For the love of rock
Volume I, Issue 7 – Army of one (15 Sept 2016)
Name of song– Army of one
Band– Bon Jovi
Album– What About Now
Writer– Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora and Desmond Child
Release year– 2013
Similar artists– Def Leppard, Aerosmith, Poison, Guns‘n’Roses
Resources– Wikipedia.org, NME Who’s who in Rock & Roll
Lyrics link- http://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/b/bon_jovi/army_of_one.html
Youtube video link- https://youtu.be/OafaFq1s4iA
Army of one
Reviewer-Bikash Shrestha/Nirab Kayastha
When we talk about Bon Jovi, we are talking about one of the most popular rock acts in the History, who have been going strong for decades. From their inception in 1982 till date, they are rocking on and on and making people rock as a child, then as a teenager, and finally as a parent and now, they are making their children rock too!!!
When we try to associate any song with Bon Jovi, it is actually a nightmare. There are so many amazing numbers which are so authentic, so powerful, and so popular that is virtually impossible to choose any particular song actually. May it be their first break through single “You give love a bad name”, or subsequent numbers like “Lay your hands on me”, “Runaway”, “I’ll be there for you”, “Bed of roses”, “It’s my life”, “Blaze of glory”, “Never say goodbye”, “Always”, “Livin’ on a prayer”, “Wanted dead or alive”, “Keep the faith”, “Real life”, “It’s my life”…….and the list goes on forever and ever……
“Army of one” is a track from their latest twelfth studio album “What about now” released in 2013 (Thirteenth album “This house is not for sale” is due for release on Oct 2016). When we think about Bon Jovi, “Army of one” may not be a prototype Bon Jovi song. It is neither a hard rock number, nor a soft rock number, not a ballad too!!!! Yes, this is what makes this song so curiously interesting.
Co-written by Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora and Desmond Child, the song opens up with an orchestrated organ and a slow drum beat. Soon, rocky voice of Jon Bon Jovi joins in and the song goes at the same smooth pace with a fixed direction. Slowly, the song builds up and the chorus starts to echo. The song carries on the same way and then a short but sweet melodious lead drives in. The chorus echo goes on and on and finally, the last portion of the song is pulled by the beautiful electric lead and slowly fades off with the marching beat!!!
The song basically depicts the life of an average citizen. Each one of us is a soldier in essence; all alone, fighting for our livelihoods and making our lives carry on. The song melts beautifully with each of our lives. It is a song of struggle, a song of hope, song of courage, and song of enthusiasm. Overall “Army of one” may be an atypical Bon Jovi song, but it definitely is typically a rocker’s choice of favorite rock song.
Happy listening!!
Resources– Wikipedia.org, NME Who’s who in Rock & Roll