As one of the only other Bon Jovi fans it would seem on this site (NEVER make the mistake of calling yourself a BJ fan!)
I'd like to give my own impressions on your thoughts here. I did review this much earlier as part of a three-wy Bon Jovi review, but just a few comments...
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Originally Posted by Powerstars
Review #020 - "Have A Nice Day" by Bon Jovi
Year: 2011
Genre: Hard Rock
Well, while I'm jacking the library's computer, I might as well post. Ah, Bon Jovi. I remember when this album came out. It was the first album I got when it was considered "new." I have so many good memories of listening to it. Does it hold up under the nostalgia googles? Let's see...
1. Have A Nice Day
Great title track. Hard rockin', Jon Bon Jovi fiercely questions the listener. It sets a great impression for the rest of the album to stand up too, and it's quite a good track. |
Would agree it's a good hard rocker and a decent way to open the album, sort of reminds me of "Hey God" and "It's my life".
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2. I Want To Be Loved
Interesting, talk-box guitarish track. It rocks hard, but I'm not entirely sure what to make of the song. It's pretty hard rockin' and quite interesting.
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Yeah, decent but nothing special I feel. Could have come somewhere near the end and I wouldn't have minded.
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3. Welcome To Wherever You Are
Sweet little ballad. It was issued as a single, but for some reason bombed. I can't say I understand why. It's a cool, sweet, catchy song, that really had potential. As Bon Jovi said, "I thought for sure this was going to be a universal, timeless theme song of unity, diversity." But alas, dreams don't come true. Maybe because rock was starting to do around this time. I don't know.
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Love this song, and like Jon can't understand why it was not a worldwide hit. Really upbeat in tone and very optimistic. We need more songs like this. Shut up, non-Bon Jovi fans!
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4. Who Says You Can't Go Home
Pretty decent song. I enjoy it. Jon Bon Jovi said it was written as a thank you to fans and it can certainly be taken that way. Well, Jon, you're welcome and thanks for this song.
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And I love this too. A real "look where we are but remember who put us here" song. Bon Jovi have always been honest, which I think is something even their detractors would admit, and this song just oozes honesty.
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5. Last Man Standing
A cool heavy song about being the last rock n' rollers in the world. Sometimes it feels like the boys from Jersey are, and this song reflects the loneliness and anger that come with that. It's quite enjoyable, and probably one of the best songs on the album, it's really grown on me in recent years.
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A real attack on lipsynching and manufactured bands, I just love the whole "roll up, roll up!" aspect of it. Absolutely one of two of my favourite songs on the album. ("Now here's the band, they really play!") Incidentally, have you heard the alternative version on "100,000,000 Bon Jovi fans can't be wrong"?
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6. Bells Of Freedom
I liked this song before, but now I can see it's fairly generic Bon Jovi ballad fare. Meh, next.
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I agree. It's very gung-ho, very God Bless America, and quite meh but...
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7. Wildflower
And now a good Bon Jovi ballad. It's sweet and really catchy. It's one of the first songs on this album I came back to years later and still recalled all the words. Amazing.
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I hate this song. It's a million times worse than "Bells" and is just for me totally lacklustre and boring. One I skip when I play the album.
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8. Last Cigarette
Eh, it's not a bad song, but it's not that good either. Although during the bridge, I swear I heard the band vocalize "Brian Wilson" in the backing vocals during the bridge, even before I knew a thing about the Beach Boys. I swear, they do.
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Love this track. The whole idea of love being like one last cigarette, even though I don't smoke, I get it. Clever, and a great rocker.
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9. I Am
Really catchy hard rockin' song with (Haven't mentioned this in a while) really sweet dissonance. It gets the emotion flowing, gets in your head and stays kickin' around in there.
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Yeah it's okay. Good rocker but nothing terribly special.
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10. Complicated
Neat fast-paced song. Kinda catchy, I s'pose.
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Same really
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11. Novocaine
It's one of the few songs on the album that stayed in my head longer than the others when the album seemed to vanish from memory. It still holds up and is quite enjoyable
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My other favourite track. I love the way they describe the break up of an affair and the nods back to "Livin' on a prayer" --- just class! For some reason my ipod would never tag this right so I kept getting it left off the album. Had to fix that!
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12. Story Of My Life
It's catchy, it's really cool, and would be a great way to end the album, if not for, oh lord...
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Yeah it's a good song but I think Novocaine would have ended the album better and more dramatically.
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13. Who Says You Can't Go Home [Country Version w/ Jennifer Nettles]
The country version of track 4. Now, on it's own, it's pretty okay, Jennifer Nettles's vocals are a bit obnoxious at times, but it's pretty cool as a bonus track...until the single became a success and country became the genre of their whole next album. Ah well, I best not rant on that now.
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Glad to say I never heard this.
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Conclusion It's Bon Jovi's final really "hard rocking" album thus far. "Lost Highway" was all country,
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I didn't hear that when I eventually listened to the album. Thought it was really quite good. Did a mini-review in "Bitesize"...
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and "The Circle" and "What About Now" never rocked this hard.
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Have yet to listen to WAN but I loved loved loved "The Circle"! One of their best albums since maybe "Keep the faith" imo.
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It was great to revisit this.
Final Score: 86/100 (An enjoyable, nostalgiac album)
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Good review, nice to see it!
