Bed Of Roses

Jon Bon Jovi always aggravated me. Not sure why but for the longest time he just plain out got on my nerves. I think it was partly cause he wrote so damn well. Cheesy yes, but for the genre he wrote in his style was damn near perfect. Having a potential g/f who asked me if I'd cut my hair like his once didn't help though. Needless to say it didn't work out. Well for me at least. Jovi seems to have done alright.

The tune in question is one of his sappier ballads. But no one is better at writing sappy hard rock/glam rock/pop rock ballads. Here's the vid.

"Sitting here wasted & wounded at this old piano
trying hard to capture the moment - this morning I don't know
Cause a bottle of vodka is still lodged in my head
& some blonde gave me nightmares - I think that she's still in my bed
As I dream about movies they won't make of me when I'm dead"

The song is about a guy in a band on the road who despite having female company misses someone very badly. It's not as uncommon as you think. Or as common as you think.

When I was on the road I knew a lot of musicians who really cared for their mates but would sleep around. Sometimes the women at home knew what was going on, sometimes they didn't. Personally I never played around while I was obligated but I damn well understood the temptations. (Temptations sing - oh, sorry - Rick James flashback). I also knew quite a few who didn't sleep around. Those were the ones I trusted with bail money. Not that I ever needed it (except that once but I promise I never saw that Llama before in my life) but ya never know.

But all musicians, even humble modest ones such as myself, have dreams of fame. The line about dreaming of movies they won't make of him when he's dead - that resonates with most of us whether we admit it or not. His acceptance that it's not going to happen hits us too cause eventually we realize that there won't be a movie about us when we die. Besides, movies about most musicians would be lucky to get an "XXX" rating. Still, we dream.

The second verse contains one of my most favorite cheesy ass lines that I've ever heard sung out loud - including all the country I've listened to.

"with an iron clad fist I wake up & French kiss the morning
While some marching band keeps its own beat in my head while we're talking
about all of the things I long to believe about love, the truth, what you mean to me
& the truth is baby - you're all that I need"

You don't know how many times I've been hung over, put on a metallic glove & tried to french kiss the morning. I've found that the morning much prefers a simple peck on the cheek & perhaps a light hug.

But again I can relate - at least partially. There are a lot of things I wanted desperately to believe when I was younger & in some cases would still like to believe. & some of those things concern love & the truth. But the world is a very cold place that makes belief in some notions more difficult than it should be. Still musicians being the emotional lot we are tend to cling to those beliefs despite great obstacles, like reality. Hence the hangovers.

The chorus:

"I want to lay you down on a bed of roses
for tonight I sleep on a bed of nails
I want to be just as close as the Holy ghost is
and lay you down on a bed of roses"

Yes; it's cheesy as hell. But emotions are cheesy things in general. Deep ones especially so. It's really hard to be cool when you're being honest about how you feel if you feel deeply about someone. Try it & if I'm wrong give me pointers.

He's saying in a poetic fashion that even though he's "gettin' some" it’s torture for him because he'd much rather be with someone else. He just wants to be as close to her as possible physically & spiritually. It's the separation that causes his pain despite trying to distract himself with nightmare causing blondes (which are generally fun at parties & sometimes after parties as well). Call him a dog if you will & you're probably right, but dogs have feelings too ya know. (bow wow wow yippee yo yippee yay - sorry - P-funk flashback)

To the bridge:

"Well there's hotel bars, hangover, whiskey's gone dry
The barkeeper's wig's crooked & she's giving me the eye
I might have said yeah but I laughed so hard I think I died"

It happens. The bartender looks cute but then her wig slips a bit...

It's the repetition of the life that I think he's talking - er, singing about. After the first year or so it becomes much less exciting & you find yourself going through the motions. When you recognize something as typical it usually gives you pause. I know I've damn well laughed at myself at certain times, or laughed at certain re-occurring situations despite their obvious lack of humor. & if you've ever heard one of my jokes you understand what lack of humor is about.

"now as you close your eyes know I'll be thinking about you
while my mistress calls me to stand in her spotlight again
tonight I won't be alone but you know that don't mean I'm not lonely
I've got nothing to prove for it's you that I'd die to defend"

Course the obvious question is if he's got nothing to prove & he'd died to defend his lady then why is he fucking around? But musicians aren't always hip to that whole "logic" thing. Besides it's very possible it's not a committed relationship he's in for whatever reason.

Truthfully though I've been there. I've never cheated on anyone but there have been some situations where I cared for someone but was with someone else. So I can understand the need for having someone right here even though I wished like hell it was someone else with me. A particular someone else that is.

Musically Jovi does his usual job with this type of song - catchy little motifs running throughout a nice chord progression mingled with a catchy melody & thoughtful delivery of all the above. Cheesy as hell? Yes. But well crafted. (Get it? cheesy - crafted? Kraft-ed? I know. I don't have issues; I have subscriptions).

& why the hell am I writing about a cheesy ass Bon Jovi tune in the first friggin' place? Cause it popped up on my player when I felt like writing something. Or maybe I just miss being on the road. Or writing cheesy ass songs thinking that it'd be played during the opening credits of a movie about me. I write, you decide. Or is that deride?