5 Things to Know About Journey’s ‘99’ and Its THX 1138 Inspiration
- The song’s title and theme were directly inspired by George Lucas’s first film, THX 1138, a 1971 science fiction movie.
- This is a surprising source for a Journey song, as the film is a dark, dystopian story about a future where emotions are suppressed.
- The band used the film’s number “1138” and shortened it to “99” for the song’s title.
- The lyrics reflect the film’s themes of escaping a controlled society, not a typical love or party anthem.
- The connection shows how Journey drew from unexpected, high-concept art to create a hit rock single.