It's My Life

1. It's My Life Song by Bon Jovi Presentation by Cory Betz http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/c1/BonJoviItsMyLifeCDSingleCover.jpg

2. Why I Picked It As a child, I have heard this song on the radio many times. It was also one of the few songs that I had on my MP3 player. When i would first listen to it, I just thought that it sounded cool and was something that I could "jam" to, but as the years went by and I started to pay attention to the lyrics, I found some actual meaning in what was being said. This just made the song mean so much more to me and one of my all-time favorites. http://www.tokbox.com/blog/letslisten-amps-up-the-social-listening-experience/

3. Lyricshttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9SKFwtgUJHs This ain't a song for the broken-hearted No silent prayer for the faith-departed I ain't gonna be just a face in the crowd You're gonna hear my voice When I shout it out loud [Chorus:] It's my life It's now or never I ain't gonna live forever I just want to live while I'm alive (It's my life) My heart is like an open highway Like Frankie said I did it my way I just wanna live while I'm alive It's my life This is for the ones who stood their ground For Tommy and Gina who never backed down Tomorrow's getting harder make no mistake Luck ain't even lucky Got to make your own breaks [Chorus:] It's my life And it's now or never I ain't gonna live forever I just want to live while I'm alive (It's my life) My heart is like an open highway Like Frankie said I did it my way I just want to live while I'm alive 'Cause it's my life Better stand tall when they're calling you out Don't bend, don't break, baby, don't back down [Chorus:] It's my life And it's now or never 'Cause I ain't gonna live forever I just want to live while I'm alive (It's my life) My heart is like an open highway Like Frankie said I did it my way I just want to live while I'm alive [Chorus:] It's my life And it's now or never 'Cause I ain't gonna live forever I just want to live while I'm alive (It's my life) My heart is like an open highway Like Frankie said I did it my way I just want to live while I'm alive 'Cause it's my life!

4. Speaker The speaker of the song "It's My Life" could be someone of either gender and any age that has the desire to lead their own life. They see that they are in complete control of how things turn out and they wish to not just follow the status quo. The speaker may have been raised to think like this or has gone through an experience in life to change their prior opinion on life. Either way, the speaker is now trying to encourage others to control their own lives as well and to stand out. The speaker wants them to face difficulties head on and stop at nothing to live however they want. http://confessedtravelholic.com/2011/02/8-types-of-travellers-youll-meet-on-the-road.html

5. Simile Simile: "My heart is like an open highway" The speaker's heart is being compared to an open highway, where there are multiple lanes of travel for going in one direction. The use of the word "like" suggests the two objects are similar, fitting the definition of a simile. Comparing the heart to an open highway suggests freedom in the path their heart can take them, going along with the idea that the speaker believes that they must control their own life. http://www.teachpe.com/anatomy/heart.php http://mausersandmuffins.blogspot.com/2011/08/on-road-again-story.html

6. Alliteration Alliteration: "Don't bend, don't break, baby, don't back down" The "B" sound being repeated multiple times just within this one line is an example of alliteration. The message of the words here are to say that people should not give in to difficulties, while the repetition of the "B" sound is just creative choice. While the alliteration may add no value to the message of the song, it does cause it to be more memorable to any listeners so the message will stick with them longer.

7. Repetition Repeating the chorus of a song usually is meant to be both catchy and relay the central idea of a song. It is usually the part of a song that most people remember and therefore has the most meaning to people when they think of the song. Since the chorus of the song comes up multiple times within the song, it is an example of repetition. Repetition: The Chorus "It's my life And it's now or never I ain't gonna live forever I just want to live while I'm alive (It's my life) My heart is like an open highway Like Frankie said I did it my way I just want to live while I'm alive 'Cause it's my life"

8. Interpretation "This ain't a song for the broken-hearted No silent prayer for the faith-departed I ain't gonna be just a face in the crowd You're gonna hear my voice When I shout it out loud" http://translation-blog.trustedtranslations.com/how-to-stand-out-from-the-crowd-2010-12-30.html The beginning of the song starts with something like a disclaimer, stating that the song is not meant for people who have let themselves be overcome by grief or loss and have given up. This is immediately followed by the speaker saying how he/she does not want to be one of these common people who go with the flow and let others control what happens to them. The speaker will stand out in a unique way.

9. [Chorus:] "It's my life It's now or never I ain't gonna live forever I just want to live while I'm alive (It's my life) My heart is like an open highway Like Frankie said I did it my way I just wanna live while I'm alive It's my life" The chorus of the song could be taken as what the speaker will shout out loud. Within it, the speaker says how people should take advantage of every opportunity and take chances on things because it is their own life and life is short. It is a call to express that everyone should do what they feel like doing the way that they want to do it. The last two lines can be translated to say YOLO (you only live once) with the idea that one should do as much in their life as they can.

10. "This is for the ones who stood their ground For Tommy and Gina who never backed down Tomorrow's getting harder make no mistake Luck ain't even lucky Got to make your own breaks" The speaker states how the song is written for people who who did not let difficulties get to them, such as Tommy and Gina from "Livin' on a Prayer" (a possible future presentation). This is followed by the bold statement that as things go on, they only become harder and in order to deal with this, one must work to overcome the difficulties instead of hope for a lucky break, which do not exist according to the speaker.

11. "Better stand tall when they're calling you out Don't bend, don't break, baby, don't back down:" Though the shortest grouping of lyrics, these two lines have extreme importance in the effect of blatantly warning the listener to face challenges head on with confidence. The listener is encouraged to be like Tommy and Gina from earlier with their descriptions as never backing down. The meaning behind these brief words support every singular message conveyed within the rest of the song to stand out, be in charge of one's own life, and to take chances. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_Giant

12. Different Song, Similar Theme "Because We Can" By Bon Jovi http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J0Z3nh-ah_k Both songs say how the speaker wants to be different, by either not being another face in the crowd or not being another wave in the ocean. They also both encourage the listeners to take action, though in "It's My Life" the listeners are told to act in their own lives while in this song they are told to take a stand for anything they believe in because they can. "I don't wanna be another wave in the ocean I am a rock not just another grain of sand I wanna be the one you run to when you need a shoulder I ain't a soldier but I'm here to take a stand Because we can, our love can move a mountain We can, if you believe in we We can, just wrap your arms around me We can, we can Because we can"

13. References http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/bonjovi/itsmylife.html Lyrics for “It’s My Life” http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/bonjovi/becausewecan.html Lyrics for “Because We Can”