CD Review: The Circle, by Bon Jovi
Their 11th Studio Album Has Been Hailed Their Best This Decade
Nov 7, 2009
Bon Jovi have never been popular among critics but they have continued to enjoy commercial success around the world for over two decades. After experimenting with country music in 2005 with the North American smash hit "Who Says You Can't Go Home" featuring Sugarland's Jennifer Nettles, and releasing the Nashville-influenced Lost Highway album in 2007, Jon Bon Jovi promised the band's 11th original studio album would be a return to rock.
The Circle caused a buzz when it was leaked on the internet three days before its October 30 German release, with some claiming it is Bon Jovi's best album since the 1995 fan favourite These Days.
Positive Messages and Pop Hooks
The album opens with "We Weren't Born to Follow", the glossy and clichéd formulaic lead single in the vein of "It's My Life" and "Have a Nice Day", which also borrows from the chorus of 1988's "Born to Be My Baby". Given the latter three have all been considered staple concert songs by the band for much of the decade, one wonders if and how that can continue on The Circle Tour. Nevertheless, "We Weren't Born to Follow" is a catchy song with all the hooks and positivity you would expect from a Bon Jovi single.
There are even more clichés in "Love's the Only Rule" ("High, it's flying like an aeroplane / Crying like the lonely whistle of a long black train / Dance in the pouring rain / Spit in the eye of a hurricane") but it is hard not to tap your feet or sing along to its big melodic hooks.
In "Thorn In My Side", another song about defiance and bouncing back, Jon declares "I'm gonna be alright / You can test my faith but you can't take my pride".
Politics and Social Consciousness
Jon Bon Jovi is a well-known Democrats supporter who has rubbed shoulders with Bill and Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, and Al Gore, but there have been few genuine "socially aware" Bon Jovi songs since the 90s. "Work for the Working Man" borrows the bassline of their 1986 smash hit "Livin' on a Prayer" and is catchy enough, but hearing a multi-millionaire rock star sing about working class unemployment in the first person is almost always going to seem a bit contrived, especially in light of recent controversy over Bon Jovi ticket prices.
However in one of the album's highlights, "Bullet" is surprisingly aggressive for a Bon Jovi song, with Jon desperately asking "What is the distance between a bullet and a gun? / God, are you listening or have you just given up?".
"Brokenpromiseland" continues the trend: "Who's gonna bail out all our shattered dreams? / And scrape some truth off of these city streets? / No time for praying, get up off your knees". The song is complemented by some haunting background vocals and strings.
In the Obama-inspired "Happy Now", Jon tells us his "tired eyes" are "coming back to life" and asks "Can I be happy now? / Can I let my breath out?" against the backdrop of an almost tribal drum pattern.
Ballads and a Mature Outlook
"Superman Tonight" is a welcome return to the power ballad for Bon Jovi, despite the cheesy reference to the Superman logo on Jon Bon Jovi's arm ("You're looking for a hero but it's just my old tattoo / Tonight I swear I'd sell my soul to be a hero for you"). It may not reach the lofty heights of 90s hits "Always" or "Bed of Roses", but the verses gently build before exploding into a punchy chorus: "Who's gonna save you when the stars fall from your sky? / And who's gonna pull you in when the tide gets too high? / Who's gonna hold you when you turn out the lights?".
When not broadcasting messages about standing your ground and triumphing over adversity, Bon Jovi have tended to reflect on their maturity over the past decade. "When We Were Beautiful", which is also the name of the Phil Griffin-directed Bon Jovi documentary, is a bit of a departure from the usual Bon Jovi sound, much like Lost Highway lead single "(You Want To) Make a Memory". Musically there are shades of U2 in "When We Were Beautiful", and lyrically it manages to evoke a sense of heartbreak, nostalgia, and hope within its relative simplicity: "Back when we were beautiful / Before the world got small / Before we knew it all / Back when we were innocent / I wonder where it went / Let's go back and find it".
On the other hand, "Live Before You Die", a story about growing up, is nice but not particularly memorable. It is essentially an inferior piano-driven version of Lost Highway outtake "Walk Like a Man".
"Fast Cars" is a nicely crafted track that uses the car as an extended metaphor for life.
"Learn to Love" closes the album with a beautiful, introspective prayer of redemption: "Halle, halle, we're one breath away / Halle, halle, from our judgment day / Leave it all on the table if you lose all you win / You've got to learn to love the world you're living in".
Conclusion
The Circle revisits some of the darker themes explored on 90s albums Keep the Faith and These Days, but ultimately the band's signature optimism shines through. While not a groundbreaking album, it is arguably the first time this decade that Bon Jovi has actually put together 12 songs without any painfully obvious fillers. 8/10.
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