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

Elton John

Elton JohnFact or Fiction

Does he have beef with Gaga? Is he Sean Lennon's godfather? See if you can tell fact from fiction in the Elton John edition.

Why Does Everybody Hate Nu-Metal? Your Metal Questions Answered

Why Does Everybody Hate Nu-Metal? Your Metal Questions AnsweredSong Writing

10 Questions for the author of Precious Metal: Decibel Presents the Stories Behind 25 Extreme Metal Masterpieces

Rick Astley

Rick AstleySongwriter Interviews

Rick Astley on "Never Gonna Give You Up," "Cry For Help," and his remarkable resurgence that gave him another #1 UK album.

Band Names

Band NamesFact or Fiction

Was "Pearl" Eddie Vedder's grandmother, and did she really make a hallucinogenic jam? Did Journey have a contest to name the group? And what does KISS stand for anyway?

90s Music Quiz 1

90s Music Quiz 1Music Quiz

First question: Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson appeared in videos for what artist?

Mick Jones of Foreigner

Mick Jones of ForeignerSongwriter Interviews

Foreigner's songwriter/guitarist tells the stories behind the songs "Juke Box Hero," "I Want To Know What Love Is," and many more.