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I was the epitome of a “child of the 80s.” I had crimped, scrunched, Aqua Net-covered hair, wore neon everything and loved the music of Journey. Steve Perry was my everything. I can’t even tell you how many times I watched the video for “Oh Sherrie,” replacing the words “Oh Sherrie” with “Steve Perry” when I would sing along with the song on the radio. (It totally works, by the way.) And, like many Journey fans, I was devastated when Steve left the band in 1987. It was even worse when he completely disappeared from the music scene in 1998.

Now, two decades later, Steve Perry has returned. He was at the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame when Journey was inducted in 2017, but left singing duties to the band’s current lead singer (and Steve sound-alike) Arnel Pineda. On August 14, he released his first single since 1998, “No Erasin’,” off of his upcoming album Traces, to be released October 25. On Wednesday, he dropped his second single, “No More Crying” and somehow, it feels like 1987 all over again. On his website, Steve explained why he disappeared, writing:

“Years ago, I disappeared. There were many reasons, but mainly…my love for music had suddenly left me. I knew that simply stopping was what I had to do. If music was ever to return to my heart, then and only then I would figure out what to do,” he begins. “If not… so be it, for I had already lived the dream of dreams.”

Steve was also the subject of a recent New York Times interview where he went into more detail about his career and his return. It seems the constant performing and other demands of being a rock god got to him. As he told the NYT, when you’re a vocalist, “your instrument is you. It’s not just your throat, it’s you. If you’re burnt out, if you’re depressed, if you’re feeling weary and lost and paranoid, you’re a mess.”

If there’s anyone we should thank for bring Steve back into our lives, it’s Wonder Woman director Patty Jenkins. She introduced Steve to Eels lead singer Mark Oliver Everett. The band invited Steve to join them for a few songs during a 2014 concert in St. Paul, Minnesota, which kicked his return into high gear. As he recalled, “I walked out with no anticipation and they knew me and they responded, and it was really a thrill. I missed it so much. I couldn’t believe it’d been so long.”

Patty also introduced Steve to girlfriend Kellie Nash, whom he calls the greatest thing that ever happened to him. Unfortunately, after a year and a half together, she passed away from cancer at the age of 40. Before she died, she made Steve promise to keep making music. He told the Times, “She said, ‘If something were to happen to me, promise me you won’t go back into isolation, because that would make this all for naught.’”

Fortunately, Steve heeded Kellie’s words and is back, better than ever. But in the words of LL Cool J, don’t call it a comeback. As Steve put it:

“I don’t even know if ‘coming back’ is a good word. I’m in touch with the honest emotion, the love of the music I’ve just made. And all the neurosis that used to come with it, too. All the fears and joys. I had to put my arms around all of it. And walking back into it has been an experience, of all of the above.”

[From The New York Times]

Call it what you want, I’m just delighted that Steve is back. I am getting ready to dust off my crimping iron and jelly shoes for when he (hopefully) goes on tour.

Head over to the official store where you can pre-order ‘Traces’ on Vinyl or CD and receive a digital version of No Erasin’ straight away! Link In Bio.

A post shared by Steve Perry (@steveperrymusic) on Aug 29, 2018 at 9:54am PDT

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Photos: Getty and via Instagram