Jon Bon Jovi said it himself back in April 2007:
"Different people, different reasons . . . It's all a big soup. Everybody adds a little ingredient . . . You can't be a rip-off of one guy . . . You take a little piece of that and a little piece of this and a little piece of the other thing, and then that's what makes you and how you get to be here for 25 years."
(For context and to read the entire passage, click here.)
It certainly seems sometimes that when you listen to Bon Jovi's music that you've heard it somewhere before. Maybe it's a lyric, or the melody, or a guitar riff. (And to be fair, it doesn't happen only with Bon Jovi's music; it's common when listening to any number of musical artists.)
So who are the "influences" JBJ refers to in his statement? Here are some possibilities:
Is it just me, or does anybody see?
The beginning of Bon Jovi's "Undivided" and the beginning of Weezer's "Hash Pipe" sound the same.
The beginning of Bon Jovi's "Something to Believe In" is just a slower version of the beginning of Simple Minds' "Don't You Forget About Me."
The story in Bon Jovi's "You Had Me From Hello" is the same story that was told earlier in Eric Clapton's "Wonderful Tonight" (i.e. It's the same damn song with a different melody):
(Clapton)
It's late in the evening; she's wondering what clothes to wear.
She puts on her make-up and brushes her long blonde hair.
And then she asks me, "Do I look all right?"
And I say, "Yes, you look wonderful tonight."
(Bon Jovi)
At the mirror you fix your hair and put your makeup on
You're insecure about what clothes to wear
I can't see nothing wrong
To me you look so beautiful when you can't make up your mind
It's half past eight, it's getting late
It's OK, take your time
(Clapton)
We go to a party and everyone turns to see
This beautiful lady that's walking around with me.
(Bon Jovi)
When we walk into a crowded room it's like we're all alone
Everybody tries to kidnap your attention
You just smile and steal the show
You could take out the lyrics of Joan Osborne's "One of Us" and put in the lyrics of Bon Jovi's "Two Story Town."
And while talking about that song--doesn't it seem awfully similar to Tom Petty's "One Story Town"? Consider:
(Tom Petty)
I'm for standin' up, I'm for breakin' free
I don't want fate handed down to me
Yeah I'm for movin' on, try another town
Time ain't changin' nothin', take a look around
Oh, I'm lost in a one story town
Where everything's close to the ground
Yeah the same shit goes down
Nothing turns around
It's a one story town
(Bon Jovi)
It's just the same old sights
And the same old sounds
I want to take my car and drive out of this two story town
It's the same old shit (alternative: ship) going around
I'm going down, down, down, down, down
In a two story town
In video world, Bon Jovi's "You Want to Make a Memory" video is merely a re-make of Shayne Ward's video for "No Promises."
Something to think about:
These are only samples of the many similarities between Bon Jovi's music and others' music. Are the similarities a good or bad thing? That's for you to decide. But do consider this: A fan-made website devoted to Bon Jovi, Dry County, lists as one its facts that "Jon passionately hates the former Go Go's singer Belinda Carlisle." According to the site, Jon said, "That bitch just copied our song 'Livin' on a prayer [sic] and turned it into a[n] overly sweet, nagging song: 'Heaven is a place on earth'. When I tried to point that out to her one day, the bitch just laughed at me." There is no reference for this supposed quote, so who knows if it's true? The same site also lists as a fact that JBJ auditioned for Footloose, something JBJ has denied.
If it is true, though, that JBJ did get angry about Carlisle's song, wouldn't that be hypocritical of him in light of the fact that he has also copied other musicians?
Just sayin'.
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