Jungleland is #2 - Thunder Road has ALWAYS been my favorite. Maybe the difference is that Thunder Road is optimistic - "We're pulling out of here to win"

Outside the streets on fire in a real death waltz
Between flesh and what's fantasy and the poets down here
Don't write nothing at all, they just stand back and let it all be
And in the quick of the night they reach for their moment
And try to make an honest stand but they wind up wounded, not even dead
Tonight in jungleland

thats ant optimistic for ya lol :)

Great poetry but NOT an optimistic thought. Winding up wounded and not even dead - no thanks.

It is the first Bon Jovi album that let me down.
It is overrated.

The title track is awesome, I heard it live before the album was released and I thought this band could do no wrong. Boy, was I disappointed when I bought the album. There are exactly 5 good songs in this album: title track, Something For The Pain, Hearts Breaking Even, If That's What It Takes and This Ain't A Love Song (to me, this is their 4th great ballad after the holy trinity that is NSG, IBTFY and BOR, not Always). Everything else is turd.

I think of it as cathartic.

Ah f*ck it, there you all go again writing about what is the best piece of musical history ever created.
To this day I remember vividly that June morning in 1995 I went into town and picked up this album on the day of release. A couple of months prior "Good Guys.." had been playing a lot on the "Dial MTV show" followed by TAALS and I was majorly impressed. Already had my tickets for the -95 shows at home, just didn't have the album. Immediately upon coming home I put the CD in the stereo, sat down and pushed 'play'. I let the entire album play through, following along in the lyrics. After it had finished I remember sitting there going "well, that was..... different...". Went outside, took out the lawnmowler and cut the grass. Got back in, gave the CD another spin and parts of it started to stick. For me it was such a different album, lyrically and musically from anything they had previously done. It was something new, it was a different Bon Jovi. It was something else, something more and evolved, than what I fell in love with back in -92. Over the following weeks it grew into a masterpiece, just every single part of it.
There are few albums that can stand the test of time and I still can listen to from cover to cover and just go "this is f*cking brilliant" each and every time. I can honestly only think of three such albums; Def Leppard's "Slang", "Keep The Faith" and "These Days" by Bon Jovi. But nothing can ever top the magic that is "These Days". It's just stands on its own. It's pure musical magic in its most honest way.

That's why I'm now, more than 15 years later down the road, is lying in a hospital bed with my hospitalized son next to me listening to this brilliant album with headphones. Currently on "This Ain't A Love Song", many masterpieces to go..

Good night.

Oh, and please play "Something To Believe In" in Munich 2011. A grown man would most likely pee in his pants and be happy about it.

What a beautiful post, Fredrik. I'm sorry to hear that your son in the hospital, and I hope it isn't serious.

If you compare the lyrics to The Circle to the lyrics of These Days, the two are way apart. These Days is simply superb, anything else pales in comparison, IMO.

Thanks. And no, nothing serious. Came down with both some stomach sickness and tonsillitis at the same time, recieving some iv antibiotics and fluids. He should be up and crawling/walking on his tiny legs in no time (he recently turned 1, it's the eldest who's 8 I'll be bringing with me to Munich next summer).

My all time fave Jovi album is Slippery. But lyrically, Slippery will never compare with These Days. TD is just perfect in every way.
It's not my favourite album, but I recognize it as the masterpiece it is. SWW and NJ are awesome albums, and they are my faves because I love the songs, they are catchy, Jon's voice is awesome. But These Days has the best lyrics I have ever come across.
Never will I find another album that can be lyrically compared with that one.