Richard Goodall, the janitor from Indiana who charmed the America’s Got Talent judges with his rendition of Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’,” took the stage tonight to give his final performance before the winner is crowned on September 24.
Goodall performed Journey’s “Faithfully,” and the judges were blown away. They were similarly wowed by his initial performance, awarding him a Golden Buzzer. Now, he must prove that he has what it takes to be America’s most talented act.
The singing janitor was told before his performance that a member of Journey would be joining him on stage as he gave his own rendition of “Faithfully.” As for the judges’ feedback, Heidi Klum praised Goodall as “an amazing man” who turns into a “big rock star” when he gets on stage. Simon Cowell called Goodall “our hero,” noting that he’s “never crumbled” during the competition.
See more of Richard Goodall’s previous covers of Journey songs.
Separate Ways
“Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)” is a song performed by Journey, recorded for their album Frontiers and released as a single in January 1983. It peaked at number eight for six consecutive weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and spent four weeks at number one on the Top Tracks chart.
Stone in Love
“Stone in Love,” released in 1981, was a part of Journey’s seventh studio album, “Escape.” This album, reaching No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart and certified 9x Platinum, is often considered Journey’s crowning achievement. This track stands out as an ode to reminiscing, youth, and the indomitable spirit of love, and has remained a fan favorite for decades.
Lovin’, Touchin’, Squeezin
“Lovin’, Touchin’, Squeezin’ ” was Journey’s first Top 20 single, peaking at Number 16 on the Billboard Hot 100. Lead singer Steve Perry said the song came from a true story, after he watched from a window as his then-girlfriend got out of a Corvette and gave the driver a lengthy kiss goodbye. Perry initially called the song “Love Justice.”
Lights
The song “Lights” by Journey was not originally a hit; however, it gained popularity over the years. The song is thought to be about San Francisco because of the reference to the “City by the Bay.” However, the song was actually written originally about Los Angeles. The band is originally from the San Francisco area; however, they relocated to LA later on and wrote the song about this city.
Richard Goodall Performs for America’s Got Talent Final, Hopeful to Win Grand Prize
Richard Goodall has been on a whirlwind of a journey on America’s Got Talent. He came all the way from Indiana, where he was a middle school janitor, and bravely took the stage to show off his skills. He is an unexpected fan favorite, and he has the chops to go all the way in the competition.
One of the benefits of winning America’s Got Talent is the monetary prize, of course. The show is offering $1 million to the winner, but what does that actually mean? Well, the winner will actually receive that cool million in cash, but there’s a disclaimer.
“The prize, which totals $1,000,000, is payable in a financial annuity over 40 years, or the contestant may choose to receive the present cash value of such annuity,” the show states at the end of every episode. This means the winner can choose to receive the money as a lump sum, or as a 40-year annuity.
If the winner chooses the annuity, they’ll only receive $25,000 each year before taxes. If they choose the lump sum, or “present cash value,” they’d receive nearer to $300,000 before taxes.
