Blueshadow’s Bon Jovi Blog

Artist: Bon Jovi
Album: Crush

Crush was my second Bon Jovi album, after Cross Road. At the time, the only song from it that I was familiar with was ‘It’s My Life’. (I know, big surprise there.)

Anyway, for some reason, this particular song quickly turned out to be one of my favorites on the album. I do have a taste for the darker aspects of music–that was what eventually led me to get interested in true heavy metal. I think that played a role in my liking for this particular song. The imagery in the lyrics of this song is pretty much universally dark.

This particular song is also one of the more poetic works that Bon Jovi has produced. The band is capable of evoking some incredibly vivid imagery in their songs when they want to, and this particular song is a prime example of it. Each verse paints a distinct picture.

The intense delivery of the lyrics, coupled with the pounding bass line just reinforces the dark mood of the song. The harmonies used in the back vocals could have lightened the song and made it feel more pop-like, however even those are controlled well enough that they just keep the song from being too depressing.

Also, it’s Jon’s defiant delivery of the chorus that transforms the song from depressing to a battle cry. You can hear the resolve in his voice, and he makes you believe that he’s going to make it out.

All together, this is a very well crafted song. All of the pieces–the lyrics, the vocals, and the instrumental performances all come together perfectly here.

Artist: Bon Jovi
Album: Crush

This is a first for the Random Songs–a song that I didn’t like.

Crush was the second Bon Jovi CD that I purchased, after Cross Road. In some ways, Crush was a bit of a surprise, as several of the songs didn’t sound like what I was used to from Cross Road. I could deal with that, though, since it’s never fair to compare a Greatest Hits compilation to a regular release.

Captain Crash was a bit of an anomaly though; it’s one on a relatively short list of Bon Jovi songs that I instantly disliked the first time I heard it. I wasn’t sure why; it didn’t drag like some of the others on Crush, and it wasn’t annoying or anything. In fact, the tune was a solid pop-rock tune almost as good as It’s My Life. I just Did Not Like It.

If I had to guess, I’d say that the nonsensical quality of the lyrics put me off, but that doesn’t add up either. I love I Would Do Anything For Love, and that song doesn’t exactly make a ton of sense. (You can read the Random Song for I Would Do Anything For Love here.)

It didn’t get better with time, either. Many of the other songs that I had instantly disliked (If I Was Your Mother, Tom Sawyer) I eventually warmed up to after many hearings. In some cases, like If I Was Your Mother, I would eventually come to really like the song. But Captain Crash just didn’t do anything for me, no matter how many times I listened to Crush.

It wasn’t until I attended my first concert (Prudential Center, November 3, 2007) that I finally got it. When I heard the first notes of the song, my first thought was “oh no, anything but this”. But once I heard more of it, I started to get into it. This is a song that somehow undergoes a magical transformation when played live. I don’t know what it is about live performance that completely transforms this song, but it somehow becomes a marvelous experience at a concert.

I still don’t really like the studio recording. Even though I enjoy hearing it live, and swaying along with the rest of the crowd at concerts is part of the show that I really look forward to, I just can’t get into the studio version. Something about it just seems kind of hollow compared to hearing it live. It’s too bad that a live version of Captain Crash and The Beauty Queen From Mars wasn’t included on One Wild Night, because that would be one of my favorite songs. Maybe. I don’t know if the magic of the live show would carry over to the recording.