Ballads Yay

In my Top Ten Lepp Songs post, lesh mentioned noticing I hadn't included Bed of Roses as one of my favorite Jovi songs. And I said that's because they have WAY better ballads. And lesh said "If you're ever in the mood to make this intense Bon Jovi ballad CD, send it my way."

... Y'all should know by now not to encourage me.

Best Jovi Ballads: Band

I Am - Mmmmm power ballad. All shouty chorus and intensey verses and mmmm. Cheesy, but it's a Bon Jovi ballad so really that's to be expected.

I Want You - JBJ has a solo song called Naked, and a few times iTunes has shuffled it right after this so it's "I Want You Naked". Hawt. By-the-numbers power ballad but just so YUM.

(It's Hard) Letting You Go - All I can say about this song is it was done by just Jon and Richie, labeled "Bon Jovi" despite not involving half the band, slapped on a band cd, and I DON'T CARE. SO GOOD.

It's My Life (TLFR Version) - TLFR (This Left Feels Right) was such a fucking waste. Instead of AWESOME ACOUSTIC ALBUM we got half-assed "reimaginings". This is one of very few good things to come out of that meh-fest. It's all slow and pianoy and JON and yes.

Lie to Me - This video involves Tico beating on a couch. Everyone else gets to actually play their instruments, Tico gets a couch. Yes. This is SOFUCKINGGOOD. It's about Tommy and Gina, apparently, and it's kinda quiet but intense and sosogood.

Maybe Someday - This is just sad. She's not coming back, Jon. Let it go and console yourself with Joe.

Miss Fourth of July - I've already babbled about this. Accordion. Mmm.

Nobody's Hero - And I've also already babbled about this. But. Out on these streets/they're waiting for blind eyes to see/they're waiting for our cuts to bleed/I hear they're waiting for you and me/Well alright, alright/'Cause this time/you know I ain't afraid to fight/for you I ain't afraid to die/as long as you are by my side/it'll be alright. David is KING OF PIANO.

Right Side of Wrong - It's about crime of some kind. Drug dealing, I think, was my interpretation last time I bothered to think about it. More GODLIKE piano playing.

River Runs Dry - It's killing me to see you cry/Would it make it any better if I told you I did it al for you?/It was just another roll of the dice/just another star in the sky/tried to touch it but I couldn't fly. Total matter-of-fact acceptance of a relationship ending and it's OMGSOSAD. There's nothing anybody can do - rivers run dry.

Seat Next to You - OHMYGODSOSAD *bawls*. SHE'S DEAD. SHE'S DEAD AND THE SEAT SHE'S SAVING IS IN HEAVEN AND IT IS SAD AND *bawls*. Also, based solely on her voice, I would totally defile the fuck out of whoever the chick doing backing vocals in this song is.

These Open Arms - What I like about this one is I totally read it as a friendship ballad, rather than a love song, which is fun. It's very..."Dude. I'm your friend, and you're going through absolute Hell right now, and you're totally fucked up, but I wanna help you get your life back together, cool?" Mmmm.

This Ain't A Love Song/Como Yo Nadie te ha Amado - Another one I rambled about yesterday. Mmmmmmmmm favorite.

'Til We Ain't Strangers Anymore - OMG LeAnn Rimes *loves*. The structure of this song is so weird, but it's intense and emotional and LOVE.

(You Want to) Make a Memory - OMG it's all quiet and then INTENSE and then QUIETINTENSE and Richie MOTHERFUCKING Sambora is so FUCKING WIN. MOTHERSHITTING FUCK.

Best Jovi Ballads: Solo

All That Really Matters (Richie) - "You'll always be my sweet addiction". Apparently this is about alcohol. Oh you kooky Sambora. (For serious - THISISSOGOOD)

The Answer (Richie) - Deep introspective religious inquiry in MY Sambora? It's more likely than you think! I listened to this a LOT when my grandfather died. I wrote a paper about it once, too.

Crazy (Tico) - Tico's voice has to grow on you but FUCKINGDAMMITSHIT this is so fucking YES. He's so GROWLY and INTENSE and he's singing fucking PATSY CLINE and CAPSLOCK. My Dad likes this. My dad generally hates covers. It's MMMMMM.

Downside of Love (Richie) - This has organ. *makes innuendo* Ohhh Richie. Richie's voice is eight billion times more emotive than Jon's. It's science.

Dyin' Ain't Much of a Livin' (JBJ) - Okay the title is cheesy and horrible. But. Whiskey bottle comforts me, and tells me not to cry. While the full moon says a prayer for me, I try to close my eyes. But the night's there to remind me of the guns and the early graves. The ghosts appear as I fall asleep to sing an outlaw's serenade. OMG. Also: low-register husky-gravelly JBJ YES PLEASE.

Father Time (Richie) - "We're over but I refuse to accept that", but ten times better than Always.

Harlem Rain (Richie) - Oh Richie. You so white.

If I Can't Have Your Love (Richie) - SO MUCH SAMBORA. But yeah. I looooove the way he sings. This is the first time I ever heard him and MMMMMMMMMMMMM.

In These Arms (David) 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 times better than the original version. DAVID. OMG. I'm STILL bitter over not getting to hear this last tour. SOMEDAY. If I have to kidnap the man and hold a gun to his head...ahaha I'm joking. Or am I?

It's Just Me (Acoustic) (JBJ) - I hated this song until sunomabitch made me listen to this acoustic version. The writing on the Destination Anywhere album is SO GOOD.

Memphis Lives in Me (David) - If I deleted the artist information on this, uploaded it blank, and told you this was Elton John, you'd believe me. Stick that in your pipe and smoke it.

Only in My Dreams (Tico) - I'll tell you right now you probably won't like Tico's voice in this. He has trouble finding the key sometimes. But. It's earnest and heartbreaking despite some really shitty lyrics (Love burns you when it's hot, but Cupid's fire trucks never came) and I would totally not want to hear this sung by anyone else.

Santa Fe (JBJ) - If you download the file for only one song, it should be this one. It's epic and intense and bittersweet and gorgeous and mmmmm.

Stranger in This Town (Richie) - If someone in real life says "I'm just a victim of circumstance", I stifle the urge to PUNCH THEM IN THE FACE. In the song, however? Mmmmm. Richie <3

This Time (David) - He wrote this for some other guy and for a little bit I tried to track that down but eh. No way will I like it better. The sucky thing about this is it's a bootleg and people keep talking as if they are unaware of how GRAVELY IMPORTANT David is.

Waltzing Matilda (Tico) - The "old shirt that's stained with blood and whiskey" part is insta-orgasm. Just fyi.