Don't Stop Believin' - Song Structure and References

Song Structure and References

While most popular songs have a refrain that is repeated several times throughout the song, the true chorus to "Don't Stop Believin'" (as well as first mention of its title) is not heard until the end of the song with only 0:50 left. The song's writers designated the musically similar sections before the chorus as the "pre-chorus." The song's structure is:

1. Introduction (instrumental) (0:00–0:17)
2. Verse 1 (0:17–0:49)
3. Instrumental (0:49–1:05)
4. Verse 2 (half-length) (1:05–1:20)
5. Pre-Chorus 1 (1:20–1:54)
6. Instrumental (1:54–2:01)
7. Verse 3 (2:01–2:33)
8. Pre-Chorus 2 (2:33–3:05)
9. Instrumental (Chorus) (3:05–3:21)
10. Chorus until fade (3:21–4:11)

The song is played in the key of E Major at a tempo of 120bpm. The vocal range is E3–C#5. The opening chords, which are played by the piano in the introduction and continued through most of the song, form a I-V-vi-IV pop-punk progression.

While the lyrics mention being "born and raised in south Detroit", the area that would be considered south Detroit is actually the Canadian city of Windsor. Steve Perry has said, "I tried north Detroit, I tried east and west and it didn't sing, but south Detroit sounded so beautiful. I loved the way it sounded, only to find out later it's actually Canada."