| "Any Way You Want It" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single byJourney | ||||
| from the albumDeparture | ||||
| B-side |
| |||
| Released | February 1980 | |||
| Recorded | 1979 | |||
| Studio | The Automatt,San Francisco, California | |||
| Genre | Hard rock[1][2] | |||
| Length | 3:24 | |||
| Label | Columbia | |||
| Songwriters | ||||
| Producers |
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| Journey singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "Any Way You Want It" onYouTube | ||||
"Any Way You Want It" is a song by Americanrock bandJourney, released in February 1980 as the lead single from the band's sixth albumDeparture (1980). Written by lead singerSteve Perry and guitaristNeal Schon, it peaked at number 23 on theUSBillboard Hot 100 chart.[3]
The song also appears on all four of the band's live albumsCaptured,Greatest Hits Live,Live in Houston 1981: The Escape Tour, andRevelation on DVD. It remains a live staple for the band as well as a heavily rotated song onclassic rock radio and a signature song for the band.[4] The song appears briefly in the filmCaddyshack, is featured as a multi-language acapella cover inPitch Perfect 2, is performed in a mash-up with "Lovin' Touchin' Squeezin' for theseason onefinale ofGlee, is played at the end of "Burns, Baby Burns", an episode fromThe Simpsons season 8, and is featured briefly in "Fun and Games", an episode of thesixth season ofBetter Call Saul.
The song has additionally been used in promotional material for theaction-comedy filmThe Fall Guy (which came out in May 2024), with the publicationCollider.com describing the advertising as "classic rock" mixed in with "explosive action setpieces".[5]
According to Perry, the song was heavily influenced by Irish hard rock bandThin Lizzy and more particularly by bassistPhil Lynott. In July 1979, Journey were touring with Thin Lizzy across theUnited States when Lynott, Perry and Schon decided to share rhyme scheme exercises while they were hanging out inMiami. The "basic" work on "the guitar-vocal-guitar-vocal interchange thing that happened between Phil and his lyrics and the guitarist and his arrangements, inspired the 'Any Way You Want It' sorta give and take thing. It's guitar-voice, guitar-voice, more guitar-guitar-guitar-voice. It be voice-voice and back and forth and that's something that Neal and I think just instinctually picked up by hanging out with him",[6] commented Perry. Schon and Perry would then rework on the song in the band bus, with Schon on acoustic guitar and Perry on vocals.[7] Lynott's contribution later influenced other songs built on the same scheme such as "Stone in Love".
For the studio version, keyboardistGregg Rolie originally used aMellotron. Since it was defective, co-producerGeoff Workman decided to fix the sound by doubling it with Rolie's regular organ in the final mixing, thus creating the unique sounding background support for the song.[7] This song is in the key ofG major.[8]
Cash Box said that Journey has "tightened up the rhythm section" and that this song is paced by "short, smart drum shots and quick, choppy guitar licks."[9]Record World said that it has "a soaring hook and guitar break."[10]
The music video was directed by Kim Paul Friedman and premiered in March 1980.[11] It opens with a man standing in front of a jukebox, his face unseen by the camera. He scrolls his finger up a list of songs and stops at "Any Way You Want It". He then reaches into his pocket and pulls out a coin which he inserts into the jukebox. He then selects the song and we see a record being flipped over and beginning to spin. This dissolves into a shot of a studio tape spinning which leads to the group performing the song in the studio. The band's performance comprises most of the video until the song ends. At this point the man at the jukebox is revealed to actually be lead singer Steve Perry who turns and smiles at the camera. Another video exists which is a live performance during the Departure Tour. Both videos were omitted from the band'sGreatest Hits 1978–1997 DVD in favor of another live version of the song from theEscape Tour.
| Chart (1980–1981) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canada Top Singles (RPM)[12] | 50 |
| USBillboard Hot 100[13] | 23 |
| Chart (2010) | Peak position |
| UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[14] | 161 |
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| New Zealand (RMNZ)[15] | Platinum | 30,000‡ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[16] | Gold | 400,000‡ |
| United States (RIAA)[17] | 4× Platinum | 4,000,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
| Studio albums | |
|---|---|
| Soundtrack albums | |
| EPs | |
| Live albums | |
| Compilation albums | |
| Singles |
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| Videos | |
| Documentaries | |
| Tours | |
| Video games | |
| Related articles | |
