It was interesting to get to know more of Springsteen's catalogue, until now I'd only listened to one of his albums, but I really like his style
Sympathy For The Devil - I have a complicated relationship with this song, I do love it but when I get past minute 4 all the "woo-hoos" start to grate on my brain and somehow become louder than the rest of the song and I can't notice anything else
No Expectations - Very soothing song, especially after the overexcitement of the previous song
Dear Doctor - Very country, it's soothing, I can see this making rounds at a local fair
Parachute Woman - Very meh, feels a bit like an album filler (Spotify doesn't even have the lyrics for this one available, when it does for every other song in the album)
Jig-Saw Puzzle - My favourite of the album until now, good instrumentals, no jarring sounds to distract me or bizarre lyrics! My head was a-bopping to the sound
Street Fighting Man - Not much to say on this one except that I like one of the instruments in the back that I don't know the name of but that it makes the same sound you often hear in the background of every new age "witchy" shop ever
Prodigal Son - If I close my eyes on this one I can almost feel the wind and sun on my face while in a car driving down one of those long roads in the American south (something I have never experienced mind you)
Stray Cat Blues - Fun tune, agreed that for a song with blues in the name it's really not that blues-coded compared to some others in the album
Factory Girl - Love me a violin in pretty much any type of song, feeling some vague Irish vibes from the song (from my very very limited knowledge of traditional Irish music)
Salt Of The Earth - always fun to listen to stuff with headphones and getting spacial audio (I don't think that's the term in English, but oh well). I think it's a good song to close out the album, has that feeling of goodbye, nice touch with the choir.
Black Dog - Got to know this song because of fandom and Sirius Black specifically, always a banger when it comes on in my playlist!
Rock and Roll - Listening to this songs I just feel like doing the twist in a 50s American diner or something cliche like that, it's a nice tune and I'm pretty sure I'd heard it before somewhere as well
The Battle of Evermore - This song just gives me all the D&D bard vibes, something that wouldn't be out of place in a renfair for sure
Stairway to Heaven - A banger, a classic, 10/10, want to give this album 5 stars for this song alone, I am supremely biased towards it, the car sing-a-longs with my parents were never complete without it
Misty Mountain Hop - This really just feels like a song about getting high in a park with strangers and I'm happy for them I guess, I would shimmy along to this at a club after a couple of drinks
Four Sticks - Possibly the weakest song in this album for me, it's not bad, just a bit forgettable
Going to California - The deeper voice and calmer vibe threw me off after the last song, it was a nice wind down before the finale
When the Levee Breaks - Boy am I glad that American Pie taught me what a levee was so I was ready to tackle this song! And if the previous song was about California we are now in Chicago and honestly even though I've never been to either I hear the vibes match. Overall I liked this song, felt like something I'd listen to in the back of a live music bar while enjoying a drink (can you tell by now I know literally nothing about music genres and just go off vibes and relate things to either fandoms or my personal experience?)
I don't think I can review this album like I've been reviewing the others, it does have some good standalone songs, but the strong point of it to me is the journey it takes you through all together, it's a musical masterpiece and one of my favourites of all time!
Let It Rock - Amazing start, love the organ music in the beginning
You Give Love A Bad Name - A classic! One of my favourite songs by the band, I've listened to it 170 times this year alone according to my Spotify stats which is a completely normal and sane amount!
Livin' on a Prayer - One of the more famous tracks by Bon Jovi along with It's My Life, absolute banger as well!
Social Disease - Not as good as the previous tracks but also very good
Wanted Dead Or Alive - Loved the old western vibes throughout, also I did know this song as well (at least the chorus was familiar!)
Raise Your Hands - Every album has at least one kind of forgettable song, this one was it for me.
Without Love - There is something creepy about a grown ass man singing a love song about a woman he describes as "not young but still a child", just you know historically speaking, which is a shame that took me out of it because the song itself is good
I'd Die For You - I will be so surprised if it turns out this song has never played in the background of some action movie scene
Never Say Goodbye - Discovering I know way more Bon Jovi songs than I thought I did, but another great one!
Wild In The Streets - Another mildly forgettable song, it was nice and upbeat though, I enjoyed it
Honestly the commentary and bits in between (and sometimes the middle of the songs) were the main appeal, it made it like a story come to life! Not really my genre of music but I got into it the second time around, It got a sway or two out of me!
I think the song Stan is still so relevant to fandom culture and parasocial relationships nowadays, also I love Dido's "Thank You" which is sampled throughout, it's a great contrast to what's happening with the lyrics
Growing up in the 00s/10s I feel like it was mandatory to know The Real Slim Shady by heart, like a lot of rap songs from this era you're never quite sure why you know it but you just do
The rest of the album is very mid, I think you need to have consumed it at a very specific point in time to be into it, listening to it in 2026 is eye opening in a lot of ways
This entire album just has the vibe of a random band I would catch at a festival and get drunk while absolutely throwing down to, definitely don't look at the lyrics too closely though
Was also not expecting Bowie's Suffragette City as the last song of the album!
Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God) - A classic, yes it's become repopularised by Stranger Things which is how I remembered this song existed, but always a bop
Hounds of Love - Also love this tune, scratches a very specific part of my brain, same as Paris Paloma's Good Boy, even though the message is quite different
Mother Stands for Comfort - I have feelings about this song that have nothing to do with the song itself, but otherwise very calm and soothing which is what she wanted to capture I think, like a lullaby almost
Waking the Witch - Big fan of random Latin chanting, the demonic voice wasn't the best but overall fun song, love songs that tell a story.
Watching You Without Me -
Jig of Life - Another awesome renfair style song, would love to frolic in a field to this
A classic
