#35 - Misunderstood

Artist: Bon Jovi
Album: Bounce
Other Versions: Acoustic version played TLFR Live DVD and at the Yokohama 2003 Unplugged Show
Era: early 00s "hard pop"

Lyrics
Video

This is okay. Nothing spectacular, but there's much worse on Bounce.

I don't like the almost total lack of instrumental intro. My favorite BJ songs are when they build up into the vocals, it starts up this logical chain of getting bigger and bigger that leads you right into the chorus. This doesn't have this, it's an extremely quick BANG BANG of instruments-vocals.

Jon's Bounce-era voice wasn't that great. It got very nasal - before HAND I chalked it up to his age, now I assume it's because he was smoking at the time and supposedly he's quit now. Either way, on this cd it got on my nerves more often than not, which is a shame. It doesn't help that the use of backing vocals on Bounce was very weak, and this one's not any different. I don't really know why there's less in the way of really good backing from the guys, because that had always added a lot to BJ songs, and it's a big part of what's missing from Destination Anywhere.

Lyrically, this is pretty weak. It's a lot of really obvious rhyming, simplistic to the point of seeming kind of stupid. That would be ok if the rest of the song, the tune and instrumentation, were strong enough to carry it, but they're not. That's what comes to my mind when I hear this song - weak. It's just not a strong composition. It's pure filler, completely forgettable.

Good points (see, I'm not totally negative)
1. I like the long "I" in the choruses
2. The drumming, which is a pretty consistent strong point with BJ, but here it's actually the only aspect of the song I don't find dull
3. I like the video
4. The phrase "stumbled like my words" is excellent and should have a place in a much stronger work

My Rating: 4/10

Edited 3/25/06: Added lyrics
Edited 3/26/06: Added video