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Retrouvez sur cette page toutes les informations concernant "These Days", sortit en 1995. L'album le plus sombre du groupe, considéré comme un chef-d'oeuvre par beaucoup.
 
Titres sur l'album, crédits d'écriture & lyrics :
Hey God (Jon Bon Jovi/Richie Sambora)
Something For The Pain (Jon Bon Jovi/Richie Sambora/Desmond Child)
This Ain't A Love Song (Jon Bon Jovi/Richie Sambora/Desmond Child)
These Days (Jon Bon Jovi/Richie Sambora)
Lie To Me (Jon Bon Jovi/Richie Sambora)
Damned (Jon Bon Jovi/Richie Sambora)
My Guitar Lies Bleeding In My Arms (Jon Bon Jovi/Richie Sambora)
(It's Hard) Letting You Go (Jon Bon Jovi)
Something To Believe In (Jon Bon Jovi)
Hearts Breaking Even (Jon Bon Jovi/Desmond Child)
If That's What It Takes (Jon Bon Jovi/Richie Sambora)
Diamond Ring (Jon Bon Jovi/Richie Sambora/Desmond Child)
All I Want Is Everything (Jon Bon Jovi/Richie Sambora) •
Bitter Wine (Jon Bon Jovi/Richie Sambora)
• Japanese & International Bonus Track
Facts :
Sortie de l'album : 19 juin 95 - Première édition : 13 titres - 2ème édition : 13 titres + 8 titres
Bonus/spéciale édition : 1 CD + 6 Démos (Special Edition) - Durée de l'Album : 73 min 43"
Nombre de titres : 14 + 8 titres Bonus (Spécial Edition) - Nombre de singles : 5
"This Ain't A Love Song", "These Days", "Lie To Me", "Hey God", "Something For The Pain"
Enregistré aux : Bearsville Sound Studios, Woodstock - Certification USA : Disque de Platine
Certification en France : Double disque d'or - Meilleur classement aux USA : #9
These Days - Historique de l'album :
C'est l'esprit serein que Richie et Jon abordent la composition de leur sixième album en écrivant pas moins de quarante chansons. Produit par Peter Collins (Suicidal Tendancies, Rush...) "These Days", qui portait le titre de travail de "Open All Night", sort le 19 juin 1995 et entérine la nouvelle direction musicale du groupe.
Encore plus Rock, encore plus R'n'B, encore plus "adulte", il n'a plus qu'un lointain rapport avec les années hard FM. Ce sixième Bon Jovi, dont le premier single, la ballade "This Ain't A Love Song" n'est pas une chanson d'amour, contrairement aux apparences, regorge de titres forts comme le frissonnant "My My Guitar Lies Bleeding In My Arms", "Hey God" ou "Something For The Pain" et, contrairement aux précédents albums, demande un peu plus d'attention et de temps pour en découvrir toutes les subtilités.
Après quelques tentatives infructueuses à Nashville, où ils ont passé une semaine pour enregistrer "Always" et "Someday I'll Be Saturday Night", les deux inédits de "Cross Road", les musiciens prennent la direction des A&M Studios de Los Angeles.
Dès le mois de juin, la Bon Jovi mania s'empare de l'Europe. Le groupe se produit d'abord trois soirs à Londres dans un stade Wembley bourré à craquer avec, pour invités, les très grands Van Halen.
L'un de ces concerts a été filmé pour donner naissance au DVD "Bon Jovi Live From London".
Dès l'annonce de la première date en début d'année, les places se sont arrachées en moins de 24 heures, preuve que si les USA boudent un peu leurs héros d'hier, l'Angleterre et le Vieux Continent ne les ont pas oublié, au contraire. Ce qui permet d'apprécier le flair du quintette qui, contrairement à certains de ses contemporains (Mötley Crüe en tête) a su ne pas mettre tous ses oeufs dans le même panier et visiter régulièrement ses fans du monde entier.
Jon & compagnie se rendent ensuite en Allemagne où ils assurent la tête d'affiche de l'éclectique festival Rock Im Park puis du Rock Am Ring où se produisent entres autres, Van Halen et Ugly Kid Joe...
Le 30 juin et le 1er juillet, Bon Jovi assure la première partie des Rolling Stones à l'Hippodrome d'Auteuil. Un moment fort dans la vie des musiciens, ivres de fierté de fouler les mêmes planches que les légendes anglaises, un enthousiasme moins débordant pour les fans placés sur la pelouse qui ont bien du mal à discerner la scène à plusieurs centaines de mètres.
Mais il faudra patienter jusqu'au 3 juillet 1996 pour pouvoir apprécier un vrai concert du groupe en bonne et due forme à Bercy, même si les gars du New Jersey en ont donné un petit avant goût en se produisant au printemps à Taratata (émission musicale française) et en démontrant, si besoin en était encore, que sur un plateau télé, dans un stade ou une arène, Bon Jovi est un authentique groupe de scène. Et, au-delà des modes et envers et contre tous ceux qui voudraient les voir raccrocher, les cinq de Bon Jovi semblent bien partis pour en reprendre pour dix ans.
A propos de "These Days" Jon déclara: "Cet album est plus proche de Keep The Faith que de "Slippery When Wet"...mais il est complètement différent de ce que nous avons pu faire jusqu'à présent. Les paroles sont plus introspectives et le tout est un peu plus sombre. Je pense toujours que "You Give Love A Bad Name" est un bon titre mais il n'y aura rien de ressemblant à cela sur ce nouvel album. J'ai des choses en tête maintenant qui ne m'ont jamais traversé l'esprit il y a 8 ans et je veux en parler. Il y a beaucoup d'inégalités dans la société Américaine contre lesquelles je ne peux rien faire et que j'ai dû accepter. Je souhaite que cet album reflète cela plus que n'importe quel autre album de Bon Jovi."
En février 1994 c'est au tour de Richie de parler du futur album: " Nous avons établi une première liste de démos: 12 nouveaux titres. Je ne sais pas quelle direction cela va prendre, mais Jon et moi avons été très productifs, il n'y a eu aucun manque d'inspiration! Nous avons beaucoup d'idées et les nouveaux titres sont très variés. J'espère que nous allons avoir encore d'autres sessions pour cet album et qu'il y aura beaucoup de guitares, c'est ce que je préfère! Une partie très importante du groupe repose sur le live, alors ça devrait se ressentir sur l'album. Nous avons réussi sur le dernier album avec "Keep The Faith" et "Dry County", alors nous espérons avoir encore plus de titres de ce style cette fois."
 
Critique de l'album :
Work on the follow-up to "Keep The Faith" began after the band had taken some vacation after the Keep The Faith Tour that lasted the whole year of 1993. "Cross Road", the chart-munching greatest hits collection, was put together and released in 1994 while the band were already working on the next album.
The album, which working title was Open All Night after a song that was eventually left out of the album, was recorded in several different places when the band's regular place of Little Mountain Studios in Vancouver had been closed. Woodstock, New York; Nashville, Tennessee; Hollywood, California; Los Angeles, California and Sanctuary, New Jersey served as the recording places of the new album. The album was produced by Peter Collins and Jon and Richie - it was the first time Jon and Richie were producing a Bon Jovi album. Jon and Richie wrote most of the material together and musically the band evolved a lot from their previous albums, doing some lyrics with strong social commentary in them and some complex and artistic songs.
These Days was released in June 1995. It was a usual big hit across the Europe, but the album was largely neglected in the USA. All five singles from the album peaked in the top 10 in the UK which no other Bon Jovi album ever did.
In April 1995 the band launched into their country-wise largest tour ever. From April to December 1995 they played in 35 different countries across the globe on all six continents (they didn't play on the Antarctic but I think it can be forgiven). They played in many places they had never played before, including countries such as India, Indonesia, Venezuela, Equador and South Africa. They continued touring with These Days in 1996 in Japan and Europe. After the second These Days tour in 96 the band headed on a brake, having dug the well dry out of songs and having done some large, literally world-wide tours. These Days closed the 1990's for the band.
Hey God
Hey God is a stormy rock song that opens the album. It is a very heavy, aggressive number and it's dominated with Richie's excellent guitar riff. Lyrically it's brilliant. The lyrics are very socially conscious, there's a person looking around and being frustrated and angry at the cruel and unjust state of the world today. The chorus is a plea to no less than God, demanding an explanation to why things are like they are.
Jon sings the song in a very suitably angry way, and without being backed with a choir of overdubbed vocals in the chorus gives the song more effect. The rough and unsparing lyrics are brilliant and the blasting and hard-hitting, heavy song is great for headbanging. This is a superb rock song. Hey God is genuinely one of the best rock songs I have ever heard.
Something For The Pain
A lighter, excellent pop/rock song follows. In the lyrics of Something For The Pain the speaker asks relief for the pain and sorrow he feels inside. Some of the lyrics may seem a little melancholy but the tone of the song is very positive. It's an uplifting and fun tune and it's the most radiofriendly song on the album. The song is tightly performed and perfectly paced. Something For The Pain is great lyrically, it's a very catchy tune, it's sharply performed, it's a lot of fun and it's a really excellent poprock song.
This Ain't A Love Song
This Ain't A Love Song was the first single from the album. It is a ballad and was another hit. It is an excellent song, better ballad than for example Always. It's another heartbrake story, but it is different to many of their other that kind of songs. It's lyrically marvellous, better than all their other love songs with the possible exception of Bed Of Roses. The lyrics are about this man finally realizing and admitting to himself that love has died from his and his girlfriend's relationship and that the relationship is helplessly gone and lost. The lyrics are beautiful and there are some lines that I find simply outstanding.
It's a terrific performance as well, with Richie's guitar and Jon's vocals bleeding with emotion. Love Song is beautiful and very poignant song. There's a lot of emotion in it, it sounds on the other hand achingly sad and yet there is hope and happy and cheerful tone in it. This Ain't A Love Song is a poignant and beautiful ballad and one of the best BJ ballads ever. Live the song was often used to close the concerts in 1995.
These Days
Gentle and soft piano chords and delicate guitar licks open the title track of the album. Gently and slowly the song unfolds into a marvellous masterpiece.
Jon and Richie have really outdone themselves lyrically in this song. The lyrics aren't self-evident at all, they aren't plain and apparent with the first glance into them. The lyrics that are about - shortly put - dreamers and positivity in a negative world, are artistic, deep and a truly impressive achievement from the pair. They are possibly and very probably the best lyrics ever from Bon Jovi. Instrumentally the song is an astonishing performance, featuring masterly performances by everyone in the band. The piano and guitar are beautiful and so is everything else in the song too.
These Days is the best Bon Jovi song of all time. There is this timeless, truly magical quality in it. The song is amazing musically, perfect both lyrically and instrumentally. These Days is moving, touching, beautiful, filled with heart and soul, features masterly performances by all band members, it's an utterly stunning masterpiece and a really special song. These Days is unforgettable and magical song.
Lie To Me
Lie To Me is a wonderful ballad that's not exactly a love song at all, but more intimate, thoughtful and meaningful than those songs usually are. Lyrically it's about this couple who are having hard times in their life. As the life isn't so easy and great the situation affects their relationship too, and they feel that although their love isn't anymore that blossoming, happy time of new romance, during this hard time all they can lean on is their each other.
Lie To Me is wrapped in wonderful melodies and harmonies. The organs are tender and there is this cozy, warm feel in the song. The song is heartfelt, sweet and beautiful. Excellent lyrically, sublime instrumentally and wrapped in beautiful harmonies, Lie To Me is an amazing song. It is a sublime ballad and easily one of the best - if not the very best - Bon Jovi ballad. Lie To Me is my personal favourite Bon Jovi ballad of them all.
Damned
Damned is a wicked rock song dominated with Richie's intricate guitar riffs. The clever lyrics of the song are about cheating in a relationship. Richie is really the star here, as his skilled, intricate guitar passages really steal the spotlight in this song. His playing dazzles in this all-around great rocker. Damned is a great rock song. The song features Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes' horn section making a nice guest appearance. This was also a great live song in the fall of 1995, extended into 8 minutes and featuring Jon improvising bit and an excerpt of a very fitting cover song, If Loving You Is Wrong (I Don't Want To Be Right).
 
My Guitar Lies Bleeding In My Arms
A song which title alone is brilliant. My Guitar Lies Bleeding In My Arms has some of the most depressing lyrics I've ever seen. Although some of the lyrics look like even something suicidal, the song is actually about the common writers problem of sometimes not being able to put anything on paper. The song has generally a little dark and melancholic tone in it, but that is not a bad thing in the slightest way - I couldn't really understand anyone who would think that any song would be bad just because it has a dark and melancholy tone to it. Quite to the contrary, I really love the melancholy tone in this song. It appeals to me for many reasons, and this song could perhaps be also seen as the band fighting against the stereotype because the song is so uncommercial. But that's not really relevant because from the point of view of any fan they wouldn't even need to be doing that kind of thing. But anyway Guitar is also a very finely rocking song, and more... This song, that is really a lightyear away from You Give Love A Bad Name, is just utterly awesome. This artistic, daring, original, emotional and rocking song is just one fine piece of music. This is a magnificent song.
(It's Hard) Letting You Go
Letting You Go was written by Jon alone. It's a song about the difficulty of getting used to living without the person you love and coping with the new, unwelcome situation. Jon's lyrics that describe the sad feelings are simply amazing. The song is just as good lyrically as the best things he ever wrote. Musically the song is very slow, soft and gentle. There is only little music, just organs and some guitar accompanying it. The organs sound incredibly emotional and the guitar gives nice company to it. (It's Hard) Letting You Go is very poignant and somewhat a sad song. And it is simply the most moving Bon Jovi song ever.
Hearts Breaking Even
Hearts Breaking Even is one of the more modest songs on the album as it is "only" a good song. Lyrically it's another broken hearts affair. The song is a sort of a "mini-powerballad", and the slight problem that I have sometimes found from this song is that it's perhaps a bit too over-emotional. However, that largely a mistaken conclusion doesn't bother me often. This is a very good song, although it's ultimately only an average one when compared to the brilliant material on the album. And there is some indefianable high quality in even the more modest songs on this album such as this, quality that somehow really exists only on this album and songs done at this time of their career.
Something To Believe In
The other song on the album written solely by Jon is just as brilliant as the previous one. Something To Believe In is a song about losing your faith and wanting to have something - anything - to believe in. The speaker isn't exactly losing faith in God or anything as exact as that, he seems to be losing faith in everything, in life itself. Jon's lyrics are excellent and instrumentally the song is a breathtaking performance. Every man in the band does an admirable job in delivering the song as beautifully as it delivered. Every instrument shines in this wonderful gem; Tico's drumming is powerful, Richie dazzles as he always does, David's piano gives nice touch and Jon sings his guts out. The song is complex and multilayered. This is a spectacular song, it posesses such depth and magical quality that it wouldn't rquire anything to easily rate it among the best Bon Jovi songs ever.
If That's What It Takes
This song falls much to the same category as Hearts Breaking Even. Another perhaps a bit modest and "only" a good song. If That's What It Takes is a light rock song about a bit usual love affairs. If I wasn't so nuts about this album I could probably make some critizism about this song, but I won't... If That's What It Takes is a quite nice, light rocker. And although this ultimately isn't that great song, it is very good, and I'll be damned if I called any song on this album at all weak. Every song on this album posesses certain indefianable fine quality you can't really describe, and every song on this album is an important part of the big puzzle.
Diamond Ring
Diamond Ring is the oldest song on the album; it's originally a New Jersey song that finally found a place from this album. It is an acoustic song, lyrically about the impacts of a wedding ring to a man. The song is peaceful, relaxed, features good guitars and is a nice addition to the album. It's a good song and it fits well to the album, but it's not really a special song. Jon used to do an a cappella version of this song live in 1995 and 1996.
All I Want Is Everything
All I Want Is Everything is another really great rock song. There is edge and social awareness in the - once again - great lyrics by Jon and Richie. The song rocks really well, and although it's overall perhaps a slightly more average song when compared to the overwhelmingly brilliant material on this album, this is a really great rocker and even among some of the best rock songs ever from the band.
Bitter Wine
The album ends with some style. Bitter Wine is a delicate and beautiful song that's a bit reminiscent of the song Wild Horses by The Stones. Bitter Wine is lyrically about an old love affair, and once again they are sweet lyrics by the pair of Jon and Richie. The piano and guitar are really delightful in this dreamy, wonderful song, and there is a really nice acoustic solo by Richie. Bitter Wine is a beautiful, terrific song and a deserving, wonderful close to the album.
 
Best Song: The title track These Days is the best Bon Jovi song of all time, and thus it's also the best song of this album. In addition to the title track there is such a large amount of overwhelmingly superb songs on this album that it's impossible to put them into any precise order, but Hey God, Lie To Me, My Guitar Lies Bleeding In My Arms, (It's Hard) Letting You Go and Something To Believe In are all just stunning, simply stunning.
Overall: The first Bon Jovi album was released in 1984. After another very 1980's pop album that followed it, they hit the gold vein in 1986 with the phenomenally succesful pop-metal album Slippery When Wet. New Jersey, a more complete and better album followed the same path in 1988. The excellent Keep The Faith took the band into the 1990's and Crossroad, the monster-selling greatest hits album conquered the world and gained even more success and fortune for the band in 1994. But in 1995 they released this album. Their masterpiece called These Days. These Days isn't just narrowly the band's best album, it's by far (very, very far) their best album ever.
These Days is a superb album. It is the masterpiece of Bon Jovi, an album that is a lightyear ahead of everything else they've done. Never before and never after have they achieved such incredibly high quality than they did with this album. This album is sheer class, full of such truly magical quality that I have rarely seen anywhere in music. These Days is emotional, heartfelt, beutiful, artistic and rocking album with outstanding lyrics and musicanship, it's stunningly well performed and in every possible way the peak of their career.
The songs on the album are just superb. There isn't a one weak song on the album and almost any song could be the best Bon Jovi song ever. The title track, the highlight of this brilliant album is just that, and beside it there are so many magnificent songs. I love every song on this album. Every one. The ballads are stunningly beautiful, the rock songs are wicked, heavy, gripping and so finely rocking. The sweet high quality doesn't stop for one second on this album. I didn't really pick out my personal favourites in the individual song reviews, but some of my bigger favourites are Hey God, These Days and Lie To Me. But all songs are just so damn good... Letting You Go and This Ain't A Love Song are poignant, moving and beautiful songs, Damned and All I Want Is Everything are both wicked, truly fine rockers, and Bitter Wine is just so bittersweet and utterly terrific. It would be no problem for me to say that for example Something For The Pain or My Guitar Lies Bleeding In My Arms is one of the best songs I've ever heard by any artist. All songs on this album are complex, multilayered, both incredibly well-written and performed and full of certain indefianable magical quality.
The musicanship is outstanding. This is lyrically the band's best album by a long shot. The album marks the peak of Jon's and Richie's collaboration that started as early as in 1983 with the first Bon Jovi album. The pair that wrote most of this album together are really outplaying themselves, writing the best songs of their career. The whole album is as well-written as anything you can find, with edgy lyrics about injustice and cruelty of the world, poignant and beautiful lyrics about heartaches and break-up, uplifting lyrics about coping with inner pain, a little depressing lyrics about blocks in artistic creativity, clever lyrics about cheating in a relationship, artistic lyrics about dreamers and the world of today, hopeful lyrics about getting through hard times and doubtful lyrics about losing your faith. The lyrics are beautiful, aching, touching, fun and clever, artistic and mature, full of depth and content.
All songs are performed perfectly and all members of the band are truly in a top form. Richie, who twists his guitar masterly like he invented the whole instrument is in top form. His guitar solos and licks on this album are just dazzling, his intricate, gripping riffs and solos and all the things he does are utterly impressive and admirable. Tico and David accompany as greatly as ever, with the formers drumming blasting some fine beats and the latters piano and organ giving some beautiful moments. And this is Jon's peak of his career in terms of both his voice and vocal performances. His voice, that developed and changed through the years is at its best form on this album, and he sings and gives better vocal performances than ever before. They all gave their heart and soul into this album and every song is played carefully and beautifully.
An album must never be merely a bunch of singles or individual songs that don't really work together. This album succeeded brilliantly in providing a complete, impeccable and coherent package. The songs on this album fit perfectly with each other. Just perfectly. Each song completes the song before it and the song after it. You just couldn't play this album with songs in any different order. This is an album that is simply a perfect, complete entity. It has everything and every song is as important piece in the puzzle as any other song, and together they form a magnificent, complete package.
In my opinion this band's whole career culminated and peaked at this point, in the year 1995. It was all uphill from the forming of the band in 1983 to this point, and it was downhill after this. They developed, learned to write great songs and do great live shows, did better and better albums and finally it all peaked in the year 1995, the year when they released their best album and did a long and total world tour that saw them playing three consecutive nights at the world-famous Wembley stadium, playing in the biggest stadiums across the world and playing in many new, exotic places they had never played before. The band looked better, sounded better and did better live shows than ever before. They were really at the peak of their career and at that point they were simply the best band on the planet. After 95 it was a smaller (though the shows were longer) and almost as good tour in 1996, then a long break and after that the band hasn't been even a shadow of what they once used to be.
These Days is a really special album. It is as close as they ever came to a perfect record. These Days is simply a superb, dazzling masterpiece, it is sheer class all the way through and far superior to everything else they've ever done. It's an album so good that I could probably praise it forever, and, I may possibly be the biggest fan of this album on a sizeable piece of earth. I just really love this album. These Days is one of my favourite records of all time by any artist, and in my opinion it is one of the best albums ever made. I know well that all music critics and even many Bon Jovi fans would strongly disagree with me, but there's nothing that could affect my opinion about this album. For me the simple truth is this: music doesn't get much better than this.
 
Quelques notes :
- "Diamond Ring" devait au départ être sur l'album "New Jersey". Elle avait été enregistrée sous forme de démo à l'époque, dans une version plus longue. On peut la trouver facilement en bootleg.
- "Bitter Wine" est ici présentée sous sa forme finale, mais elle fut enregistrée dans une version beaucoup plus rock n' roll. Cette version démo est disponible sur American XP Platinum. guitares éléctriques et batterie offrent une rythmique plus rapide. La chanson présente des sonorités proche de celles de
"With A Little Help From My Friends" des Beatles.
- "Hey God" est probablement une des chansons la plus aggressive jamais écrite par Jon et Richie.
- Le titre "Hearts Breaking Even", composé par Jon Bon Jovi et Desmond Child, est inspiré de la vie amoureuse de Richie Sambora. Il a été composé le soir où Richie est partit pour Los Angeles rencontrer Heather Locklear. Richie a toujours dit avoir regretté ne pas avoir été là pour écrire le morceau avec eux.
- Dans l'ensemble, cet album est le plus sombre du groupe. Considéré par beaucoup de fans comme leur chef-d'oeuvre.
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