Originally Posted by bonjovi90

Miss Fourth of July was written in a period when Jon thought that his dream (and more so the band) had possibly gone/disbanded.
That's why he said before some live performances "I happen to like the song more now because it doesn't hurt as bad." With Richie's departure which hurt him deeply, that pain has returned.
I also don't think he'd actually ever play Wanted and I'll Be There For You again if those hadn't been hits.