It's about time: My top 10+5 Fave BJ songs

Sooooo, as we all know "Top X" lists are quite tricky, specially when we are dealing with a band that is still producing new songs, but as the years passed by I've had some pretty unmovable favourites and it helps me put all their music into perspective. I intented to do a "Top Ten" but I HAD to add 5 "bonus tracks" cause it didn't feel fair not to mention them since I listen to them on a daily basis as well. The songs that made it in the list are some of them songs I consider "the best" musically, lyrically, etc, and some I just luuuuuuv just 'cause they get me in a good mood. Note that there are no songs from the New Jersey album, which happens to be my favourite BJ album, but I like the album as a whole, the vibe, the melodies, the sounds, and I couldn't pinpoint one I preferred above the others or that would be included in my favourite songs individually. I COULD, just COULD say I really like Love for sale but again, it's because it's part of the album.

Enough said, here it is...

1- Wanted dead or alive

2- Something for the pain

3 - Always

4 - Dry County

5 - If I can't have your love

6 - Superman Tonight

7 - The radio saved my life tonight

8 - Til we ain't stangers anymore

9 - Good guys don't always wear white

10 - Love me back to life

+...

11 -  I get a rush
12 - Bitter Wine

13 - We can dance

14 - The one that got away

15 - Garageland

Why?

1 - It's just timeless. The intro, the mystery, the layout, the words, the voice, the unplugged story and just the whole feeling of it, how it was really written from their hearts, it feels almost effortless. This is my favourite song not only because it just gets me going, but because it's also a perfectly crafted song and well...it's just so cool.

2 - This is to me the "Wanted" of Bon Jovi in the 90's. Again, it's a complex song musically speaking (it almost didn't make it to the record because they couldn't make it work). There's just something so soothing about the acoustic guitar at the beginning, and there's also some nostalgia on my part because I remember the first time I heard it and watched the video when it first came out and I was blown away, with all the excitement for the new record and These days being so great. The lyrics are amazing (happiness, has found a home in me, my suitcase and guitar are my only family, I've tried to need someone, like they needed me, well I opened up my heart but all I did was bleed, I don't need no lover, just to get screwed, they don't make no bandage that's gonna cover my bruise - I can soooo relate to that), the "come on come on come on"'s and the beat of the drums, Richies part (so sweet...). I could never stop talking about this song. And when I thought I couldn't love it more, during The Circle Tour they did an AWESOME acoustic version live that just made my socks come off my feet, and Dave with the accordeon...in a way that's how I picture them in the future, dropping all the accessories and showing us the bare songs, no bullsh*t.

3 - Uff, so much to say about this one. It's so dear to my heart because it's the song with which I fell in love with Bon Jovi. Why it got me hooked right then that afternoon can only be explained by karma I guess, but there was something about that combination of the video, the song, the guys, the voice, the lyrics, my state of mind at that time (or hormones, for that matter). Through the years I have come to the conclusion that it is by far the greatest Bon Jovi ballad of all time (yeah, I know that the "politically correct answer" most times is I'll be there for you...) and most of its merit in my opinion comes from the fact that Jon wrote it all by himself. I don't wanna beat Desmond Child or any other collaborator up - and please God, I don't want to even imply I don't worship the Jon+Richie team - , but I love the fact that what really got me hooked was something written with no "help" at all (the same merit would be held if Richie had composed it together with Jon or by himself). Besides it's powerful, the lyrics are moving, the melody is exquisite and -damn!- that voice. Jon's voice always reminds me of the movie "Love Potion Nº 9" in which people who drank the potion could make others fall in love with them by just speaking to them. Well, that kinda is EXACTLY what Jon's voice does to me, there's something in its sound that seems to make my earbones vibrate in a way that stimulates some nerve that goes to a very naughty part of my brain, and in this song, it's sort of multiplied tenfold by the almost-scream quality of it. I have heard the demo version and contrary to common opinion, I prefer the official version, the one that got on Crossroad, it's much cleaner and the voice is better balanced and neat.

4 - This song got me obsessed for quite a bit of my Bon Jovi life. Keep the faith was the newest record around when I started listening to Bon Jovi and they were popular at that time for Bed of Roses, but I have never been a mellowy-romantic song kinda gal (I prefer the heartbreak ones) and disgusted the label Bon Jovi had for being a "love songs only" band. So when I discovered Dry County I was like "YES!" this is what I like most about them. Though the story is a bit depressing, what I really really like about it is that they didn't hold back with it, they didn't try to keep it simple, they went all the way with this one. The solo is mind blowing, the piano melody is unforgettable and the change in pace round the middle sends a rush to my head that triggers adrenaline shots through my body every time I listen to it.

5 - Remember all I said about preferring the heartbreak songs? Well, Bon Jovi always know how to make a hypocrite outta me. I think this is the sweetest thing someone could EVER sing to anyone they love. Plus...Richie's voice. In this song it's not as soft and mellowy as in most of the songs, but has a raspiness to it that makes it so much more delicious, one can feel the desperation, the adoration, the fear and the humility love can bring. I could listen to those "baby!...baby!" all my life and still get excited each time. It's raw, simple and moving - just how I like my BJ songs :D. Plus...the piano. Just perfect.

6 - Meet the newest song in the UUU list (UUU = Underrated, Underappreciated, Underestimated). Whether in its powerful album version or the acoustic live version with Richies background vocals, it's in my opinion the best song BJ have come up with in the last decade. When I bought The Circle I tried to keep my expectations down (I wasn't too fond of WWBTF) and when I started listening to it I prayed please PLEASE let this one not be the worst BJ album EVER. And then I heard it. It has the power to pull rivers of tears from my eyes like no other song. The album version (though a little over-produced for my taste) renewed my faith with those mysterious, exciting and strange sounds. Just WOW. The video is pretty good and cool too.

7 - Gaaawwwddd I just luuuuuuv this song. The main reason is completely hormonal: the sinuses voice. Jay-sus. It completely turns me on (sorry, but I just GOTTA say it). Then there's the music and the chorus that makes me wanna jump all over and scream and sing from the top of my lungs. And radio DID, many nights of my life, saved me from many things, but mostly from loneliness. I have always been a night owl due mostly to my insomnia and sometimes hyperactiveness, and those nights could be quite long I tell you, but with them sounding in my ears I never felt lonely, I dind't need anyone or anything else. Sometimes I just leave the playlist playing really low and I tremendously enjoy waking up from time to time and hearing they are still there.

8 - I have to confess that I kinda "boycotted" Lost Highway at first. I was soooo afraid of being disappointed that it took me quite a while to buy it. I saw the Lost Highway video on TV when the single was released and I rejected it right away, I don't know why but it sounded so safe, so "beautiful" (Jon's perfect looks on the video didn't help tone that down) I thought - where are my rock n' roll boys with the guitar?! Then the first time I heard this song I again thought "oh no, not another Thank you for loving me puh-lease". And just as if Jon was listening to my thoughts and being the stubborn over-achieving Pisces he is, I had surrender, come to my knees and beg for mercy for being SO.DAMN.WRONG. This is perfectly timely, this is where their new "love songs" should be going, this is how you maturely deal with a relationship blockout - and people wonder how is it possible for Jon to have been married for so long...well HELLO?!, because this is how he probably deals with the problems that arise in his marriage: "Hun, I'm locking the door down and not one soul is getting outta here 'til the problem is solved" (mmm...). It's so raw honest, so perfectly crafted, so beautiful, so different (LeAnne's voice is just the perfect balance for Jon's), so intimate, so relatable. And the video...sweet mother of all things gorgeous. Even a friend of mine who is a low-key but firm Bon Jovi-enemy succumbed to the beauty of this song and it has helped her deal with some issues she and her boyfriend had. She thanks me for suggesting it to her whenever she can.

9 - Just amazing, the guitar is sooo awesome, the screaming, the lyrics, the video. To me this song is like an intra-auricular heroin injection. It makes certain chemicals run through my body that make me want to run around and jump and scream and dance. The melody is perfect, the harshness and hardness to it are just delicious, this is exactly how I like my Bon Jovi songs :D. So in-your-face. So cool. I can really find the words to describe it. Just sublime. "You tell me I'm wrong but I disagree".

10 - There's always a song in each album that renews my faith and devotion to this band. This song made that for me in Bounce. It's powerful and meaningful. I specially appreciate the mood change between the powerful riffs of the intro, then the softer verses, the superpowerful bridge ( the "tonight I need you!" pitch easily qualifies as a full blown scream), and the desperate chorus. Again, there's that feeling of urgency, of desperation, of how we are so numb sometimes we look for something to wake us up, to make us feel alive. It's a very human topic, from the very humble position of confessing, admitting, that you actually need someone. And for a man to say that well...isn't that why we all love 'em? It puts ME in the position of admitting that myself. It's like they are saying "Hey, If I can admit it, YOU can too!", "If you need help, start by asking for it!". I hear them saying all those things to me, just as if they were reading my soul, like a friend I'm baring my soul to. They take all my barriers down. They really do touch my heart with this one.

Extras

11 - Does this need an explanation? A song about something you love and can't get enough, and you like a lot, and you get a rush from? Not to mention the ACTUAL rush I get with the chorus. I could run for miles just on the energy this song gives me. There's such a feeling of urgency in it. It's just awesome. The perfect song for any good obsessive like myself. Ha Ha.

12 - I think this song made it as a bonus track in some countries - not in mine unfourtunately. There are at least two versions of it I have heard myself: the one that eerly sounds like Wild Horses by the Rolling Stones, and the electric, more up-tempo version. The last one is the one that is in my list, maybe because it has more of a demo sound to it. "That night I said I loved you, and you told me to go to hell" ha ha I just love that part, so sassy, poor Jonny THAT must be something he never gets to experience, he must have been exploring that possibility with this song. "You were dressed like an orphan in Salvation Army clothes" - another good one. And all in all it kinda is one of those BJ heartbreak songs I like so much, 'cause at least in my case, most of my past relationships HAVE turned to bitter wine. It's sad that someone and something you cared for whether for a long or short period of time, and for who and which you would change your plans for, your whole life layout, and draw your inspiration from, when it's over and time has passed...there's only so much you can do with it...

13 - Well isn't this just...Beautiful. Effortless. Sweet. It takes everything down to the bear minimum: no matter what happens, the most important thing we have is each other and what we feel. It's just as simple as that. Things come and go and there's nothing we can do about that, but look at us, after all this time and all that has happened, I'm just a boy and you are just a girl and I still love you like the first time I saw you (feeling butterflies in my stomach as I write this just relishing on the idea of someone feeling something like that for someone else AND having the ability to put it in music in the form of a beautiful song for everyone to hear). Does love get any better than that?

14 - Mmm delicious heartbreak. The chorus pretty much sums it up. And the part of "When I asked you to dance, You said there's no band, there's no radio, I got up real slow, started singing real low, When I was melting in your arms I had to let go" jeez just the idea of him singing real low with no music and into my ear...there's no way of analyzing this song objectively. The atmosphere is just delicious, the regret, the pain...gawd, sweet sweet heartbreak.

15 - This song surprised me big time, I love the different melodies and it reminds me of why I love this band and again, it takes me back to basics: they are just boys who like to play rock 'n roll (or that's what I think they are- I really WAS hurt by the I'm-the-CEO-of-a-major-corporation-that-has-been-running-for-25-years statement). I'd rather think of them as a garageband, it makes it so much more fun!

Yup, that's it. Sorry Last man standing and Prostitute...