The Gospel According to Jovi

in #music6 years ago (edited)

gospelaccodringtojovi.jpg
Bon Jovi Image Souce Sheet music purchased here for use

If there is anything that listening to Bon Jovi has taught me, it is that being bad, is good. Well, that, and the term, “Rock Ballad.” Which is an actually a kickass riff you can rock out to – as you’re simultaneously bawling your eyes out.

Aptly writing, producing and performing music concurrently with the progression of popular culture, whilst remaining and reigning in relevance over time, Bon Jovi provides the soundtrack to an era – nee, my life – and continually cements itself as Rock and Roll Royalty. Well-known, well-respected, well-earned, Royalty.

The truth is in the numbers:
Thirty-five. The numbers of years since the band’s inception and the subsequent release of their first eponymous album.
Twenty-seven hundred. The number of live concerts performed in that time.
Thirty-nine. The number of studio and independently produced albums which led to over…
One hundred and thirty million. The number of records sold the world over.

Sure, there are numerous Rock bands and artists out there that can rightfully boast about their talent, achievements and fame. What makes Bon Jovi meritoriously iconic, however, is the sheer brilliance behind all which unifies articulacy, diversity, timelessness and a natural knack for incomparable artistry. In utmost earnest, lead-singing namesake, John Francis Bongiovi, Jr. created a flawless combination of musical maestros, unparalleled lyrical ability, mesmeric amounts of Rock Star flair and showmanship, and has maintained such a feat of fortitude, for over three decades. That’s not merely noteworthy. It’s historic.

Such powerful talent and creativity are borne of something preternatural and are inexplicable, but they are perfected and upheld by something even greater. If Muses are the Goddesses of Creative Art, then I believe Bon Jovi must have been blessed with an overabundance of inspiration by the Mystics themselves. Then, there’re the discernable elements of excellence upon which the magic relies: the keyboardist named David Bryan, the drummer called Tico Torres, the guitarists who go by Phil X and Dave Sabo, the bassists, Alec John Such and Hugh McDonald and the brilliant guitarist-cum-songwriter known as Richie Sambora. Altogether spearheaded and gloriously led to fame by one incredible, incomparable artist - Jon Bon Jovi.

Over the band’s thirty-five-year existence, there were pauses and breaks in its prevalence; whether its members took a collective hiatus due to rigorous performance schedules or rumored creative differences, the significance of Bon Jovi’s popularity and success never wavered. They might have been out of the studio and off the road, but their indelible sound still lingered on the airwaves. Those songs and that style continuously influenced the minds and hearts of their fans; throughout three decades past. We blasted Bon Jovi on our stereos, wore out our cassette tapes and CD’s, moussed our hair and found ourselves clad in our loud leather and Lycra, rocking out in front of our TV’s, any and every time we caught a whiff of a familiar song or video. Yup, we sure did. Unashamedly so.

As we loyal Jovi disciples patiently awaited the release of the band’s new music, its varying members reunited, after each having pursued his own personal project. Yet, despite how much time had passed or how long they spent apart, there was never any need to reintroduce themselves to the music industry or reaffirm their talent, like other artists have had to. Bon Jovi has never had to make a “comeback,” because Bon Jovi has never gone away.

What Jon Bon Jovi and his bandmates have achieved in order to permanently make their mark in music history, is nothing less than extraordinarily genius. Jovi grew and adapted as the world did; gradually, moderately, precisely. Their early timeless hits, “Runaway,” “In and Out of Love” and “Shot Through the Heart” put them on the map; but the matured passion and poetic prowess that fueled the unmistakable success of the groundbreaking album “Slippery When Wet” and two years later, “New Jersey,” put them on rotation on the radio, in every record store and atop the charts. Subsequently, they played to sold out stadiums worldwide, and educated the masses on the synergetic mastery of pure rhythmic brilliance and thought-provoking lyrics. We all listened, and we all learned.

Whether they were the delusions of “a schoolboy’s dream,” set to a truly masterful musical arrangement in “ You Give Love a Bad Name;” sympathizing with two hopeful dreamers named Tommy and Gina “Livin’ On A Prayer;” or the mesmerizing, soulful sounds of “Wanted Dead Or Alive,” “Lay Your Hands On Me” or “Bad Medicine,” each track delivered its own cadence and its own exceptionality, but they were the epitome of Rock and were all designed, and ultimately destined, to be unforgettable.

When the beat slowed, and the words bore the resemblance of quiet reverence, especially like they did in “Always,” “Bed Of Roses,” “I’ll Be There For You” and “This Ain’t A Love Song,” it was all still Rock. Jovi may not have invented the term “Rock Ballad,” but by his mere musical contribution and talent, may just have perfected it. The unmistakable gravelly waves of Jon Bon Jovi’s voice preaching each note with such conviction and emotion, forced you to listen, to feel each tone. Paired with infectious choruses and musicality, it quickly became apparent with each record, that the band possessed an unnamable, universal appeal; even if you weren’t a fan of Rock music, chances were you could still not only recognize a Bon Jovi hit, you could recite one. Word for word.

Throughout the Alternative-dominant Nineties, and despite the popularity of Grunge and Punk/Emo in the 2000’s and the effectual resurgence of Hip Hop in the 2010’s, Bon Jovi successfully repeated making magic out of timeless music. Simply, by continuously making good music. Ever so effortlessly remaining relevant by keeping the Heavy Metal/Rock genre alive, the band cranked out unforgettable hits like “Someday I’ll Be Saturday Night,” “Have A Nice Day,” “Lost Highway,” “It’s My Life” and the Country/Rock crossover, “Who Says You Can’t Go Home.” Along with the releases of numerous albums highlighting the band’s “Greatest Hits” and several compilation records featuring live and even solo performances by the headman himself, there was also the brilliantly produced album, “This Left Feels Right;” a collection of remastered, unplugged and modernized versions of Jovi’s most popular smashes.

Thanks to Bon Jovi’s legendary innovation and perpetual creativity, the band has garnered a bevy of new fans over the past decade. Subtly infiltrating its signature old-school Heavy Metal stylings of synthesized instruments into a new demographic of music lovers with well-written, cleverly produced tracks, is inspired.

As for our devotion, we die-hard followers believe in Bon Jovi. We believe in the music. We were there in the beginning when it was just “Bon Jovi” and “7800 Degrees Fahrenheit” and we’ll be here until “This House Is Not For Sale,” but the music will never end. We’ll “Never Say Goodbye.” After all, Tommy and Gina never did.

Sincerely,
Ilsa Ione

Sort:  

Great post! I have seen them in concert three or four times and they always put on a great show. I have been told on several occasions that I would become immediately single if Jon were to make an offer to my wife 😀. Our affinity for the band is so significant that our son is named Jovi and on the sad day we decide to get a new one there is a good chance it will be named Tico. I am glad you highlighted This Ain't a Love Song. That is my favorite of theirs. Congrats on the Curie.

Thanks @bozz. I wasn't expecting a Curie. I wasn't sure what that was all about and when it happened, I had to look it up and what it all was because Ginabot was going crazy on me. I've never been able to see them in concert, unfortunately. Maybe one day! But I'm glad that I finally got this article written after working on it for so long!

I was introduced to Bon Jovi's music when my aunt would usually play her casette for an entire day. I mean, if I didn't have school or other activities outside the house during my childhood, I'd probably memorized all of his songs. I love his music because of the reasons you mentioned. The flow and the creativity. There are also some depth in the backstory of how a particular songs were created. I still play some of his tunes when I'm in the mood for the 90's rock.

@adamada Thanks for the comment. I remember going to the skating rink when I was in my early teens and skating to some of the music, and I always remember that they used to play some of the slower songs during the "couples skate" time. Ah, some of the memories music can bring back.

So. Now I'm going to be singing/humming/thinking "Tommy used to work on the docks....." The rest of he day!

Thanks for a great tribute to a wonderful band. I mean, they'll never be the Rolling Stones, but mighty good.

@bigtom13 I was going to write a tribute to The Rolling Stones, but there is just way too much to say about them! I have been working on this piece for a couple of weeks now and got such writer's block because I wanted it to be "perfect" and as I re-read it, I can see some imperfections in it and before I take on The Rolling Stones, I really need to brush up a bit on my writing and get it more polished, but thank you so much for the compliment.

I have listened to this band since I was a pre-teen and they seem to never go out of style! :)

So. The pros that I work with have a sort of rule. Over 1000 words and it gets split in two. Or three or 4 or whatever.

Just think: You could have Rolling Stones-The Early Years, Rolling Stones-The Hottest Band on Earth and Rolling Stones-The mummification of Kieth Richards or some such :)

This is so weird that I didn't see this as a reply or I would have replied sooner! I could do a series on a band. That is a good idea. Because, let's face it, if I ever intend on doing a band that has been around for over 60 years, or 70 years, it will have to be epic and I do not know if I am up for that challenge just yet. Maybe in time when I feel more comfortable with my writing skills.

Thanks for the encouragement and the idea. It's a great one!

What a nice tribute. I love your writing about this immortal band. Hehe. I remember in my pre-teen I already saw the Poster of the long-haired Bon Jovi. They (and Aerosmith too) somehow introduce rock music to me.

My favorite album from them is slippery when wet. My least favorite song is it's my life.

Richie Sambora is such a cool guitarist!

@gibic Thank you for your kind words! They are up there with some of my all time favorite bands and Sambora is a great guitarist. Slippery When Wet was a great breakthrough album for the band, in my opinion! Thank you for stopping by my blog! :)

I read on the comment above that you'll write about Rolling Stone? Oooh, I can not wait!

Yes, but it may be a while as this one took me a while to write because I got a severe case of writer's block with it!

My wife is such a HUGE Bon Jovi fan :) I am going to have to share this with her. It really is pretty incredible how long they have stayed at it, with seeming invulnerability to the usual pitfalls that happen to big famous rock bands. Go in peace in a blaze of glory. Amen.

@carlgnash Thank you for taking the time to read this very long post! It is pretty amazing how they have managed to stay together for so long. There are very few who have made it past the three decade mark and have done so successfully. Love the wordplay at the end of your comment as well! :) hope you are having a great evening/day.

Nicely written article... Love when people go hard on what they believe in. I'm not really a fan of this genre... But Bon Jovi is right up there. I've achieved great things, listening to "It's my life"

Thank you for the comment @solcross and the time you took to read the article. I appreciate your time you took. As per my article, not everyone may like them, but most everyone knows a song by them! :) Glad you appreciated the writing!

Indeed! All the best, and keep at it. Lovely weekend to you and yours.


This post was shared in the Curation Collective Discord community for curators, and upvoted and resteemed by the @c-squared community account after manual review.

Hi ilsaione,

This post has been upvoted by the Curie community curation project and associated vote trail as exceptional content (human curated and reviewed). Have a great day :)

Visit curiesteem.com or join the Curie Discord community to learn more.

Congratulations! This post has been upvoted from the communal account, @minnowsupport, by ilsaione from the Minnow Support Project. It's a witness project run by aggroed, ausbitbank, teamsteem, someguy123, neoxian, followbtcnews, and netuoso. The goal is to help Steemit grow by supporting Minnows. Please find us at the Peace, Abundance, and Liberty Network (PALnet) Discord Channel. It's a completely public and open space to all members of the Steemit community who voluntarily choose to be there.

If you would like to delegate to the Minnow Support Project you can do so by clicking on the following links: 50SP, 100SP, 250SP, 500SP, 1000SP, 5000SP.
Be sure to leave at least 50SP undelegated on your account.

Coin Marketplace

STEEM 0.35
TRX 0.12
JST 0.040
BTC 70597.89
ETH 3559.60
USDT 1.00
SBD 4.77