This House Is Not For Sale (2016) - Post Album Release Discussion

Originally Posted by Dicanio

Looks like im the only one who loves Scars On This Guitar!

Originally Posted by hchb2000

"Living with the ghost" has some of the best lyrics Jon has ever written (at least that i know of), makes it even more meaningful that he wrote it about Richie.

In an interview he said "out of great pain comes great art"..... he also thinks that "if it could break your heart, it is real love". Shows how much Jon loves (or at least loved) Richie and how much Richie's departure hurt...

Originally Posted by (Jimmy)

It's a dud, boys. There are a couple of okay songs there and about. Aside from that, R.I.P. Bon Jovi. It was a good run.

Originally Posted by Roll

Well, if somebody had told me that Richie leaving Bon Jovi would be the best thing to happen to the band I wouldn't have believed them.
And yet that's the truth. So thank you Mr Sambora.

Originally Posted by (Jimmy)

It's a dud, boys. There are a couple of okay songs there and about. Aside from that, R.I.P. Bon Jovi. It was a good run.

Originally Posted by JackieBlue

I heard him say that in the promo shows, too; but I just can't make that connection at all.

When I first heard it, a lot of the lyrics made me think he was referring to Richie (even if one ignores the King of Swing nickname).

Heavy is the head that wears the crown.
All the people came to hear him speak (play) from miles around.
They hung on every word (note), a song in every sound
Heavy is the head that wears the crown.
He touched the sky to light up all the stars.
He could snap his fingers and catch lightning in a jar.
I am you and you are me; and we are who we are.
We’ll touch the sky and light up all the stars.

(This reminded me of the early shows with Richie's long solos and lightning-fast riffs - like 'In and Out of Love'.)

All hail the king whose castle’s falling down,
The paper prince who wears a cardboard crown.
Poor man has his money; rich man has his gold.
All hail the king whose fortune is his soul.

(A lot of people seem to think Richie expected that he would set the world on fire when he did his solo albums and compete on the same level as Bon Jovi; or was somehow trying to prove he was better than the band. I don't agree; but if that’s the case, then things don't seem to be going so well for him right now. At best, it's up and down. So it would appear that “his castle’s falling down”; certainly in comparison to “this house” that’s not for sale. The “paper prince/cardboard crown” makes me think of the “vagabond king/Styrofoam crown” in TD, which in turn reminds me of the “old man on the corner” in Harlem Rain. I always wondered if Richie didn’t fear that would he would one day end up that way... The “whose fortune is his soul” recalls how, in the later interviews during 2014, Richie would say that being a part of Ava's life right now was better currency than money, or something like that - can't recall exactly - plus, I think he just wants the freedom to do his own thing, regardless of whether it meets anyone’s expectations or whether he makes millions doing it or not.)

He climbed the clouds to heaven’s highest hill.
When you get that high, the earth below looks just like a blue pill.
Gave wind to all his horses, and to all his men good will,
When he climbed down from heaven’s highest hill.

(With the band, he certainly climbed to the “highest hill”; and “gave wind to all his horses” made me think of his love of horse racing. Besides being involved in a lot of charities, he has repeatedly said that he loves the band and wishes them nothing but the best, so he gave “to all his men good will, when he climbed down from heaven’s highest hill” and left the band to pursue other goals.)

I’ll stop right there, because I refuse to even think about the last verse. Not touching that with a 10’ pole…

Those are just my thoughts. Maybe Jon is saying something much different, something that relates more closely to the SK, and I'm just missing the point.

Whether I’m reading too much between the lines or not, I love the song, as well as all the others on this album. I won’t even try to deny that I miss Richie, especially in the vocals, but there's also no denying that the band and Shanks did a fantastic job on this album (not that I ever expected less than that from them).

Originally Posted by becky

oh, leave richie alone. He's just bitter. ��

Originally Posted by (Jimmy)

It's a dud, boys. There are a couple of okay songs there and about. Aside from that, R.I.P. Bon Jovi. It was a good run.

Originally Posted by Kukoc7

Hmmm...
That's all you got?
Not much insight there.
As a Jovi fan, R.I.P. (Jimmy).