David Chase didn't always believe in "Don't Stop Believing" for Sopranos finale

Al Green was almost the soundtrack to Meadow Soprano's parallel parking woes

By Matt Schimkowitz | September 21, 2021 | 4:23am

Aux News David Chase

Tony Soprano picking “Don’t Stop Believing” Screenshot: HBO Max

The Sopranos’ finale was a landmark moment in television. In addition to leaving viewers wondering if maybe their cable had cut out, it also gave one of the world’s most beautiful state its theme song. Up until 2006, one could argue that Bruce Springsteen’s “Born To Run” or Bruce Springsteen’s “Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)” or a third Bruce Springsteen song was the unofficial theme of the Garden State. But during those final, gut-wrenching moments of The Sopranos, during which A.J. stuffed his face with onion rings as his sister, Meadow, parked her Lexus, Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believing” became the unofficial theme song of New Jersey. However, in a situation that we can only compare to the 1998 romantic comedy Sliding Doors, “Don’t Stop Believing” was almost assigned to the dustbin of Sopranos history.

Appearing on ~~“Who Are Your Guys” with Marc Maron~~ WTF With Marc Maron, David Chase gave us a window into an alternate history in which Al Green’s “Love And Happiness” played over the episode’s final scene. “I didn’t know Journey was the answer,” Chase told Maron. “In pre-production, there was going to be a song at the end [that Tony] was going to play in the jukebox. I was in the scout van with the department heads, and I had never done this before. I said, ‘Listen, I’m going to talk about three songs that I am thinking about for ending the show.’”