Top 10 Songs by Bon Jovi
#10 – Shot Through The Heart (Bon Jovi). This little known rockin’ hit is one that I hold near and dear to my heart. It takes me back, way back, to the innocence of youth and the troubles of the heart. From the way the keyboards are interlaced with the guitars, to the early musings of Mr. Jovi, this song was a clear indication of what was to come from Bon Jovi.
#9 – Lay Your Hands On Me (New Jersey). This song also has personal meaning to me, but it more than earns its place on any Bon Jovi top ten list based on its musical credits. Simply put, this song rocks. The extended intro is one that sets the tone for the ‘rocking’ that is to follow. This is how rock and roll is supposed to sound.
#8 – Born To Be My Baby (New Jersey). This song clearly describes what women want from men. Just listen to the lyrics; it describes the perfect relationship. Bon Jovi did their best work when they tackled this issue. If you have a great relationship, you can visualize this song and imagine it was written just for you. It’s a great song from start to finish.
#7 – Never Say Goodbye (Slippery When Wet). This is the ultimate prom song. This song must have been the closing dance to more high school dances than anything else (Journey excluded). Again, like with Born To Be My Baby, this song targets a specific audience and doesn’t let go. Plus, the guitar solo in it is magnificent.
#6 – Blood On Blood (New Jersey). This is a coming of age tale done to perfection. This song is the musical equivalent of movies like Stand By Me, or The Sandlot. I love the story. It really makes you think and wonder where did the time go? Plus, Tico does some of his best drum work on this song. Again, this is a little known song that everybody should experience.
#5 – Bad Medicine (New Jersey). This was one of the hardest/heaviest songs I had heard when I first heard it. I loved it then, I love it now. It was the first taste of Bon Jovi after the success of Slippery When Wet. When I first heard it, I knew that New Jersey may be even been than Slippery When Wet…and I was right. The sexual innuendo and double entendres here are aplenty and done to a tee. Excellence of execution is the best way to describe this song. Awesome.
#4 – Livin’ On A Prayer (Slippery When Wet). This is the ultimate Bon Jovi song. This is the song that put Tommy and Gina on the map. They are like honorary members of the band. There is no finer produced Bon Jovi song than Livin’ On A Prayer. It is an example of everything going better than conceived. Plus, the talk box that Richie uses is the best since Peter Frampton “invented” it.
#3 – Runaway (Bon Jovi). From the moment you hear the opening synthesizer riff (there’s a phrase not heard enough anymore), you know you are in for something great. This is the song that introduced the world to Bon Jovi. The first meeting went like this: “World, here’s Bon Jovi, prepare to be conquered”. The world sat back, listened to Runaway, and allowed the conquering with open arms and lighters held high. Only Bon Jovi could take a touchy subject like runaway girls and make it sound cool. This is one of the best ‘first hit’ songs of any band I can think of.
#2 – Dry County (Keep The Faith). This is the epic to end off epic songs. Not too many people know Dry County, but I beg you to seek it out. It is off their 1991 Keep The Faith album. It tells the tale of an oil town (down south) that has long since gone dry. The town is now, basically, a ghost town. It is not your normal, everyday Bon Jovi sound, topic, or theme, but that doesn’t make it any less a Bon Jovi song. Written during the time when the band was reinventing themselves; new look, Jon’s fascination with all things cowboy related…, Dry County is a song so powerful that it is best to listen to it when you are alone. It clocks in at a hefty 9+ minutes but you know the saying; no great song is too long and no bad song is too short. In the middle of the song, the music stops for a beat of two and then you hear a keyboard riff coming from way, way off in the distance. This repeats for a few measures, and then a single drum beat joins in. Little by little, the drum beats get louder to accompany the keyboards. This progresses into, what I consider, the greatest use of drums in the history of music. What Tico does here is nothing short of legendary. Phil Collins from In The Air Tonight is in awe of this drum work. After this brilliant use of drums, we are treated to Richie’s best guitar work on any song he’s ever done. I know that’s some heavy competition (and the guitar work on my song #1 is great, but this is better), but believe me, it is that good. The solo is one of my five favorite guitar solos ever. I cannot heap enough praise on this song. If you’ve never heard it, you are in for a treat. Thank me later.
Well, nine songs down and just one to go. This was not a difficult choice for me. In fact, songs #1 and #2 are head and shoulders above everything else; and I love everything else. The only difficult part for me was which songs not to include on the list. There were three songs that I tried to fit in, but I just couldn’t find any other numbers between 1 and 10. Those songs were – She Don’t Know Me (Bon Jovi), You Give Love A Bad Name (Slippery When Wet), and Living In Sin (New Jersey). I love the three of these, but they just didn’t make the final cut. So let’s say that they will be numbers 10a, 10b, and 10c. Now, as for number one, well it should be obvious by now. It is everybody’s favorite Bon Jovi song. It is the ultimate and classic tale of the road. It is…
#1 – Wanted: Dead Or Alive (Slippery When Wet). You know it, you love it. Nothing else needs to be said. It’s Bon Jovi’s tale of troubled times on the road. It has earned its place alongside other similarly-themed greats like Bob Seger’s Turn The Page, and Jackson Browne’s The Load-Out. Hands down, this is the best song that Bon Jovi has ever done.
