Journey keyboardist honors slain activist Charlie Kirk with new song

Journey keyboardist and guitarist Jonathan Cain is paying tribute to slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk with a new solo single.

Cain previewed the song, titled “No One Else,” on his Instagram account Tuesday, Oct. 7, as an homage to the late Turning Point USA founder, who was fatally shot Sept. 10 while speaking at Utah Valley University.

“A voice that inspired a generation,” Cain wrote in the caption. “A legacy that will never fade. ‘No One Else’ – written in honor of Charlie Kirk – drops soon. Get ready to feel every word.”

In an interview on the Christian podcast “Strang Report,” where he premiered the full song, Cain said he wanted to honor Kirk’s “movement” and “what I believe he stood for.”

“That was righteousness, truth and the gospel,” Cain said. “Not since Billy Graham has anybody rocked the world like Charlie, when it comes to just pure amount of how many schools he went to and how ferocious and fearless (he was).”

Cain said the song’s title reflects how many of Kirk’s supporters described him after his death.

“We need an appreciation song for what he did,” Cain said. “‘No One Else’ – no one else could wear the mantle. The calling on his life was so strong. God used him in such a powerful, powerful way … And I admired his courage.”

Last month, fellow Bay Area musician Sammy Hagar shared an emotional tribute to Kirk with a somber performance of Merle Haggard’s 1982 hit “Are the Good Times Really Over,” changing the opening lines to urge Americans to “stop rolling downhill” and reflect on national symbols like the flag and the Liberty Bell.

In the new interview, Cain praised Kirk’s political influence.

“He helped so many people get in office,” Cain said. “Even JD Vance will still tell you that he couldn’t have gotten to where he got without Charlie Kirk, and Mr. President Trump would say the same.”

Cain’s wife, Paula White-Cain, a Florida pastor and longtime spiritual adviser to Donald Trump, was appointed this year to lead the White House Faith Office.

The song’s release comes as Journey’s veteran lineup works to steady itself after years of legal disputes and personal friction. Guitarist Neal Schon recently told radio personality Eddie Trunk on his show “Trunk Nation” that he and Cain are “on the same page” again and planning a more unified tour.

Their renewed collaboration marks a notable turnaround after public feuds, including a 2022 cease-and-desist letter Schon sent Cain for performing “Don’t Stop Believin'” at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort.

At the time, Schon said the appearance was “extremely deleterious to the Journey brand,” adding, “Journey is not, and should not be, political.”

This article originally published at Journey keyboardist honors slain activist Charlie Kirk with new song.