Bon Jovi: Crush (2000) Review

“This ain’t a song for the broken hearted”, warns Jon Bon Jovi.

And he’s correct.

For comeback single It’s My Life is aimed at every rock fan who has been yearning for the type of fist-pounding anthems used to rule the landscape, but have faded into obscurity in recent times amidst the short-lived grunge trend and the rise of overly-mechanical nu-metal.

We’ll cut to the chase here:

It’s fucking fantastic.

From the iconic opening power chords of Richie Sambora’s voicebox-infused guitar riff, it’s evident that these New Jersey cowboys have birthed a monster, and by the end of the very first listen you’ll be confidently ranking it as one of the best songs they’ve ever written.

Keeping The Faith

Bon Jovi found themselves in an unusual position coming into this LP.

Their decision to take a lengthy five year hiatus after becoming the biggest rock act in the world leaves them frantically trying to regain the attention of fans who had simply moved on in their absense.

The aforementioned It’s My Life is a true masterclass in how to do this.

By using all of the old hallmarks of classic Bon Jovi – the riff, the big chorus, the uplifting theme – and then cleverly marketing it towards a fresh, young generation of potential fans (see the video), they were able to reach a much wider audience than anybody expected.

Suddenly they were back… and they were everywhere.

"Hey man it's been a while,
Do you remember me?,
I hit these streets when I was seventeen."

JUST OLDER

Complicated

As great as It’s My Life is, it places an immense burden on the remainder of Crush.

You see, none of the other tracks sound remotely like it.

Instead it leans further into the minimalistic, stripped back production of 1995’s These Days.

This causes complications as you venture into Crush’s deeper waters.

Because while it’s most enjoyable to hear a straight-ahead rock record in an era where everyone seems pre-occupied with fitting unnecessary samples and computerised drum loops into their music, the record can’t help but trip itself up, with the stripped back production acting like shackles around Bon Jovi’s built-in desire to unleash.

“The reason why It’s My Life is so different to the rest of the record is Bruce.

We had originally intended to reconnect with Bruce Fairbairn, who produced Slippery When Wet, and he was going to help us bring that sound back; the power chords, the choruses, the works, but with a modern twist, right?

Sadly, Bruce died shortly before we made the record, and we don’t believe anybody else can do what he does best, so we decided to go with a young up-and-coming producer (Luke Ebbin) and go in a different direction with the rest of the material.”

– Jon Bon Jovi

Adapt Or Die

Luke Ebbin’s simplistic production gives the record that quintessential late nineties sound.

It never sounds manufactured nor fake, illustrating how adept Bon Jovi have become at moving with the times.

You can hear this clearly on the none-more-nineties Captain Crash & The Beauty Queen From Mars (yep, what a title), which bounces along with a carefree enthusiasm and groove we never knew they had in them.

Sure, it lacks the crunch of their earlier work, and yes, it could’ve worked as a lighthearted theme for the frontman’s character in hit TV show Ally McBeal…

… but make no mistake, it’ll still find a way to burrow inside your brain and remain there for several weeks, causing you to kick yourself because somehow, some way, Bon Jovi have managed to do it a-fuckin-gain.

Kudos, gentlemen.

"A car crash,
With a suitcase,
And a painted face,
She was one of a kind"

CAPTAIN CRASH & THE BEAUTY QUEEN FROM MARS

New Jersey… Old Habits

From a songwriting perspective, Jon Bon Jovi seems happy to re-tread the Springsteen-like path he’s been on for many years.

As such, the majority of Crush’s 58 minutes are spent reminiscing about days gone by, dscussing the challenges of growing older (chill, you’re 38!), and the ever-evolving music scene which surrounds the Bon Jovi juggernaut.

This is familiar terrortiry for these seasoned rockers, but they’re so good it that it represents an easy win.

The cynical streak which ran through the middle of These Days also remains.

It’s most evident on the likes of Two Story Town, which considers the reality of life not being everything it’s cracked up to be, and Say It Isn’t So, which explores the dangers of attempting to live up to the unrealistic – and often downright fake – standards set by Hollywood culture.

Each track cuts a little deeper when sung by a man all to familiar with industry smoke and mirrors.

Elsewhere, the anthemic Just Older (again, relax!) delivers a strong message about body positivity which was literally decades ahead of it’s time, and finally, everything feels okay in the world for a brief moment when Richie Sambora clicks into “shred mode” throughout the hair-raising final third of Next 100 Years, which is easily his best guitar solo since Dry County.

"I hear Disneyland might lose Mickey Mouse,
In some giant hostile corporate shake-up,
Tell me it's a nightmare,
Please wake me up."

SAY IT ISN'T SO

Succumbing To A Social Disease

As mentioned earlier, though, there are problems at Crush’s core which we can’t ignore.

For Bon Jovi’s attempts to fit in with current trends means that their trademark riffs and bombast cannot find space to operate within this environment.

This leaves a small handful of Crush’s songs feeling somewhat empty.

Closing track One Wild Night is a shining example of this – it’s almost skeletal in it’s assembly, and there’s no denying that it would’ve benefitted from the meatier mix of It’s My Life or the chunkier production which was used on their late 80s and early 90s output.

NOTE: I mention this particular track because the band later released a beefed up version, called One Wild Night 2001, which proved me right!

Running Out Of Steam

Much like it’s predecessor, Crush runs out of steam in the latter half.

I know, I know…

This should not have been an issue for a band who can seemingly write hits at will, let alone one who are returning after five long years.

But here we are.

Because as much as we enjoy having them back around, it’s patantly obvious that second-half entries such as Mystery Train, Save The World, and She’s A Mystery would’ve been left on the cutting room floor during the band’s fabled “golden run” (1986-1995).

"Superman can't fly,
They did it all with strings,
Elvis Presley died,
They deepfried the king."

SAY IT ISN'T SO

Bon Jovi: Crush

Crush is an interesting comeback album.

It shows us a version of Bon Jovi who are trying to adapt, attempting to grow, and determined to survive at all costs.

These factors combine to make for an album where the high points are exceptionally high – indeed, maybe even ranking amongst their best work to date – but the low points drag it back down to Earth with a resounding “thud”.

Fortunately, Crush went on to provide the band with three more hit singles and sell an impressive 5.4 million copies worldwide, setting the stage for the “second bite at the cherry” which Bon Jovi so desperately craved.

However, to many fans, it’ll be best-remembered as the record which brought us It’s My Life.

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