#61 - Silent Night

Artist: Bon Jovi
Album: 7800 Fahrenheit
Other Versions: None
Era: Early 80s "synth rock"

Lyrics
Video

Around Christmas of 2003, before I was hugely into Bon Jovi (didn't even have the box set yet), I was looking for Christmas music and downloaded this song eight different times (at least), always hoping it was the hymn. It never was.

I love the opening chord. The vun, vun, voovoovun thing with the synthesizer. I was listening to 7800 for the first time and that synthesizer opened it up and I just went "YES! This is going to be AWESOME!"

This is one of my favorite Bon Jovi ballads. It's cheesy, everything on the first two albums is cheesy, but I really really love it. The synthesizer makes me giggle through the whole thing, which kind of kills the mood, but come on.

I love the guitar solo in this one. I can really feel it, really get behind it. And we know how I feel about the guitar. And after the guitar solo, when it's just strings and Jon's voice, you realize that behind the cheesy synth effects and the overblown-ness of the whole thing, this is a very simplistic heartfelt ballad.

This is one of my favorite videos, if only because if I'm in a relationship and it has to end, I wish it would do so in a room made of gant video screens. The giant head of Jon Bon Jovi singing my heartache back at me while mecha-Richie plays a guitar that is bigger than me. David's stupid little early 80s fro, curls big enough to use for innertubes, Tico banging away with sticks big enough to level a small city.

Ok so they're not that big. But the idea is still funny.

The "when we both kno-ow" after "Letting go/is always the hardest part to fight" is my favorite set of notes Jon's ever hit, although I'm not sure why. I just like them. It's high, but not "holy Jesus, it's Elmo" high.

My Rating: 9/10

Ok, you get to vote again.

• Undivided
• Captain Crash & the Beauty Queen From Mars
• Everyday
• One Wild Night

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