In the late ’70s, keyboard player Jonathan Cain wrote a lovely piano ballad called Open Arms. It sounded like it could be a hit. There was only one problem. In the band that Cain was in at the time, the singer hated that song.
That band was The Babys, originally formed in London and fronted by Lancashire-born lead vocalist John Waite.
Cain joined The Babys in 1978 along with another American musician, bassist Ricky Phillips. Two albums were recorded with Cain and Phillips in the band. But even at a point when The Babys were desperate for a hit, John Waite wanted nothing to do with Open Arms.
It was only after Cain left The Babys to join Journey that his sweet little ballad received the love that it deserved.
Open Arms was recorded for Journey’s 1981 album Escape - the one with Don’t Stop Believin’ on it. And as it turned out, Open Arms became the highest charting single of Journey’s whole career.
In a 2012 interview with Classic Rock, Journey guitarist Neal Schon recalled how it happened.
He began by describing how he lured Jonathan Cain into the band as a replacement for founding member Gregg Rolie.
“John Waite was really pissed off that I grabbed Jonathan for Journey after The Babys opened for us in 1980,” Schon said. “I became good friends with Jonathan on that tour. I’d watched him from afar and I admired him as a band player.
“I saw that he was really like glue to The Babys. The way he played, he glued everything together in that band. He played keyboards and he played guitar – he was just a solid person in the band.
“So when Gregg Rolie decided that he’d had enough of the road and wanted to bow out and go have a family life, Jonathan was my first pick to replace Gregg. And I think John Waite, for whatever reason, has always resented Jonathan for leaving The Babys to join us.
“John Waite always criticised Jonathan. He listened to Open Arms and said, ‘Total crap!’ John is very outspoken.”
Journey’s singer Steve Perry felt very differently about Open Arms. He loved the song and was credited as co-writer with Cain after the pair worked on it together.
Perry sang it beautifully, and in early 1982 this once-maligned song was released as the third single from the Escape album.
Open Arms soared all the way to number two on the US Billboard chart, where it stayed for six consecutive weeks - kept off the top spot first by the J. Geils Band’s Centerfold and then by Joan Jett And The Blackhearts’ I Love Rock ’N’ Roll.
In 1984, John Waite had a number one with his solo single Missing You.
Later in the ’80s, despite the friction between Waite, Cain and Schon, they got together after Journey broke up to form the supergroup Bad English - with bassist Ricky Phillips from The Babys and latter-day Journey drummer Deen Castronovo.
In a final twist, when Bad English also scored a number one single in 1989, it was with the song When I See You Smile - a power ballad just like Open Arms.
And after all was said and done, Neal Schon remained fond of John Waite.
“I love the guy,” he said. "We were very good friends when I worked with him. And actually, we left off being very good friends.”
