The Themes of These Days

Kathleen · #11 06-07-2013, 03:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DevilsSon

I think the album title is absolutely prefect. In my mind the whole album is about time passing and everything that revolves around it.

Hey God - all about a grim pessimistic future.

These Days, Something for The Pain, Something to Believe in, My Guitar, Lie to Me, Hearts Breaking Even - all about being stuck in some form the present, into the NOW, and it's ugly, it's not right, but here we are...

Letting Go, Bitter Wine - about getting to grip with the past, with a memory that just won' t stop daunting you.

And of course, there are the more generic Bon Jovi songs that are just great songs but don't necessarily fit into any of those buckets...such as the rest really.

Great album. Absolutely fantastic album. Pretty much, one of the best anyone has ever recorded.

You pretty much summed it up perfectly, especially your last sentence so I will repeat it.

Great album. Absolutely fantastic album. Pretty much, one of the best anyone has ever recorded.

For me - These Days (the song) is right up there with Thunder Road and tied for the best ever written (in my opinion). And I would compare These Days (the album) with Bruce's Born to Run (where Thunder Road is from) album very favorably and call them both my favorites.

Walkerboy · #12 06-07-2013, 01:03 PM

I have 2 issues with this album:
a) On Hey God..... Did the kid born into the ghetto in 1991 manage to make it to 21??? In fact I just tweeted Matt to find out

b) The lyrics to "These Days" show the chorus being "the stars seem out of reach" but on the audio it's very clearly "the stairs ain't out of reach".
When you tie it in to the next line "there ain't a ladder on the street", the audio version makes no sense.

Gabriel Shoes · #13 06-07-2013, 03:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Walkerboy

I have 2 issues with this album:
a) On Hey God..... Did the kid born into the ghetto in 1991 manage to make it to 21??? In fact I just tweeted Matt to find out

b) The lyrics to "These Days" show the chorus being "the stars seem out of reach" but on the audio it's very clearly "the stairs ain't out of reach".
When you tie it in to the next line "there ain't a ladder on the street", the audio version makes no sense.

It sounds to me on the record he says "seem" but there were versions live that he says "Ain't" (and on that japanese special version there's the chorus wrote by Jon on the back of the book, he wrote "ain't" too). I guess its that kind of thing that Jon does and starts to freaking out that the song it's too dark and with just with one word he can totally change the meaning of an entire song.

Walleris · #14 06-07-2013, 03:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gabriel Shoes

It sounds to me on the record he says "seem" but there were versions live that he says "Ain't" (and on that japanese special version there's the chorus wrote by Jon on the back of the book, he wrote "ain't" too). I guess its that kind of thing that Jon does and starts to freaking out that the song it's too dark and with just with one word he can totally change the meaning of an entire song.

Could be that. If that's the case, it's ridicoulous, it ruined This Ain't Love, This Is Life lyrically for me.

Rdkopper · #15 06-07-2013, 03:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Supersonic

Aloha !

I'm not sure the poster intended people to really describe what the songs are about, but more as to what they mean to you personally. I don't think he's waiting for 40 people saying This Ain't A Love Song is about a breakup.

Salaam Aleikum,
Sebastiaan

I want to see what the poster has to say about each song himself. I hate when topics are created like this without the creator filling it in themselves.

ticos_stick · #16 06-07-2013, 04:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rdkopper

I want to see what the poster has to say about each song himself. I hate when topics are created like this without the creator filling it in themselves.

He was being modest and allowing others to air their thoughts first perhaps?

Walkerboy · #17 06-07-2013, 04:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gabriel Shoes

It sounds to me on the record he says "seem" but there were versions live that he says "Ain't" (and on that japanese special version there's the chorus wrote by Jon on the back of the book, he wrote "ain't" too). I guess its that kind of thing that Jon does and starts to freaking out that the song it's too dark and with just with one word he can totally change the meaning of an entire song.

Just listened again and it's definitely "ain't" on the album

However, on the Yokohama bootleg he sings "seem"

Crushgen24/88 · #18 06-07-2013, 09:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gabriel Shoes

It sounds to me on the record he says "seem" but there were versions live that he says "Ain't" (and on that japanese special version there's the chorus wrote by Jon on the back of the book, he wrote "ain't" too). I guess its that kind of thing that Jon does and starts to freaking out that the song it's too dark and with just with one word he can totally change the meaning of an entire song.

I've always interpreted it as the stars "ain't" out of reach because there's a ladder in the streets. Like saying that some people have an unfair advantage ( the ladder) to reach the top while others don't. So honestly, I thin it's even darker than you'd saying.

nickolai · #19 06-07-2013, 09:55 PM

Meh. These Days just doesn't do it for me. The songs are catchy enough but the connotations behind it just dont reach to me. Maybe I was too young when it was released.

ezearis · #20 06-07-2013, 10:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nickolai

Meh. These Days just doesn't do it for me. The songs are catchy enough but the connotations behind it just dont reach to me. Maybe I was too young when it was released.

I was 1 year old when it was released and still is my favourite all-time album.

The Themes of These Days

General BJ Discussion