Battle of the Power Ballads: "Don't Stop Believing" vs. "More Than a Feeling"

It would be an understatement to say I have a mere guilty pleasure for 70's and 80's power ballads. Something about the uber-cheese that is seemingly shellacked into each classic power ballad from that era without a hint of irony just always makes me smile, even if it often makes others do the opposite (case in point: my unsuccessful attempts to get someone come see Def Leppard/REO Speedwagon with me this summer). Usually these people are from somewhere amongst a generation equal to or higher than X. I've noticed though that cheesy power ballads have found a home amongst Gen Y (myself included) who seem to relish these gems of the past with an excitable fervor. Some may think it has to do with us being the iPod generation, but I think it has more to do with just being able to freely embrace cheese. And of these relics of the past, no two seem to stand out more than Boston's "More Than a Feeling" and Journey's "Don't Stop Believing". Both are slowly building anthems who've gained a resurgence in popularity over the past few years. But which one takes the (cheese)cake? Find out after the jump!



The two songs shall be judged in a variety of completely arbitrary categories to determine a true champion.

Devoted Cities: For the iconic lyric "Just a city boy, born and raised in South Detroit", DSB is played at just about every single sports event in good ol' Motor City. It's rare to see such devotion of a city to a particular song, and its one that Boston doesn't quite share with their eponymous city. While their songs may be played at Fenway Park, it's not necessarily MTAF that always fits the bill. heck, it could be any song. And really, are all the current members of Boston even from Boston anymore?
Advantage: Journey

Covered in Cheese: Both songs have had numerous covers over the years, but which could fit the bill for cheesiest cover of a cheesy song? (I think my brain just went into guilty pleasure overload) Kanye West has been seen recently performing a cover of DSB on his Glow in the dark Tour. The ultimate in fromage however, has to be *NSYNC's cover of MTAF on the European version of their original self-titled album (it's hard to dig up, but once you find it, you'll have cheddar flowing from your ears).
Advantage: Boston

Critical and Commercial Success: While DSB peaked on the Billboard Hot 100 at #8 in 1981, MTAF hit #5 on the same chart in 1976. Plus, Rolling Stone's List of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time listed MTAF #500. But DSB? Nowhere to be found.
Advantage: Boston

Best Use in a Sopranos Episode: MTAF was used in the 24th episode of the iconic gangster series, as Tony develops "More Than a Feeling": it's a panic attack. However, the song gets seriously trumped by series creator David Chase's decision to use DSB as the music playing over the controversial fade-out and ending credits during the series finale.
Advantage: Journey

Cultural Relevency: Both songs have been used in recent pop culture. MTAF was hailed the "greatest song of all time" on Aqua Teen Hunger Force, and often gets used in various TV shows, including Criminal Minds, Scrubs, and even as a playable song on Guitar Hero. DSB however, has been seeing an even greater resurgence as of late, thanks to key placement in both The Sopranos as well as MTV's Laguna Beach. The result has been a return to form similar to that of Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" after the release of Wayne's World. It even shot to #1 on iTunes for a brief period. If that doesn't give advantage, I don't know what does.
Advantage: Journey

WINNER: Journey's "Don't Stop Believing". I may be slightly biased, as I'm going to see Journey with Heart and Cheap Trick(!) in September. But who cares? The true test will come when 10,000 strong belt out "Just a small town girl...".