You may love or hate really big guys, but they don’t become big for nothing — and this song is a fine example of the songwriting power house that is Bon Jovi. Looking closely at this identity-defining anthem reveals these deft touches:
- Mixing of major and minor harmonies to make the song sound fresh and interesting
- Heavy reliance on the C note (melody) and chord (harmony), which is a bVII in the key of D Major — the “defiance” chord which communicates the rebel rock n roll spirit of the song
- The whole thing is based on Dorian mode/harmony, which sounds a lot more distinct and exotic than standard major or minor tonality