'It's My Life', the first track on Bon Jovi's Grammy-nominated 2000 album "CRUSH"

polevka · #21 04-27-2018, 10:57 PM

I agree. It's a great song.

Yes, I've got tired of hearing it again and again. But not so long ago I was in a club (not a place I've visited often in recent years) and they played that song. Loud.
For the first time in a very long time the song sounded fresh again. Not completely new, but I heard it how I had heard it when it was still the year 2000. A great experience.

YOVANAfromPeru · #22 04-28-2018, 12:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Captain_jovi

"Black is white and up is down"

Quote:

Originally Posted by bonjovi90

I've always blamed Jon for that line.

I always thought it was JBJ line too, maybe because my head is still thinking in the day I opened my Have A Nice Day tour book, and there it was: big capital letters with a JBJ black and white picture >_< jajaj
UP IS DOWN AND
BLACK IS WHITE
TO ME

YOVANAfromPeru · #23 04-28-2018, 12:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by YOVANAfromPeru

big capital letters

well not that big like the capital letters of the OP of this thread

P.S. I like Complicated! -_-

bounce442 · #24 04-28-2018, 01:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Captain_jovi

The trend he had of writing about a woman no one can explain especially (She's a Mystery, Mystery Train, Wildflower)

I think he's been trying to rewrite "She Talks to Angels" over and over again.
"Yes, she'll tell you she's an orphan After you meet her family"
vs
"Well, she'll tell you she's an only child until you meet her brothers"

Falco · #25 04-28-2018, 07:41 AM

I was 13 when it came out, and it introduced me to Bon Jovi. It wasn't until I got the Crush Tour DVD that I was introduced to songs like "Born To Be My Baby", "Bed Of Roses", "Keep The Faith" and my Jovi fandom really took hold.

Crush will always be a special album to me, I played that thing to death that year. It annoys me they don't play any other songs off that album anymore, besides IML and Captain Crash.

Just Older, Next 100 Years, Thank You For Loving Me, OWN, Two Story Town...these songs have been sorely overlooked over the past 18 years.

This album revived their career, the songs need to be shown more respect and played more often live.

symbeline · #26 05-01-2018, 01:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Captain_jovi

I know you're joking but I think in ratios. If Desmond wrote 30 song with them and 5 are stinkers I'm okay. If you write two and one stinks never again haha. Complicated is fine arrangement wise but "Black is white and up is down" HARD PASS for me.

Funny because I see that line in a different light. No, it's not poetry, but what works for me is the attitude those lyrics speak of, of anger bubbling underneath the surface. That's attitude is present in Complicated and also throughout the whole album, taking into account some of the original themes that were scraped. Sometimes life gets in your way and you don't have the patience for small talk, for seeing the bigger picture or even for mature conversation.

Maybe it's because Complicated hits very close to home, I've had my moments of exploding and saying very very similar things. "You either like this or fvck off. No, I don't want to discuss this/see things your way, I don't care about shades of gray, fvck you. This is who I am". Ok, the cursing is mine, but you get my meaning

Quote:

I'd say it started with Crush. The trend he had of writing about a woman no one can explain especially (She's a Mystery, Mystery Train, Wildflower) but I think you're right

I haven't listened to his songs in a while but I'm pretty sure those themes came courtesy of (or were heavily influenced by) Mr. Falcon. Jon's artsy late 90s era was the perfect timing for their songwriting collaboration. That's why IML sticks out like a sore thumb in Crush

symbeline · #27 05-01-2018, 01:27 AM

Didn't Jon say somewhere that Max Martin came up with the melody and that's what kickstarted the song? It's clear that the melody, especially in the chorus, is Martin's.

The.punctuating.the.lyrics.for.dramatic.effect is one of his signatures. The guy has a knack for creating great soaring vocals in the right places with just the right amount of effects.

Captain_jovi · #28 05-01-2018, 07:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by symbeline

Funny because I see that line in a different light. No, it's not poetry, but what works for me is the attitude those lyrics speak of, of anger bubbling underneath the surface. That's attitude is present in Complicated and also throughout the whole album, taking into account some of the original themes that were scraped. Sometimes life gets in your way and you don't have the patience for small talk, for seeing the bigger picture or even for mature conversation.

Maybe it's because Complicated hits very close to home, I've had my moments of exploding and saying very very similar things. "You either like this or fvck off. No, I don't want to discuss this/see things your way, I don't care about shades of gray, fvck you. This is who I am". Ok, the cursing is mine, but you get my meaning

I haven't listened to his songs in a while but I'm pretty sure those themes came courtesy of (or were heavily influenced by) Mr. Falcon. Jon's artsy late 90s era was the perfect timing for their songwriting collaboration. That's why IML sticks out like a sore thumb in Crush

Suuuuper interesting theory. I'd have to listen back to those songs that do that and look at the cowriters. Wildflower is a solo Jon write and it's rife with "it's both x AND y" lyrics hence me thinking he's behind it. To me IML sticks out more-so because it's a very safe, non aggressive sound. The hardest rocking song, One Wild Night, has more of a bar room swagger with gang vocals and hand claps. IML to me just sounds like it was recorded well after the fact but I can't tell if it's because that I know that it was or because it just doesn't fit with the rest of the record.

Alphavictim · #29 05-01-2018, 03:32 PM

Wasn't Say It Isn't So originally intended to be the first single? I'd say it's safe to say somebody (record company, producer, JBJ himself) decided they'd need something more, so IML certainly came LATER in the writing process, but not necessarily last. (Then again, God Bless This Mess was originally announced as the first single from THINFS and eventually didn't become one at all.)

Quote:

Originally Posted by symbeline

The.punctuating.the.lyrics.for.dramatic.effect is one of his signatures.

What do you mean by that? IMO Desmond Child is more prone to use the same rhythmic tricks over and over (Bad Name's chorus' punctuated rhythm got re-used not only for all these New Jersey demo songs but also for stuff like The Price Of Lovin' You or These Times Are Hard For Lovers). Or did I misinterpret what you meant by that?

Bounce7800 · #30 05-01-2018, 05:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alphavictim

Wasn't Say It Isn't So originally intended to be the first single? I'd say it's safe to say somebody (record company, producer, JBJ himself) decided they'd need something more, so IML certainly came LATER in the writing process, but not necessarily last. (Then again, God Bless This Mess was originally announced as the first single from THINFS and eventually didn't become one at all.)

Yep, Say It Isn't So was listed as the first single pretty much up to the release when IML suddenly appeared. Don't recall there was any mention of IML being around when they did the pre-album webcast.

'It's My Life', the first track on Bon Jovi's Grammy-nominated 2000 album "CRUSH"

General BJ Discussion