Steve Perry and some of the other band members mentioned that it was inspired by an insistent groupie who actually said the phrase "anyway you want it."
  • Benny from Chattanooga, TnOf course this song is about sex!! Big deal!!!
  • Kara from Cadillac, Mi-sanafabich, Santiago, Chile-
    Not so "innocent"- I did say "everything", meaning all of the "loving things". In any case singing about making love doesn't make you a pervert. People have been doing it for centuries; I still don't think he meant it in a lewd or lascivious way. So, anyway, whatever, only the writer truly knows; it's still a good song and I still love Journey.
  • Michelle Harris from Littleton, CoMy third fave Journey song. I love it. The sound, the lyrics, everything about this song is great.
  • Alfie from Chelmsford, EnglandThis sing is a Classic, absolutely superb.
  • Sanafabich from Santiago, Chile@ kara: yea, right. So that's why he says: "all night, all night"... you silly inocent rabbit
  • Carrie from Roanoke, VaWasn't this song in a commercial for a car dealership or Burger King?
  • Cece from Omaha, NeThis is an amazing song
  • Kara from Cadillac, MiOk. The song is NOT perverted. You are. It is about a couple meeting, falling in love and doing fun things together. Not just the sexual things- everything. Laughing, singing, dancing - and the "loving things" He's talking about spending a lot of time together and doing anything and everything together - like couples that have just fallen in love do. He's talking about holding onto the love they share- not anything else.
  • Tom Mccafferty from Burnaby, CanadaNot as good as, Any Way You Want It, by Dave Clark Five.
  • Sara Mackenzie from Middle Of Nowhere, Flok, to contradict myself...this song may be great, but if you think about it, it has a pervy context and is very sick at som points of the song
  • Sara Mackenzie from Middle Of Nowhere, Fli say who CARES where this song plays and which episode it's on? it's a great song anyways.
  • Nick from Boston, MaThis song was also used on the Simpsons when Homer "kidnaps" Mr. Burns' son, voiced by Caddy Shack alum Rodney Dangerfield.
  • Dominick from Concord, NhI'll have to disagree with songfact #2. Go to http://www.planetmellotron.com/ for clarification.

    Greg's mellotron may have malfunctioned for this session, but there is definitely some mellotron in this song...at the 0:09-0:10 second mark. Maybe it malfunctioned, but maybe he got enough down to use here and there. I can hear the double tracked B3 as well, but those first two keyboard bursts and the 9 & 10 second mark are mellotron.
  • Don Zapapico from Bakersfiled, Cacorrection, it was played on the simpsons episode where rodney dangerfield voices Mr. Burn's son, when the son finds out who his dad is but the dad and son are too different to connect, at the end of the episode the song plays and everyone in town dances around.
  • Josh from Las Vegas, NvI first heard it on the skateboard video almost: round 3
  • Mike D from Desoto, MoThis song is also used in just about ever car and post office commercial
  • Joe from North Arlington, NjI love this song.
  • Josh from C.p, Mnthis song was also used on the simpsons in the episode were ned and homer go to LasVegas
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