#21 - You Had Me From Hello

Artist: Bon Jovi
Album: Bounce
Other Versions: None
Era: early 00's "hard pop"

Lyrics

I've kind of avoided songs from Bounce until now. If I don't write about it, I can pretend it doesn't exist.

Kidding. I'm too hard on Bounce a lot of the time. Chances are good if most other bands had released the same album, I'd like it. But it's not some other band, it's Bon Jovi, and it just isn't representative of what they can do.

This song is the best example of that. It's a ballad, but not a sweeping, intense, really emotional ballad like they do so well. It's spineless and wishy-washy and I'm sure there's real emotion there but it just doesn't come across. It's too soft, too mellow, I just don't feel it. That's one of my selling points when I try to get someone into Bon Jovi - that they're so good at making you feel what they want.

Bon Jovi have always been cliche, and they've always done it well, but this was too much. Not just the cliche of "you had me from hello", although that doesn't help, but every aspect of the song is just so, I don't know, typical. Typical of love songs written by people who don't really try or who don't have talent. The whole song leaves me with a feeling of "this has been done before, and done better."

It grew on me a little at first - I really hated it originally. It is kind of singable and cute - cliche and it's-been-done and spinelessness aside. I just can't get behind it. They can and have done better. Sadly, this fits in pretty well on Bounce.

My Rating: 3/10

Edited 3/25/06: Added lyrics