In summary:
Most of us scoffed when the ever-confident Jon Bon Jovi sat on a chat show couch and declared “This is going to be our best album since Slippery When Wet”. It turns out he was speaking facts.
Have A Nice Day receives 9/11.
★★★★★★★★★
You’ve got to give Bon Jovi credit for the way they’ve been able to hang in there.
Not content with being one of the biggest bands of the 1980s, they somehow managed to power through the 90s’ grunge scene largely unscathed, and even mounted a successful comeback amid the nu-metal uprising of the early 2000s. Now here we are in 2005, with alternative acts like The White Stripes and Muse dominating the landscape, and they’ve fucking done it again.
Have A Nice Day is a great record from start to finish.
It’s jam-packed with the kind of catchy riffs and chart-topping choruses you’ve probably come to expect from Bon Jovi, and it captures them at a moment in time where they appear to know exactly who they are, and what they’re good at.
The lead single sets the tone, utilizing the tried and tested Livin’ On A Prayer / It’s My Life template which the boys from New Jersey have been able to use and re-use several times throughout their career.
Elsewhere, the lyrical theme of Have A Nice Day centres around their attempts to survive in the modern era as they grow older. It’s a tone which works well for them, resulting in some of their best work in years.
Tracks like Novocaine and Bells of Freedom reminisce of days gone by in the way Bon Jovi often do (I swear he’s been singing about being “not as young as I used to be” since 1994?), and the scathing Last Man Standing dismisses the current state of the music industry, declaring that that while he can’t endorse the current trend for drum loops, mp3 files, and lip synching, he can offer his listeners a sense of authenticity few other bands can match.
Other album highlights include hit single Who Says You Can’t Go Home, uplifting ballad Welcome To Wherever You Are, and rip-roaring album closer Story Of My Life. The extended cut also provides two strong bonus tracks (Dirty Little Secret and Unbreakable), both of which should have been included on the main disc.
Interestingly, this was the first Bon Jovi album to be produced by Jon Shanks. Shanks would eventually join the band as bass player, and many fans hold him responsible for steering their sound away from trademark rock and towards country/pop on subsequent releases.
(But we’ll talk more about that in future reviews.)
All in all, Have A Nice Day achieves a feat which Bon Jovi had no right to do in 2005. It’s a big, polished rock record which makes no apologies for what it is, and it fucking slaps.
Russ’ re-worked playlist:
Maybe it’s the autism in me, but I’ve always been good at re-working album playlists to create a superior listening experience. What can I say? Superman got laser eyes, and I got this! So here’s how you should listen to Have A Nice Day (2005) for maximum effectiveness:
- Have A Nice Day (3:49) ★
- Complicated (3:37)
- Bells Of Freedom (4:55)
- Story Of My Life (4:08) ★
- Wildflower (4:13)
- Welcome To Wherever You Are (3:47) ★
- I Am (3:53)
- Last Man Standing (4:37)
- I Want To Be Loved (3:49)
- Last Cigarette (3:38)
- Novocaine (4:49)
- Who Says You Can’t Go Home? (4:40)
- Dirty Little Secret (3:35)
- Unbreakable (4:00)
In summary:
Most of us scoffed when the ever-confident Jon Bon Jovi sat on a chat show couch and declared “This is going to be our best album since Slippery When Wet”. It turns out he was speaking facts.
Have A Nice Day receives 9/11.
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