branched out into music, but that is the opposite of how they began. After first being brought to life in Bagdasarian's 1950s novelty recordings under the name David Seville and the Chipmunks, the characters were an unprecedented success, and the singing Chipmunks and their manager were given life in several animated cartoon series and motion pictures.
The voices of the group were all performed by Bagdasarian, who sped up the playback to create the higher pitched, squeaky voices. This process was not entirely new; Bagdasarian had also used it for a previous novelty song project, "The Witch Doctor", but it was so unusual and well executed it earned the "trio" two Grammy Awards for engineering. Although the characters were fictional, they did release a long line of "real" albums and singles, with "The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late)" becoming a number-one hit single in the United States. After his death in 1972, the voices of the Chipmunks were subsequently recorded by his son, Ross Bagdasarian, Jr., and his wife, Janice Karman, in all subsequent incarnations to date.
Don't Stop Believin'
Alvin and The Chipmunks Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
She took the midnight train going anywhere.
Just a city boy,born and raised in South Detroit.
He took the midnight train going anywhere.
A singer in a cloudy room.
A smell of fur and cheap cartoons.
For a smile,they can watch our show.
Strangers (strangers) waiting (waiting),
Up and down the boulevard (ooh).
Their shadows (shadows) searchin' in the night (night).
Streetlight (streetlight) people (people),livin' just to find emotion.
Hidin' (hidin') somewhere (somewhere)in the night (night).
Workin' hard to get my fill,everybody wants a thrill.
Payin' anything to roll the dice just one more time.
Some will win and some will lose.
Some were born to sing the blues.
Oh,the movie never ends.
It goes on and on and on and on.
Strangers (strangers) waiting (waiting),
Up and down the boulevard (ooh).
Their shadows (shadows) searchin' in the night (night).
Streetlight (streetlight) people (people),livin' just to find emotion.
Hidin' (hidin') somewhere (somewhere)in the night (night).
Strangers (strangers) waiting (waiting),
Up and down the boulevard (ooh).
Their shadows (shadows) searchin' in the night (night).
Streetlight (streetlight) people (people),livin' just to find emotion.
Hidin' (hidin') somewhere (somewhere)in the night (night).
Don't Stop Believin'.
Hold on to the feeling.
Streetlight people.
Strangers (strangers) waiting (waiting),
Up and down the boulevard (ooh).
Their shadows (shadows) searchin' in the night (night).
Streetlight (streetlight) people (people),livin' just to find emotion.
Hidin' (hidin') somewhere (somewhere)in the night (night).
The song "Don't Stop Believin'" by Alvin and the Chipmunks tells the story of two individuals, a small-town girl and a city boy, both searching for their dreams in a chaotic world. The girl is living alone in a lonely place, and she decides to take a midnight train to anywhere, hoping to find fulfilment and purpose in her life. The city boy, on the other hand, was born and raised in South Detroit and decides to take a midnight train going anywhere, as he is also looking for something more out of life.
The lyrics describe the life of performers, where they sometimes find themselves singing to just a few people in a cloudy room filled with the smell of fur and cheap cartoons. However, they keep on going with the hope that one of their listeners will smile. The song expresses the struggles of people waiting for their dreams to come true, hoping for a break that could take them from obscurity to stardom.
The chorus of the song, "Don't Stop Believin'," communicates the message that despite life's challenges, one should never give up hope and should always believe that things can get better. The song reinforces the belief that we are all in this together, with streetlight people trying to find emotion and purpose. The message is clear: continue to search, continue to seek, and never stop believing that something magical could happen.
Line by Line Meaning
Just a small town girl, livin' in a lonely world.
A girl who lived in a small town where she felt isolated from the rest of the world.
She took the midnight train going anywhere.
She left her town without any specific destination, hoping to start a new life.
Just a city boy, born and raised in South Detroit.
A boy who grew up in a city called South Detroit.
He took the midnight train going anywhere.
He left his city on a train without any specific destination, hoping to find something different.
A singer in a cloudy room.
A person who is singing in a room that is full of smoke or fog and is hard to see through.
A smell of fur and cheap cartoons.
The room was filled with an unpleasant mix of animal hair and low-quality animated programs.
For a smile, they can watch our show.
The performer is willing to do what it takes to make their audience happy and entertained.
It goes on and on and on and on.
The performance seems like it will never end because it continues for so long.
Strangers (strangers) waiting (waiting), Up and down the boulevard (ooh).
People who don't know each other are waiting on the street.
Their shadows (shadows) searchin' in the night (night).
Their darkened outlines are moving around in the dark.
Streetlight (streetlight) people (people), livin' just to find emotion.
The people under the streetlights are looking for something to make them feel alive.
Hidin' (hidin') somewhere (somewhere) in the night (night).
They are lurking in the shadows, not wanting to be seen or recognized.
Workin' hard to get my fill, everybody wants a thrill.
Everyone is trying to get ahead, and they will do whatever it takes to achieve their goals.
Payin' anything to roll the dice just one more time.
People are taking big risks and spending money in hopes of getting lucky.
Some will win and some will lose.
Not everyone will succeed or achieve their goals, and some will fail.
Some were born to sing the blues.
Some people seem to be destined for a life of disappointment and sadness.
Oh, the movie never ends.
Life seems like a never-ending story with no clear resolution.
Don't stop believin'.
Never give up hope or belief in a better future, no matter how difficult things may seem.
Hold on to the feelin'.
Keep that positive feeling of hope alive, no matter what.
Streetlight people.
People who are wandering around the streets at night, trying to find their way.
Lyrics Ā© Journey - Weedhigh Nightmare Music
Written by: CAIN, JONATHAN / PERRY, STEVE / SCHON, NEAL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Lyric Rogers
I wish there was a version of this with the Chipmunks and Chipettes; it would be like the Glee version almost
Daniel Davies
Yeah, that could work. Depends if Disney can easily get the rights to the song...
Teenettes Champettes
i love this song
iPeeTheRainbow
Love the chipmunks. Too bad their original cartoon albums are nowhere to be found anymore
Stephen Wells
Which original cartoon are you talking about? Most of the 80s/90s era albums can be found on YouTube, but the 60s era albums are hard to find online. You can buy them on Amazon though, if you don't mind paying for it.
iPeeTheRainbow
I think I may have been using my tablet when I posted this which would explain why I couldn't find any. I managed to find them when I went back on my computer though.
Brissa DLR
I can imagine Josey and the Pussycats singing this song with the chipmunksš
Holsy
Oh,my gosh. that would be so cool
Captain Phillips
Hi good morning how are you this morning and my name is Melissa Kaye spradlin Shaw
Brissa DLR
Awesome