It's Friday. Friday is about favorites (in bloggerland). My favorite band of all time is Bon Jovi. I haven't done a Friday Favorites in a very long time. So, here you have it.
It is entirely possible that the only person who will truly enjoy this post is Ericka, (although Jenn encouraged me to write it). It's taken months to write. My love for Bon Jovi started in 1984. That's 32 years of love. 32 years of music and songs. 32 years of stories to share. I still didn't share them all. I culled songs and stories. I swear I did. But, this post is still a lengthy one. No apologies. (except, I apologize to the songs and stories that I cut but still mean a lot to me...sorry Bad Name, I still love you.)
I fully expect most of you to skip and/or skim over this post. It breaks my heart a little to know that, but I'll be a realist.
These are the Bon Jovi songs that have shaped me. My personal playlist. I don't always pick the obvious choices because my personal faves are not always the obvious songs. But, these are mine. Condensed.
3 songs to have the biggest impact:
- Livin' on a Prayer - It is tattooed on my foot; It can be heard in bars, sports stadiums, movies, television shows, classic rock radio stations, and more. It is the one song that anyone who knows that Bon Jovi as a band exists, knows this song.
- Wanted Dead or Alive - If you've ever been to a karaoke bar, you've heard this song. I've told this story here before, but I'll tell it again. Milton Keynes, England 2006; I cried real tears watching 60,000+ Bon Jovi fans sing this aloud at the top of their lungs during an encore.
- It's My Life - My personal anthem that I'm happy to share as an anthem with others; the song that showed Bon Jovi's career was not going to be only that 80s hair band; they were going to continue to put out hits, albums, and have hugely successful tours.
- Always - The epitome of a Bon Jovi ballad; I have sang this song in stadiums, in my car, in my shower; I have sang this song through tears and through smiles. Jovi fan or not, if you don't think this is a good song, well, I'm not sure we can be friends.
- I Want You - A much lesser known ballad than I'll Be There For You or Bed of Roses, but it's a personal fave that remains so this day, 24 years after I first heard it.
- All About Lovin' You - Not all Jovi fans like this song, but I do, and this is my playlist.
- Lie to Me - With lyrics like "if you don't love me, lie to me"...this one hurts. I've gone back to this one numerous times during numerous heartaches.
- Only Lonely - Another one that I'm going to guess is relatively unknown for most reading this, but again, these lyrics have been felt by me in my life, and I've sung them, crying real, painful tears: "Only lonely -- I can't stop hurting you -- Only lonely -- but I can't stop loving you -- Only lonely -- so tell me babe, how much pain can you take before your heart breaks?"
- This Ain't a Love Song - A break-up song that is really a love song with lyrics that are trying to tell you/convince himself that it isn't.
- Blood on Blood
- These Days
- Just Older (even though someone had spotify erred in typing the title Just Order)
- Hearts Breaking Even
- Edge of a Broken Heart
- I Am
- Hook Me Up
- Superman Tonight
- Have a Nice Day
- I'll Sleep When I'm Dead
- Bad Medicine
- Blame It on the Love of Rock 'n' Roll
- Raise Your Hands - My mother took 4 junior high girls (including me) to see a Bon Jovi concert; my mother made up her own choreography to this song; I still do that same little dance during the chorus whenever I see this song played live.
- Who Says You Can't Go Home - If you've ever been lucky enough to experience a Bon Jovi concert, you know Jon loves to lead the crowd in synchronized jazz hand movements; this song has the perfect "it's alright, it's alright" lyrics in the song for just such a moment.
- Keep The Faith - When Jon picks up the maracas, you know the bass is kicking in and there will be booty shaking.
- She Don't Know Me - I know exactly where I was (my friend's house) when I saw this video on MTV; I fell in love and never fell out of love.
- Lay Your Hands on Me - Jon sang to me; I was on the second row during the Crush tour, he looked directly at me, shook a jazz hand my direction, raised his eyebrows and winked as he sang "I'll lay my hands on youuuuu"; I cried.
- Hallelujah - Without a doubt, the most spine-tingling, goosebump-producing moment in all of my concert going experiences; Sydney, the Circle tour, I was in The Circle; I was going through a particularly difficult time in my life, and I was at this concert solo; Bon Jovi cover's Leonard Cohen's song; the sky opened up and poured down rain; it was beautiful, amazing moment. This shot is from that show:
3 songs to enjoy on a Saturday night:
- Someday I'll Be Saturday Night
- Saturday Nights Gave Me Sunday Mornings
- Never Say Goodbye - No, "Saturday" isn't in the title, but I spent many, many a Saturday nights in high school cruising around listening to this song and making memories like the song details.
photo by David Bergman
- Born to Be My Baby
- Wild in the Streets
- In These Arms - I can never pick one favourite Bon Jovi song. Never. But. If I was forced at gunpoint to choose, this would probably be the one.
Okay...if you stayed with me this long...tell me your 3 favourite Bon Jovi songs (Ericka...you can tell me more). Or tell me if I convinced you to listen to any of these songs. Or just tell me anything. I'll just be impressed that you stuck with me.
Most pictures were pulled from notoldjustolder.tumblr.com
Linking with Amanda for Friday Favorites:
Girrrrl... IMPRESSIVE post...and I'm not just saying that because I'm a Jovi girl, too! Truly, truly impressive. I know why it took you so long to complete it and how whittling it down was probably rather painful at times. When a band and their body of work means so much to an individual, as Bon Jovi has to you and myself, there are countless memories and stories to share. The songs that accompany those songs become very personal and we get possessive of them.
ReplyDeleteYou have inspired me to compose a post that is similar, but different. I will share my favorites then. Like you, I expect that I will have to put some time and thought into this one. In the meantime, however, my ultimate, all-time favorite Bon Jovi song is Livin' on a Prayer.
I think this just made my entire weekend... now I need to go binge on some Jovi. The part about Hallelujah and the rain gave me goosebumps. It's impossible to pick just 3 favorites, but if I HAD to pick one, it would probably be Born to Be My Baby. I have loved it for so, so long. Also Wanted Dead or Alive, with a special shoutout to the live acoustic version with just Jon, Richie and their guitars from the MTV movie awards, maybe circa 1989? My senior year of college, I took a theater class and we had to lipsync a song as part of our final project... I somehow convinced a friend to be Richie, and we rocked that acoustic version out :)
ReplyDeleteWow, I got chills reading about the moment where it opened up rain during Hallelujah. What a moment!
ReplyDeletei can tell you put all the effort into this! now, i'll admit it (and don't hate me) but i'm not a big bon jovi fan. I KNOW. but i do like some of his tunes! 'its my life' really never gets old. and your description of him singing hallelujah would have given me all the goosebumps too! amazing! great post girly :)
ReplyDeletexoxo cheshire kat
Haha, I don't have anything to contribute here, but I did read the post so I wanted to make sure you knew your efforts weren't for nothing ;)
ReplyDeleteI'm scrolling and scrolling shaking my head yes I know these songs but where's the one I remember from my first junior high dance. Oh there it is! "Never say goodbye, never say goodbyyee, hold on we gotta try..." :)
ReplyDeleteI have a place in my heart for Wanted Dead or Alive because the slippery when wet tour was my very first concert ever ... & when he sang that, with the bandana half way across the eye, I could SWEAR he looked right at me when he sang it :) haha... #truestory
ReplyDeleteWOW on that Hallelujah thing. That is like one of life's huge moments.
ReplyDeleteAhhh, you & your love for Bon Jovi - I love it! :)
ReplyDeleteI forgot about Raise Your Hands. I love that song.
ReplyDeleteThat Hallelujah thing is AMAZING. And a hell of a picture, too.
I LOVE the song "It's My Life" I did a gymnastics routine to it wayyy back in the day and I still remember it haha! Anytime it comes on I start doing it!
ReplyDeletewww.amemoryofus.com
I love this! How cool that it started raining like that?! And that you were in the pit! Wanted Dead or Alive is my favorite Bon Jovi song for sure. I love anything from Slippery When Wet though. I saw them about two years ago and they still put on a great show!
ReplyDeletei LOVE bon jovi!! loved them since the exploded onto the scene when i was in middle school. i still have them on my playlist :)
ReplyDeleteI have to admit that the most of the Bon Jovi songs that I know fall into the Biggest Impact category, but I love hearing about how some of their songs have influenced your life. It always amazes me how music can have the biggest effect on people! Certain songs really do speak to you!
ReplyDeleteAhhhhhhhhhhh LOVE Bon Jovi!!!!!!! I got to see him in concert with my parents back when I was in college and it is one of my favorite concert memories!! I forgot who opened for him and really who cares because YES! Livin on a Prayer and It's My Life are probably my top two favorites. But like how did You Give Love a Bad Name not make the list???????
ReplyDeleteI KNEW YOU COULD DO IT!!
ReplyDeletei ain't heard of most of those... i might check some of'm out. :] i love you for doing this. bravo!
i didn't skim!
ReplyDeleteok, don't judge me (or hate me or my husband) but i don't know a lot of these songs, and the ones i do know, KC HATES. he calls them 'bar anthems' and hates them for some reason, but he's an idiot, clearly. i feel like i need to learn all these songs so i can go to a concert one day (er.... are they still touring?). i loved reading your personal experiences, especially the rain one. beautiful!
have we talked about him on ally mcbeal yet?
I love this so, so much. I never knew Jon sang a cover of Hallelujah! I love that song! I am trying to pull it up on Spotify right now, but it's not cooperating. Boo.
ReplyDeleteI'm with you, too. I don't understand why Superman Tonight wasn't a bigger hit.
Oh, and Always is totally my favorite ballad. LOVE THAT SONG!