Amen

Let it Rain….that's the one. God….it did bug me the whole day.
Let it Rain with Luciano Pavarotti

Can got to bed now.

I was convinced that I would not like this song at all on the cd after hearing it live but I actually really like it.

....making love?

Unfolding like the mystery
Inside of her like poetry
A thousand horses running through my veins
Mercy, mercy what else can I say

Sounds like schmeckin' to me.

Whatever it is, and for whatever reason, it's one of the best songs on the new record. I hope that song does well if they release it.

^my first impression was, and still is that the song is about sex. With whom, I don't know, but its fun to use your imagination haha.

I didn't like the song at first, but its grown on me. Not sure if it would work as a single, though.

I love Amen performed live, but some of the magic seemed lost on the album version.

I thought it was pretty clear what it's about, surprised there's any debate. What Jon likes about Hallelujah is the innuendo which he thinks most people don't get when ironically Jon doesn't seem to realise that Cohen's song is about a bit more than sex and lyrics with not-so-subtle innuendo.

Anyway, these lines tell you it was the first time he was with this woman and the connection they made was so strong it will stay forever even if they never see each other again. Kind of a posh one night stand.

Last night we were born together
It was like we'd always been
She'll be with me forever
If I don't see her again

I laid down in her garden
Naked on her floor
Windows up, the curtains blowing
She don't lock the door

You can read the first line there as 'I put myself inside her.' He tells in the next lines that they're not in her literal garden: they're on her floor, and to make it even more plain the curtains are blowing about.

Like I said earlier, I really love that bit going into the chorus. It' not cheesy, fake, try-hard or anything else like that: I think it's brilliant and beautiful and with the string arrangement I can picture the scene so clearly.


Really? His voice is just too strained and nasal when he does it live and the strings are far too quiet.

I'm surprised at how many people have criticized his vocals on this. I think he does the absolute best he can with what he's got left.

When i first heard Amen i immediately knew it was an attempt to rewrite Hallelujah and i'm not sure i've got past that yet, when i do i'll let you know.

Was listening to "Learn to Love" this morning and wanted to say, I think "Learn to Love" is far superior to "Amen" and I wish it would have gotten played on the Circle Tour at least a couple times. I got "Hallelujah" at both shows I went to on that tour.

Not for me...it was one of the songs on The Circle that I didn't care for at all.

Now that I've listened to this album a bunch of times I can say that Amen is the only song that I actually appreciate. Funnily enough, it doesn't strike me as a Halellujah rip-off straight away (even though it is quite blatant)

The first song I think of is Temptation, the demo for Crush. It's a little less experimental than Temptation was, yet very very similar theme, vibe and texture to it. That's where Hallelujah comes in - the vocals. Sung differently this could have been a much better song.

Still - the highlight of the album, and one of my favourite Bon Jovi songs since These Days. Just proves Jon can still write a decent tune, occasionally.

Full list below (and yes, some of those are rip-offs too, but I don't really care. They're awesome!)

Say It Isn't So
Two Story Town
Next 100 Years
Temptation
Novocaine
Whole Lot of Leaving
Amen