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One of Journey's signature songs almost had a very different legacy.
Released in 1978 on the band's Infinity album, "Wheel in the Sky" marked Journey's first appearance on the Billboard Hot 100 and helped launch the commercial breakthrough that would eventually produce classics like "Lights," "Lovin', Touchin', Squeezin'" and "Don't Stop Believin'." But before Steve Perry ever stepped behind the microphone to record the song, another singer had already helped shape it.
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That singer was Robert Fleischman, who briefly fronted Journey in 1977 between founding vocalist Gregg Rolie and Perry. Although his tenure lasted only a few months, Fleischman co-wrote "Wheel in the Sky" before leaving the band under difficult circumstances.
Speaking to Classic Rock in a 2012 interview recently republished online, Fleischman recalled that guitarist Neal Schon already had the music when he joined the writing process.
"Neal and the band had the music already; I came up with the melody," Fleischman said. "One day I was given a poem that was written by Ross Valory's wife, Diane. So to make everyone happy I plucked out the line 'wheel in the sky' and then I wrote the rest."
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Despite helping create the song, Fleischman never got to record the version that made Journey famous. He later said he believed manager Herbie Herbert had pushed him out of the band.
"Like any relationship you want out of, it's always a personality difference that's the excuse," Fleischman said. "I heard later the band was mad at him for squeezing me out."
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Herbert later offered his own perspective, saying Fleischman was "very difficult to manage" and that once he heard Steve Perry's demo, he knew he had found the voice Journey needed.
Perry inherited "Wheel in the Sky" after joining Journey, but he didn't simply imitate what had come before.
"They already had 'Wheel In The Sky' in the bag," Perry recalled in a separate Classic Rock interview. "The way they had done it with Robert was different from how I was going to interpret it."
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The gamble paid off. Released as the lead single from Infinity, "Wheel in the Sky" became Journey's first Billboard Hot 100 hit, peaking at No. 57 and opening the door for the band's commercial breakthrough.
For Perry, one memory from that era has never faded.
"I remember clearly 'Wheel In The Sky' being the first single," he said. "Neal and I went to this pizza place, and I went over to the jukebox and saw a 'Wheel In The Sky' vinyl 45 in the machine. An ecstatic feeling."
He added that after dropping two quarters into the jukebox and hearing the song begin to play, guitarist Schon started laughing.
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"It was a monumental moment," Perry said. "Back then if you were started to show up in jukeboxes it was a sign that you might be finally starting to happen."
Although "Wheel in the Sky" is Fleischman's best-known contribution to Journey, it wasn't his only one. Fleischman also received co-writing credits on "Anytime" and "Winds of March," both of which appeared on Infinity after his departure. His voice can also be heard on the band's 1992 compilation album Time. The previously unreleased song "For You" is included on the 3-disc box set and features Fleischman as the lead singer, making him a small but enduring part of one of Journey's most important records.
Today, "Wheel in the Sky" remains one of Journey's defining songs, but its history also serves as a reminder that one of the band's most important early hits was shaped by a singer who never got to enjoy its success from center stage.
Related: Neal Schon Calls Out Steve Perry in Journey Tribute—and Fans Notice the Wording
