5 Best Bon Jovi Songs
Some of Bon Jovi’s classic rock songs are everywhere. However, the “You Give Love a Bad Name” band’s songs don’t inspire the sort of analysis that other groups do. We are going to break the rules a little and cunt down the five best Bon Jovi songs.
5. ‘Bed of Roses’
Every metal band needs to get a little soft and sweet from time to time. A “bed of roses” is usually a metaphor for a life of ease. Here. Bon Jovi use the term literally. If roses on the sheets sound like a good Valentine’s Day, then this is the hit song for you.
The context is interesting as well. “Bed of Roses” was a hit on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1993. Even after Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” kicked off the grunge revolution of 1992, Bon Jovi were still going strong — commercially and artistically.
4. ‘Livin’ on a Prayer’
“Livin’ on a Prayer” could not be more overexposed. You can’t go on a road trip without hearing it. Millions of people have heard it so much that it might not register as a song anymore, just a fact of life.
That doesn’t change the fact that it’s a perfect pop-metal song. It embodies the struggles of the working people of the world while giving them a glimmer of hope during difficult times. As long as people still listen to rock music, “Livin’ on a Prayer” will have a palace in our collective memory.
3. ‘You Give Love a Bad Name’
We’ve all been there. We’ve all been heartbroken and gotten angry at our former love. A lot of songs that address that emotion can get a little sexist. Fortunately, Bon Jovi don’t go there (even though many of their contemporaries did).
What’s incredible about this song is that it makes the former lover look almost demonic. Apparently, she was so awful she gave the concept of love a bad name. Either he dated a succubus or his girlfriend dumped him over the phone. Either way, it sounds like the perfect subject for a melodramatic hair metal song.
2. ‘It’s My Life’
Writing a song about how you are your own person and you should be able to live as you please is a little juvenile. However, Bon Jovi handle the subject with style. Anyone who has ever felt like they were taking control of their situation has thought of “It’s My Life” for at least a moment.
Part of the reason why the song works so well is the production wizardry of Max Martin. Who knew the pop maestro behind Britney Spears’ “…Baby One More Time” and Katy Perry’s “I Kissed a Girl” could write for a metal band? The best classic rock groups are full of surprises.
1. ‘Wanted Dead or Alive’
“Wanted Dead or Alive” is the only Bon Jovi song that sounds like it could have been performed by Guns N’ Roses — and it’s Bon Jovi’s best work by far. That’s both a compliment and an insult. On one level, it means that Bon Jovi wrote an awesome song. On another level, it shows that Guns N’ Roses are just the better band full stop.
Regardless, “Wanted Dead or Alive” is perfect. The unexpected combination of Western music, folk, and metal is a real treat. Frankly, Bon Jovi sold the idea of the outlaw better than a lot of outlaw country singers.
