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The song so many have covered
July 8, 2004
BY JEFF VRABEL Staff Reporter Advertisement
Finally, it can be said -- 2004 is the year of "Every Rose Has Its Thorn."
OK, yes, if you want to get nitpicky about it, 1988 was actually the year of "Every Rose Has Its Thorn." But 1988 is so 16 years ago. Since the dusk of the glam-metal heyday, rarely -- OK, never -- has such an era-specific, time-stamped single made such a left-field, mainstream, pop culture comeback.
Poison's quintessential breakup song of the glitzy '80s -- that lighter-waving weeper, occasional prom theme and karaoke nightmare -- is the Godzilla of the monster ballads, demolishing all others in its path (In the interest of fairness, we'll call Bon Jovi's "I'll Be There for You" its Mothra).
For some reason -- fate, karma, wistful nostalgia, the populace's collective ability to identify with cowboys singing sad, sad songs -- this "Rose" has bloomed in public far more often this year than expected. No less an image-conscious alt-rock hipster than Billy Corgan sang the tune -- and its, er, praises -- last year at a Second City benefit, where he admitted, "I have a soft spot for this song because it does mark a moment in time."
So why this song, of all the power ballads, and why now?
"The best way I can put this is: Slowly but surely, I think 'Every Rose' is becoming the 'Free Bird' of our generation," said Bret Michaels, lead singer of Poison. "I've heard this from just about every DJ. I'm like, 'Oh, OK,' but I'm not gonna fight it. 'Free Bird?' Well, that doesn't suck."
Michaels and Poison are preparing to spend their summer in the opening slot for Kiss' most recent reunion tour, which hits the Tweeter Center on Friday. It's further proof that there's always space in the summer shed schedule for throwback, fireworks-and-drum-solo rock shows, especially given this summer's thin touring lineup. (You'd rather drive out there to see 3 Doors Down and Nickelback?)
"We had planned on taking this year off when Kiss came knocking," Michaels said. "I called up C.C. [DeVille, Poison's lead guitarist] and said, 'How often are we gonna get a chance to go out on the road with Kiss?' This is one of the biggest stage spectacles I've ever seen them do. So we said, let's go have fun, have a good time, and when this is done I'll go back to the solo record."
That solo record is "The Other Side of Me," and for Michaels, that side wears a 10-gallon hat and boots. It's also the reason he's been hanging out with all those country singers. "My dad listened to a lot of Glen Campbell, Merle, Hank Williams Sr.," he said. "For me, [country] is a natural progression."
And despite its vintage, he's counting on a new, twangier version of "Every Rose" to provide the bridge, to explore the lucrative lands between rock and country even more, a la Kid Rock (newly country), Sheryl Crow (always vaguely countryish), Jimmy Buffett (country, then not, now country again) and even Kenny Chesney, a Buffett-esque country rocker with a taste for John Mellencamp covers and Caribbean-flavored vibes.
"It's the one song of Poison's that I wanted to take with me," Michaels said. "I got guys like Chris Cagle and Rascal Flatts into the studio, and I got a bunch of beer, and we took a bunch of swings with the song."
Whether it succeeds depends on whether Michaels and the guys get the words to come out right.
The song so many have covered
July 8, 2004
BY JEFF VRABEL Staff Reporter Advertisement
Finally, it can be said -- 2004 is the year of "Every Rose Has Its Thorn."
OK, yes, if you want to get nitpicky about it, 1988 was actually the year of "Every Rose Has Its Thorn." But 1988 is so 16 years ago. Since the dusk of the glam-metal heyday, rarely -- OK, never -- has such an era-specific, time-stamped single made such a left-field, mainstream, pop culture comeback.
Poison's quintessential breakup song of the glitzy '80s -- that lighter-waving weeper, occasional prom theme and karaoke nightmare -- is the Godzilla of the monster ballads, demolishing all others in its path (In the interest of fairness, we'll call Bon Jovi's "I'll Be There for You" its Mothra).
For some reason -- fate, karma, wistful nostalgia, the populace's collective ability to identify with cowboys singing sad, sad songs -- this "Rose" has bloomed in public far more often this year than expected. No less an image-conscious alt-rock hipster than Billy Corgan sang the tune -- and its, er, praises -- last year at a Second City benefit, where he admitted, "I have a soft spot for this song because it does mark a moment in time."
So why this song, of all the power ballads, and why now?
"The best way I can put this is: Slowly but surely, I think 'Every Rose' is becoming the 'Free Bird' of our generation," said Bret Michaels, lead singer of Poison. "I've heard this from just about every DJ. I'm like, 'Oh, OK,' but I'm not gonna fight it. 'Free Bird?' Well, that doesn't suck."
Michaels and Poison are preparing to spend their summer in the opening slot for Kiss' most recent reunion tour, which hits the Tweeter Center on Friday. It's further proof that there's always space in the summer shed schedule for throwback, fireworks-and-drum-solo rock shows, especially given this summer's thin touring lineup. (You'd rather drive out there to see 3 Doors Down and Nickelback?)
"We had planned on taking this year off when Kiss came knocking," Michaels said. "I called up C.C. [DeVille, Poison's lead guitarist] and said, 'How often are we gonna get a chance to go out on the road with Kiss?' This is one of the biggest stage spectacles I've ever seen them do. So we said, let's go have fun, have a good time, and when this is done I'll go back to the solo record."
That solo record is "The Other Side of Me," and for Michaels, that side wears a 10-gallon hat and boots. It's also the reason he's been hanging out with all those country singers. "My dad listened to a lot of Glen Campbell, Merle, Hank Williams Sr.," he said. "For me, [country] is a natural progression."
And despite its vintage, he's counting on a new, twangier version of "Every Rose" to provide the bridge, to explore the lucrative lands between rock and country even more, a la Kid Rock (newly country), Sheryl Crow (always vaguely countryish), Jimmy Buffett (country, then not, now country again) and even Kenny Chesney, a Buffett-esque country rocker with a taste for John Mellencamp covers and Caribbean-flavored vibes.
"It's the one song of Poison's that I wanted to take with me," Michaels said. "I got guys like Chris Cagle and Rascal Flatts into the studio, and I got a bunch of beer, and we took a bunch of swings with the song."
Whether it succeeds depends on whether Michaels and the guys get the words to come out right.
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