In a new interview with Greg Prato for Songfacts, Styx founding member, James "JY" Young, shares his thoughts on some key songs in the Styx catalog, including "Mr. Roboto", "Lady" and "Snowblind". An excerpt follows...
Songfacts: I'd like to get your thoughts on some classic songs in the Styx catalog. Starting with "Lady."
JY: "'Lady', Dennis deserves full credit for that one. Although I pushed the chorus - it's a rock ballad, but it does get uptempo. It's kind of a trademark of Styx: the big three-part harmony choruses. You don't have to look far to find those three-part harmony choruses on any of our records. And it's influenced by The Beatles, and maybe by Three Dog Night. They did a lot of covers, but those three singers together were very powerful. And Dennis, myself, and John Curulewski to start with, and then Tommy Shaw, Dennis, and myself. And now me and Tommy without Dennis, but Lawrence Gowan has got a tremendously strong, high voice, so we've got the voices to carry off these big three-part harmonies. That will probably be a trademark forever for us."
Songfacts: What are your thoughts on "Mr. Roboto" today, and would you say you have a love/hate relationship with that song?
JY: "A while ago I would have said a love/hate relationship with that song, but it's our only 45 RPM single that sold a million copies for Styx, and it really brought us to a whole new audience because it became a hit single. A lot of our songs we stopped writing for Top 40. I was against the song, but nobody else really joined me in being negative on that. And in hindsight, I'm glad I was out-voted on it, because we play it every night in our shows and people like it."
Read more at Songfacts.
Ten years is a long enough wait for two powerhouse and legendary classic rockers to hit the road together again. Styx and Foreigner (who continue with the next leg of their two-year Farewell Tour) team up this summer for the Renegades & Juke Box Heroes co-headlining trek, produced by Live Nation. Legendary British rocker, John Waite, will bring his #1 songs, “Missing You” and “When I See You Smile” to the party, rounding out a great night of hits.
Foreigner and Styx are ready to rocket across North America starting June 11, 2024 in Grand Rapids, MI at the Van Andel Arena. Nothing sounds more like summer than collective feel-good anthems such as “Come Sail Away,” “Feels Like The First Time,” “Renegade,” “Juke Box Hero,” “Mr. Roboto,” and “I Want To Know What Love Is.”
Styx founding guitarist James “JY” Young exclaims, “We’re very excited to be sharing the concert stage with Foreigner and John Waite in the summer of 2024. We have previously toured with Foreigner and the result was both bands kicked ass and had a great time doing it. Looking forward to seeing everybody this summer!”
Says Foreigner founding member and lead guitarist, Mick Jones, “I am very much looking forward to the band being back on the road with our old friends, Styx. Our ‘Soundtrack Of Summer’ tour ten years ago was a blockbuster, and our tour album was a Billboard chart success. It’ll be a great time had by all. As an added bonus, John Waite will accompany us on the journey, adding his #1 hits to a special night of Classic Rock.”
"As we continue on with our farewell tour, I have been very moved by the support and reaction of all of our fans. To perform these next shows with our friends Styx and John Waite makes it even better. I am so looking forward to spending many beautiful summer nights all around the country, full of great Classic Rock, music, and great friends,” added Foreigner lead singer, Kelly Hansen.
And as John Waite declares, “Looking forward to blazing across the USA with my band this summer. All the hits in all the cities. It will be major. A great night. Don’t miss it - be there!”
Renegades & Juke Box Heroes tour dates (closing act in brackets):
June
11 - Grand Rapids, MI - Van Andel Arena (Styx)
12 - Cuyahoga Falls, OH - Blossom Music Center (Foreigner)
14 - Toronto, ON - Budweiser Stage (Styx)
15 - Clarkston, MI - Pine Knob Music Theatre (Foreigner)
18 - Maryland Heights, MO - Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre – STL (Styx)
19 - Rogers, AR - Walmart AMP (Foreigner)
21 - Dallas, TX - Dos Equis Pavilion (Foreigner)
22 - Woodlands, TX - The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion (Styx)
25 - Denver, CO - Ball Arena (Foreigner)
26 - West Valley City, UT - USANA Amphitheatre (Styx)
28 - Anaheim, CA - Honda Center (Foreigner)
29 - Concord, CA - Toyota Pavilion at Concord (Styx)
30 - Bend, OR - Hayden Homes Amphitheater (Foreigner)
July
12 - Nashville, TN - Ascend Amphitheater (Styx)
13 - Charlotte, NC - PNC Music Pavilion (Foreigner)
15 - Charleston, SC - Credit One Stadium (Foreigner)
17 - Alpharetta, GA - Ameris Bank Amphitheatre (Styx)
19 - West Palm Beach, FL - iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre (Foreigner)
20 - Tampa, FL - MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre (Styx)
23 - Holmdel, NJ - PNC Bank Arts Center (Foreigner)
24 - Bristow, VA - Jiffy Lube Live (Styx)
26 - Noblesville, IN - Ruoff Music Center (Styx)
28 - Camden, NJ - Freedom Mortgage Pavilion (Foreigner)
30 - Saratoga Springs, NY - Broadview Stage at SPAC (Foreigner)
31 - Burgettstown, PA - The Pavilion at Star Lake (Styx)
August
2 - Mansfield, MA - Xfinity Center (Styx)
3 - Bangor, ME - Maine Savings Amphitheater (Foreigner)
4 - Gilford, NH - BankNH Pavilion (Styx)
16 - Orange Beach, AL - The Wharf Amphitheater (Foreigner)
17 - Huntsville, AL - Orion Amphitheater (Styx)
20 - Virginia Beach, VA - Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater at VB (Foreigner)
21 - Raleigh, NC - Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek (Styx)
23 - Cincinnati, OH - Riverbend Music Center (Foreigner)
24 - Tinley Park, IL - Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre (Styx)
26 - Omaha, NE - CHI Health Center Omaha (Foreigner)
28 - Sioux Falls, SD - Denny Sanford PREMIER Center (Styx)
