This track marks the first time on The Circle that the band brings out Richie’s talkbox. Let’s face it, it wouldn’t be a Bon Jovi album without the talkbox. Actually, this is the first song on the album where they really let Richie out and let him go to town. The solo in this song is a testament to Richie’s skills on the electric guitar.
The one bad thing about this song is the brief vocal/organ interlude in the bridge. While it’s nice to see Dave get some love, it completely ruins the momentum of what is otherwise one of the strongest songs on the album. It’s sort of like running full speed into a brick wall. This may have been intentional in an effort to increase the impact of the song, but I really don’t think it works. With the exception of that stumble, this song delivers the best on Jon’s promise of a real rock album.
This is another song that inspires immediate comparison to prior releases. In this case, it’s August 7, 4:15 from Jon’s solo release, Destination Anywhere. However, Bullet is just as good as August 7. Both songs are excellent in how they deal with human reaction in the face of tragedy.
Jon doesn’t get enough credit for his skills as a songwriter, and this song is just another example of this.