> I will allege that each of these had at least one song that spares them from my chopping block.

Although Starship will never receive full absolution for "We Built This City," I submit that "Sara" is a fine song...or, at least, has a very nice bit in the chorus, a particular way Mickey Thomas draws out the singing of "Sara" with a key change.  Sorry, I'm not a musician, and I can't properly describe what he does...but it's just something about the way he goes up then descends in key.  I'm reminded of a quote from Chris Lowe of the Pet Shop Boys, who said that he liked Paula Abdul's "Straight Up," but the bit that he really liked was the way she went "oh oh oh" after "are you really gonna love me forever."  He said he was willing to listen to the whole song just to hear the "oh oh oh."

> I'm struggling to remeber what that one song might have been for Journey, however.

My vote goes to "Suzanne," a single from "Raised On Radio" that is so forgotten that it didn't even end up on their greatest hits...but I love it so much that I bought the album solely to own a copy of the track.