The Circle - Bon Jovi

My favourite band - Bon Jovi's new album - The Circle

1. We Weren't Born To Follow
2. When We Were Beautiful
3. Work For The Working Man
4. Superman Tonight
5. Bullet
6. Thorn In My Side
7. Live Before You Die
8. Brokenpromiseland
9. Love's The Only Rule
10.Fast Cars
11.Happy Now
12.Learn To Love

"It's an interesting question to ask: Is that a fair dose of motivation or is that a chip on your shoulder?" Jon Bon Jovi posed that question to himself, and it's worth pondering. You might think that a man whose band has sold more than 120 million records and played before tens of millions of fans in the course of an illustrious 26-year career would be content to rest on his considerable laurels, at least for a while.

You might think that, but you'd be wrong, and the new Bon Jovi album, The Circle, provides irrefutable proof. As its title suggests, The Circle marks a powerful reassertion of Bon Jovi's commitment to the hard-hitting, uplifting rock & roll that has been the band's indelible signature since it began. The band share an abiding bond that informs and defines their music. It is a circle that remains unbroken.

"The album title," Bon Jovi explains, "has several meanings. Some may say that with this album we have come full circle. Others may see The Circle as never ending. I see it as very hard to get in to and even harder to get out of," the singer says with a laugh. Having had 5 studio records in this decade, there are songs on each record that represent the world around us. And while they don't always like what they see, they try hard not to see the cup as half empty. From the new single "We Weren't Born To Follow" to the powerful "When We Were Beautiful," the songs are as uplifting and anthemic as anything Bon Jovi and Sambora have ever written.

Another reason for the anthemic sound of THE CIRCLE is the re-emergence of Richie Sambora. "This is meant to be a stadium, turn-the-guitars-back-up record, and that's a testament to having Richie at my side," Jon says. "I can't tell you how much that's meant. With me and Richie, one and one makes three.

That flame burns at the heart of The Circle. "When We Were Beautiful" shares its title with the superb Bon Jovi documentary by filmmaker Phil Griffin. Like the film, the song is atmospheric and haunting. It opens with a sense of crisis: "The world is cracked/The sky is torn." Jon Bon Jovi hears the song as a true departure for the band. "That's a unique song," he says, "We've written hits, but this is something more, this is something different. I didn't want to sugarcoat things. Those lyrics are factual. As a country and as people, we hit a wall. But the idea is to try to get back to `when we were beautiful.'"

The new studio album, The Circle, was produced by John Shanks, who also worked with the band on the two preceding Bon Jovi albums, Lost Highway (2007) and Have a Nice Day (2005). The album has an underlying positive theme that is apparent throughout the songs. Whether it's questioning your vitality in "Fast Cars," or asking what the future holds in "Work for the Working Man," the songs are about the prospect of people having to find new directions in their lives. In these trying times every word relays the truth.

So The Circle, then, like all of Bon Jovi's best music, stares down the troubles that afflict our lives, and offers a bracing vision for overcoming those obstacles. It's stirring, and it's an emotion that, strong as the album is, will find its most convincing expression on the concert stage. And this is why Bon Jovi have managed to play over 2600 concerts to over 34 million fans in over 50 countries. "I can't believe I'm even saying this, but I can't wait to go on the road again," Jon Bon Jovi exclaims.

2009年對於Bon Jovi這支美國傳奇樂隊來說，註定是具有特殊意義的一年。樂隊將在今年11月份發表全新錄音室大碟《THECIRCLE》，而搶先曝光的樂隊首支單曲《We Weren’t Born ToFollow》也不負眾望，為樂隊帶來了令人囑目的成績。自這首歌在美國時間8月18日在電臺首播以來，廣受好評，成為樂隊成軍25年曆史中，在 HOTAC電臺排行榜上攀升最快的一首歌。
《We Weren’tBorn To Follow》這首歌是由樂隊主唱Jon Bon Jovi和RichieSambora共同創作，Jon更是親身參與到這首歌的製作中。歌曲的另外一位製作人是John Shanks，這位製作人同時也是BonJovi樂隊上兩張專輯《Have A Nice Day》(2005)和《LostHighway》(2007)的製作人。這兩張專輯令樂隊在全世界範圍內大獲全勝，摘得了多個國家排行榜和銷量冠軍，併為樂隊帶來了包括格萊美/Grammy在內的多個大獎。
談到這張即將面世的新專輯，主唱Jon Bon Jovi笑著說道：“專輯的名字其實包含了很多意義，有人可能認為，這張專輯中我們又回歸了最初的BonJovi；但其他人可能認為，Circle的意思表示永遠都不會結束。我個人的理解是，這個音樂圈子和迴圈很難入門更是讓你難以割捨。”在過去十年中，Bon Jovi樂隊出版的每張專輯中，總有些歌曲能夠反映但是的社會現狀，這次也不例外，《We Weren’t Born ToFollow》這首歌比他們以往的任何歌曲都積極向上，在當下美國社會經濟蕭條的大環境下有著特殊意義。
此外，另主唱特別欣慰的是，去年曾經因為個人原因離開樂隊一段時間的吉他手Richie Sambora此次重新歸隊。“有Richie在我身邊的感覺真好，我不能用語言表達Richie對我個人，對整個樂隊有多重要。”談到這位樂手時，Jon顯得異常激動。
BonJovi在過去超過二十年，始終被譽為世界上最成功的搖滾樂隊之一。迄今為止，這支屢獲葛萊美大獎肯定的樂隊在全球範圍內取得了超過1億2千萬張的唱片銷量，併為50多個國家超過3千4百萬歌迷做了2600多場表演。如此驕人的成績，令他們無愧於任何加諸於他們的任何天王級稱號

We Weren't Born To Follow lyrics

This one goes out to the man who minds the miracles
This one goes out the ones in need
This one goes out the sinner and the cynical
This ain't about no apology
This road was paved by the hopeless and the hungry
This road was paved by the winds of change
Walking beside the guilty and the innocent
How will you raise your hand when the call your name?

Yea, Yea, Yea,
We Weren’t born to follow
Come on and get up off your knees
When life is a bitter pill to swallow
You gotta hold on to what you believe
Believe that the sun will shine tomorrow
And that’s a saints and sinners pleas
We weren’t born to follow
You gotta stand up for what you believe
Let me hear you say
Yea, Yea, Yea, ooooohhh,, Yea

This ones about anyone who does it differently
This ones about the one who doesn’t sit and spits
This ain’t about our living in a fantasy
This ain’t about giving up or giving in

Yea, Yea, Yea,
We Weren’t born to follow
Come on and get up off your knees
When life is a bitter pill to swallow
You gotta hold on to what you believe
Believe that the sun will shine tomorrow
And that’s a saints and sinners pleas
We weren’t born to follow
You gotta stand up for what you believe
Let me hear you say
Yea, Yea, Yea, ooooohhh,, Yea

Let me hear you say
Yea, Yea, Yea, oooohhhhh, Yea

“Guitar”


Yea, Yea, Yea,
We Weren’t born to follow
Come on and get up off your knees
When life is a bitter pill to swallow
You gotta hold on to what you believe
Believe that the sun will shine tomorrow
And that’s a saints and sinners pleas
We weren’t born to follow
You gotta stand up for what you believe
Let me hear you say
Yea, Yea, Yea, ooooohhh,, Yea