JOURNEY's 'Don't Stop Believin'' Becomes Battle Cry For COVID-19 Patients

JOURNEY's classic song "Don't Stop Believin'" has become a rallying call for patients recovering from COVID-19 at two hospitals in New York and Michigan.

The 1981 hit is being played at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, Michigan and the New York-Presbyterian Queens Hospital during celebrations for patients prevailing over the coronavirus.

"The song is a sign of hope, a reminder to patients to never give up and a motivational thank-you to tired, never-stop-trying team members," Veronica Hall, president of Henry Ford Hospital and a registered nurse, told The Detroit News.

"As a message of hope during these challenging times, #NYPQueens plays JOURNEY's 'Don't Stop Believin'' throughout the hospital each time a #COVID19 patient is discharged and on the road to recovery," New York-Presbyterian Queens Hospital wrote in a social media message.

Former JOURNEY singer Steve Perry took notice of the hospital's video on Twitter, writing: "I wanted to share a little cheer from New York Presbyterian Queens Hospital in NY. They play 'Don't Stop Believin'' every time a COVID-19 patient is discharged. We're all in this together, and we'll get through this together. #DontStopBelievin."

JOURNEY keyboardist Jonathan Cain, who co-wrote the song, also said he loved how "Don't Stop Believin'" is now being used.

"Love this from a hospital in NYC where people are being released after beating Covid -19 while they played our song," Cain wrote.

In a 2009 interview with CBC's "Q" cultural affairs show, Perry said he always thought "Don't Stop Believing" — which is the top-selling digital download of a track not originally released in this century, according to Nielsen SoundScan — had potential as a single. It was always a hit with live audiences, though it didn't get great radio play at the time it was issued, he said.

"When we were doing the song in 1981, I knew something was happening, but honestly, when I saw it in the film 'Monster' with Patty Jenkins, I started think, 'Oh my goodness there's really something.'"

He added: "The lyric is a strong lyric about not giving up, but it's also about being young, it's also about hanging out, not giving up and looking for that emotion hiding somewhere in the dark that we're all looking for. It's about having hope and not quitting when things get tough, because I'm telling you things get tough for everybody."

Current JOURNEY singer Arnel Pineda, who has been fronting the band for 13 years, told CBS News in 2012, "Even before I discovered 'Don't Stop Believin'', it has been my motto — you know, to never stop believing in myself. The life that I've gone through, all those hardships, I never stopped believing that someday there is something magical that will happen in my life."