This is basically a snapshot of the best of Bon Jovi, I know. Clearly they were one of the best bands of their genre to emerge from the eighties and keep on keepin’ on for many years after that particular lighter flame should have faded. Anyone who’s alive knows Livin’ On A Prayer. And likely 97% of those people love it and sing along to it the way they do to Don’t Stop Believin’, Journey’s mega-hit. This song was reminiscent of its classic rock ancestors including Zeppelin and Frampton, but it has that eighties edge that, strangely, still holds up right to this minute. With their hair-band notoriety on point, Bon Jovi even does a chord change at the end that would make any Bee-Gee or Manilow fan proud. From the same 1987 album came Wanted: Dead or Alive, a different kind of rock anthem. This one was more reminiscent of Bob Seger or the Eagles than heavy metal, and it resonated just as much. With such an amazing instrumental bridge, it’s impossible to not jam out your best air guitar and mimic that squinty face Richie Sambora made as he killed it. The harmonies between Jon and Richie at the end, though, are why I love this song, and it’s about 2 simple words: Me and Kenny. It was the summer he and Cristine fell in love in which the three of us were inseparable; movies, drinking, camping, Bon Jovi. Fast forward 13 years: under the radar comes a ballad called What Do You Got. This ballad deserves honorary mention because it has such a pretty lyric: What do ya got if you ain’t got love? If you ain’t got love, it’s all just keepin’ score.
From the historical writing archive. Original date: November 1, 2018. Recovered from local source material; editorial review is still in progress.
