When I think Of You

Album: Trial by Fire (1996)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Journey lead singer Steve Perry wrote this song with keyboard player Jonathan Cain for Trial by Fire, which was Perry's last album with the band. It's one of the lesser-known Journey songs, but one that is very important to Perry, which is why it was included on their Greatest Hits 2 compilation in 2011.

    Perry's mother died while he was working on the sessions for their 1986 album Raised on Radio. The band went on hiatus after that tour, and when they returned to record Trial by Fire, Perry was thinking about his mother. "I had a dream that Mom had a gift shop and that she was so happy and doing fine and looking amazing," he said in an online Q&A. "She had been sick for so long that this was what I needed to know even if it was a dream. I later went to Jon Cain's and told him I wanted to write a song about this experience and started singing a melody and we finished it together. The song is very special to me because it's about Mom and all that she gave me to survive and when I miss her, all I have to know is... She's right here... When I think of her."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Justin Timberlake

Justin TimberlakeFact or Fiction

Was Justin the first to be Punk'd by Ashton Kutcher? Did Britney really blame him for her meltdown? Did his bandmates think he was gay?

80s Video Director Jay Dubin

80s Video Director Jay DubinSong Writing

Billy Joel and Hall & Oates hated making videos, so they chose a director with similar contempt for the medium. That was Jay Dubin, and he has a lot to say on the subject.

John Waite

John WaiteSongwriter Interviews

"Missing You" was a spontaneous outpouring of emotion triggered by a phone call. John tells that story and explains what MTV meant to his career.

Songs in Famous Movie Scenes: Tarantino Edition

Songs in Famous Movie Scenes: Tarantino EditionMusic Quiz

Whether he's splitting ears or burning Nazis, Quentin Tarantino uses memorable music in his films. See if you can match the song to the scene.

Don Brewer of Grand Funk

Don Brewer of Grand FunkSongwriter Interviews

The drummer and one of the primary songwriters in Grand Funk talks rock stardom and Todd Rundgren.

Ben Kowalewicz of Billy Talent

Ben Kowalewicz of Billy TalentSongwriter Interviews

The frontman for one of Canada's most well-known punk rock bands talks about his Eddie Vedder encounter, Billy Talent's new album, and the importance of rock and roll.