What Do You Got? If it ain't something nice to say...

...for God's sake, don't say it.

You learned that adage when you were a child, but it's advice worth remembering until the day you die. Unfortunately, I've met precious few people in my life who know how and when to hold their tongues.

What am I rambling about here? Well, I could go off on several tangents, but the primary reason was Bon Jovi's new single, 'What Do You Got?'

The song premiered hardly 48 hours ago and already I have seen World War III begin - mostly on Twitter. Opinions range far and wide about the song, which is not only normal and expected, but GOOD. If every single person loved it in exactly the same way, it wouldn't be a very good piece of music. (And if every single person hated it in exactly the same way, it would be a downright crappy piece of music, lol.)

What bothers me, however, is the mud-slinging and face-slapping and cat-and-dog bickering...not about the song itself, but about someone's OPINION OF the song!

So someone thinks it's not very creative. Ok...was that an insult? If you think it IS creative, was the other person's opinion a direct slap in your face?

No. So why be so defensive? Are you the band's bodyguard or spokesperson? Must you rise to their defense as if they were helpless, vulnerable children? Do you see THEM getting hotheaded and spitting fire back at the naysayers?

No.

Just take a chill pill. Everyone is going to feel differently about the song - be it negatively or positively - based on their musical preferences and their expectations beforehand.

Someone thinks it's a brilliant piece of work. You don't. Must you REALLY put them down because they enjoy listening to it? Who cares? Let it be!

And the counterargument - "If you don't like what I have to say, then fuck off!" Yeah, that doesn't do an ounce of good and you know it. It just stirs the pot further.

So please, everyone, summon a little bit of r-e-s-p-e-c-t and take a breath. Differing in opinion is fine - and even encouraged - but when there are people being attacked and put down because of the way they feel, something is seriously wrong.

As for me? I like the song. It's not a masterpiece, but I don't think it was intended to be. It wasn't written for a studio album, it was written to supplement a greatest hits compilation. Just like other B-sides written for other albums - what about "Lonely" (LH), "These Open Arms" (HAND), "Standing" (Bounce), "We Can Dance" (Crush)? They're all rather simple orchestrations lyrically and musically - and mostly ballad-ish - but they're fun additions to the Bon Jovi catalog.

That's what this is. It's catchy, it's inspiring lyrically, it's a unique little gem that will be included on the 2010 Greatest Hits. Twenty years from now, you'll regard it as the "B-side on the Greatest Hits II compilation."

You don't have to like listening to it, but your neighbor might. Just let her.