I always wind up turning to music when I’ve had a bad day. Sometimes it’s a concert DVD, and sometimes it’s just turning on the computer and letting Windows Media Player shuffle until it hits the right song.
So, I present the top 10 songs that I turn to when I’ve had that truly rotten day… (more…)
As you know if you follow this blog, music didn’t mean much to me for a large portion of my life. Through all of high school and most of college, there was very little in the way of music that I felt at all strongly about.
Last year, I posted both the top 5 songs that I thought Bon Jovi could cut from their live shows and the top 5 songs that I wanted to hear during the next tour. Last week, I posted my updated list of the top 5 songs that I thought could be cut for 2011, and today I’m back with the top 5 songs that I want to hear during the Greatest Hits tour in 2011.
I’ve counted Richie Sambora’s Stranger In This Town as my favorite album from the first time I listened to it. But I’ve never quite been able to quantify exactly why that one album made such a deep impression.
After Memphis racked up such big wins at the Tony Awards, I went back through my music collection with an eye to songs that Dave had written or co-written. And I compiled a list of my favorites. (These all came from Bon Jovi albums or Stranger In This Town, as I don’t actually have any of his solo stuff.)
Rest In Peace
This song makes an excellent first track for Stranger In This Town, and really sets the tone for the whole album. I really can’t think of another word to describe this piece other than ‘haunting’. I know it’s been used before, but I can’t think of a better one. It’s amazingly subtle, and incredibly beautiful, and it’s the composition of the instrumental parts that really makes it.
In These Arms
This is one of Bon Jovi’s better ‘power ballads’. It’s more balanced than some of their other ones and it definitely has better lyrics. To be honest, I really like this one better than ‘Always’, which I find to be a tad melodramatic.
The Hardest Part Is The Night
Okay, this one you could call cheesy. It sounds like a product of its time. But it’s got a good melody, and I like it. And it wouldn’t have its personality without Dave’s synthesizer work.
The Jewish Daily Forward has an interview with David Bryan at their site.
It’s pretty short, and there’s not much new material there, if you’re a fan. However, I really do think that it’s nice to see Dave stepping out of the shadow of the band a little bit. He’s really a talented guy in his own right. That’s why I get excited when I see that somebody wants to interview him about his work instead of him just being along for the ride with Bon Jovi. (Not least because he’s a fairly interesting guy and when the whole band is along, he pretty much never gets to speak.)
Dave has always been a gifted songwriter. All you have to do is listen to the work he did on Stranger in this Town with Richie to see that. At least with his work on ‘Memphis” and the other shows that he’s worked on, he gets some recognition for it.
Artist: Richie Sambora
Album: Stranger In This Town
Stranger In This Town was my first introduction to what Richie was capable of on his own. Up to this point, I had always been a big Jon fan. Richie was a secondary consideration, at best. (Blue eyes are a weakness of mine, and sorry Richie, you haven’t got ‘em, and Jon does.) But after collecting a number of Bon Jovi CDs I started to get curious about Richie’s solo efforts. After all, the man does have undeniable talent on the guitar. He doesn’t get a lot of credit for it–there will never be a Bon Jovi edition of Guitar Hero–but he’s every bit as good as anyone else considered a “guitar god”.
(Actually at the rate Activision is going, there may be a Guitar Hero: Bon Jovi before too long. Unfortunately, I can’t imagine Richie making a particularly attractive Guitar Hero character.)
At any rate, I had to special order my copy of Stranger. None of the places around here keep that kind of thing in stock. But it turned out to be completely worth it. Once I got home, I stuck the CD in the player and started reading my email. Believe me, the email didn’t last long. Halfway through Church of Desire I was sitting in front of the stereo with the liner notes spread out across the floor so that I could follow along.
It’s hard to pick a favorite track from Stranger In This Town; it has really become my favorite CD of all time. I know it’s the only CD that I own that I always listen to from start to finish every time I play it. I never skip tracks on this CD. However, Rosie was really the outstanding song on the CD for me.
First, the lyrics to this song are incredible. Like many of the songs that Richie has written with Jon, it tells a story. But where sometimes their story songs get bogged down in detail, Rosie doesn’t. Rosie paints an incredibly clear picture in very few words. Only the vital details to paint in the image and the story are included. The story could be considered a tired cliche, but it’s handled extremely well. The lyrics make both of the characters into sympathetic figures. This is honestly one of Jon and Richie’s best efforts in terms of songwriting.
Secondly, the vocals on this song are excellent. Richie does a wonderful job of interpreting the lyrics. Honestly, I’m glad this song was cut from New Jersey; I don’t think Jon could have performed it anywhere near this well. It’s Richie’s blue-influenced vocalsund that bring the right degree of emotion to the song. The lyrics on their own could have come off pathetic, but treated as a blues song it works.
Secondly, this is a solid song musically as well. The lyrics on their own could have been a pathetic dirge–by setting them to a tune that a stripper might dance to, it not only prevents the song from being a complete downer but also in some ways brings the story to life. By using that kind of melody it helps bring the images of the dark, smoky club to life. In addition to having a catchy melody, it provides plenty of space for Richie to demonstrate his ability on the guitar, and Richie doesn’t overdo it. Some guitar solos can drag on forever–Rosie’s is long enough to be excellent, and short enough to leave you wanting more.
In short this is really one of my favorite rock songs ever, and was really responsible for me recognizing Richie on his own merits. And let’s face it, he deserves that.