Runaway

Runaway, one of Jon Bon's most popular, was written in 1980, and was submitted into a local songwriting contest. After doing this, he was told to assemble a band in order to perform it. He hastily got a group together, and they were known as Jon Bongiovi and the Rest. This group was not the lineup for Bon Jovi, but rather a temporary group created to perform this immensely popular song. Richie Sambora caught up with Jon after a show, and requested for a position as the lead guitarist. Jon gave him a shot, and when they next met, Richie had the material down, he continued to become the official lead guitarist, and Bon Jovi was born. Released in their 1983 album "Bon Jovi", this song was their first hit. It became a huge sensation in the summer of 1983, and hit number thirty-four on the US Billboard top 100. This song has a very haunting intro, which ties in well with the lyrics, which are about neglect and prostitution. It's about a girl who has a father that gives her no attention, so she resorts to fleeing from that frontier, toward men that treat her the same way. From lack of attention and contact, she turns to prostitution, in order to please others, not thinking of her own distaste for how she lives.

Bye Bye Love

I couldn't resist, The Cars were on my mind, so I'm posting a second song by them, Bye Bye Love. This song was also released on the Cars' first album in 1978, and though it was not released as a single, it was said to be their longest radio hit. It was written by their acoustic guitarist, Ric Ocasek, and was sung by him in the demo, but in the album version, it was sung by Benjamin Orr, the bassist. In my opinion, it's about being in a relationship with someone, but them always drifting off and thinking about some other guy. One can only take that for so long, and so Bye, Bye Love.

Good Times Roll

Stop! Don't pause the song, the first few bars may seem a bit off at first, but listen on. Good Times Roll was written by The Cars, and released on the first album, The Cars, which was released in 1978. The album itself was immensely popular when it came out, and they had to suspend their second to be released on a later date, so as to not clash with the remaining popularity of their first. This song has a funky intro I'll admit, and even into the verse, but as soon as that second guitar and drums enter into the song, it transforms the song, adding plenty of body, and quite and sturdy feel to it. The song was written by Ric Ocasek, the lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist, and he creates the sort of psychedelic and surreal feel to the song, with lots of synth, many now refer to this as new wave rock. My personal feelings about the subject that the song refers to is a euphoria, and trying to keep those good times, so Let the Good Times Roll!

Head Games

I have a lot of respect for Foreigner, they might not have been one of the best bands out there, but being a vocalist, I bow down Lou Gramm's incredible vocal style and voice. Head Games was released on Foreigner's third studio album, which is under the same name. Head games was released on, believe it or not, September 11, 1979, which I find to be slightly interesting, if anything. This song features Foreigner's classic soft rock style, and a great bass intro if I do say so. This song is about a girl, no surprise, and how she plays head games(real surprise). Clearly it is upsetting the songwriter, and he just wants to know how she feels, and they keep fighting and staying up late talking about their situation. Granted this is not the best Foreigner song, but I chose to do it because of the interesting feel it has to it, and how it effects my mood.