Richie got his first guitar when he was just 12 years old. Throughout his career as a guitarist, Richie has displayed an impressive knack for feeling out a guitar solo to the point that it not only follows the key of the song, but the chord progression as well.
Sambora was a guitarist for the band "Message", and with that band put out an independent record titled "Lessons" which was copyrighted in 1982 and produced and arranged by Dean Fasano and Richie Sambora in Woodbridge, New Jersey. It was re-released in 1995 under the name Message, and in 2000 as Lessons. He was later in a band, Mercy, which was signed to Led Zeppelin-owned record label Swan Song Records, and then Duke Williams & the Extremes, who were signed to Capricorn Records. Sambora was also in an improvisational club band called Richie Sambora & Friends. He was part-owner of a club in New Jersey, and at age 19 owned his own independent label Dream Disc Records. Sambora's first professional tour was as an opening act for Joe Cocker in the early 1980s. Shortly before joining Bon Jovi in 1983, Sambora unsuccessfully auditioned for Kiss, to be Ace Frehley's replacement.
His technique displays remarkable variety - his soloing in "Wanted Dead or Alive" is laden with artificial harmonics, whereas his riffing for "Livin' on a Prayer" makes extensive use of palm muting. Developing his guitar technique in an era laden with wild soloing inspired by Eddie Van Halen, Richie developed a unique style of speed and precision but it took him a few attempts to impress Jon Bon Jovi. When Jon first saw Richie play he didn't think he was good enough: however he soon changed his opinion after working with Richie. Richie was also one of the first 80's mainstream guitarists to make use of the talk-box. Talk-box was also used by other guitarists, notably Slash from Guns N' Roses, Jeff Beck, Joe Perry of Aerosmith, and Peter Frampton. The talk-box can be heard clearly in "Livin' on a Prayer" and "It's My Life".
In 2004, Sanctuary Records released a self-titled album which had been recorded in 1978 by Shark Frenzy, documenting Sambora's first recorded material. The mix tapes had been damaged in a flood and it had taken band member Bruce Foster to remaster them for them to be released so many years later.
Outside of Bon Jovi, Richie has released three solo albums and numerous songs for movie soundtracks (Banger Sisters, On The Line). He also made a cameo in the movie "On The Line".
His first solo outing was "Stranger In This Town", a blues-influenced album that was received well by many critics and guitar affectionados. Eric Clapton made an appearance on the album but it did not fare too well commercially. Richie later admitted that this was due to the fact that he was writing songs from an artistic point, rather than writing a radio oriented album. However, the album did establish Richie as a top rate guitarist, revealing a different side of him that was not widely recognizable during Bon Jovi's 80's heyday. His blues influences would later be present on some of Bon Jovi records as well, notably on 1995's "These Days".
"Undiscovered Soul" was Richie's second solo album, released in 1998. The album was produced by Don Was.
He has appeared in several movie and TV cameos, notably the film 'On The Line' as 'The Mick', and the 'Chris Isaak' show as himself. Recent ventures have seen him compose television theme tunes for both Entertainment Tonight and The Insider. He is a shareholder of the Philadelphia Soul, an Arena Football League football team.
Over the years, Richie has been an ardent fundraiser for many charities, such as Dream Street, the Steve Young Foundation and Michael J Fox's Parkinson's charity.
Downside Of Love
Richie Sambora Lyrics
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There comes a time
When the walks fade away
And when love turns to bitter blue
Sometimes it feels like it's so hard to stay
Last night we went to bed angry
We didn't mean what we said
Seems we never get past forgiveness
To swallow our pride
On the down side of love
Where the love turns to hate
We just can't relate
On the down side of love
When you're misunderstood
Cause when it hurts you
It hurts you so good
Baby life has no guarantee
Never knowing where love's gonna lead
Even though you're a part of me
We have to deal with our pain separately
Sometimes we both fell like victims
With no easy way out, no, no
Somehow we stand by each other
When we're desperate, and drowning in
The shadows of doubts
On the down side of love
Where the love turns to hate
We just can't relate
On the down side of love
Cause when it hurts you
It hurts you so good
The times we share the tenderness
And the times that keep us alive
You get in my face, you rough me up
But baby you know
Can't hurt me 'nough, to give you up
And make me let go
Make me let go oh no, no
When you're on the down side of love
Where the love turns to hate
We just can't relate
On the down side of love
When you're misunderstood
Cause when it hurts you
It hurts you so good
Downside of love
Love's just a long, long road baby
Yes there's a down side of love
Stand by my side baby
When you're on the downside of love
No, no, no
Downside of love
Cause it's a long, long road baby
Downside of love
In Richie Sambora's song "Downside Of Love," he explores the struggles and complexities of a romantic relationship. The lyrics suggest that when two people become too close, they are vulnerable to experiencing the downside of love: the moment when passion turns to resentment and pain. Sambora sings about the difficulty of keeping a relationship alive and how it requires both partners to work through the tough times. He acknowledges that sometimes it feels impossible to move past angry words and hurt feelings, but they can't give up on each other.
The song emphasizes that love comes with no guarantees and that there's always the possibility of being hurt. Sambora seems to be acknowledging that being in a relationship requires taking a risk and that even if things go wrong, it's still worth it. The lyrics also suggest that sometimes people find themselves in a situation where they feel like victims and have surrendered control to their emotions. However, despite the difficulties, they choose to stand by each other and support one another.
Line by Line Meaning
There's a danger of getting so close to you
Being too close to you can be dangerous.
There comes a time
At some point in the relationship,
When the walks fade away
we lose our connection and intimacy.
And when love turns to bitter blue
The love once felt is now overshadowed by negativity and pain.
Sometimes it feels like it's so hard to stay
It becomes difficult to stick around and endure the hardships.
Last night we went to bed angry
The argument before bedtime still lingers.
We didn't mean what we said
Our words were said in the heat of the moment.
Seems we never get past forgiveness
We hold grudges and struggle to forgive each other.
We try to hide, we never learn
We try to conceal our issues instead of addressing them and never seem to learn how to fix things.
To swallow our pride
To humble ourselves and admit fault.
On the down side of love
During the dark times of the relationship.
Where the love turns to hate
When the love we once had has devolved into anger and resentment.
We just can't relate
We no longer understand each other’s feelings or needs.
When you're misunderstood
When our intentions are not received as we intended.
Cause when it hurts you
Because the pain of the situation is so intense.
It hurts you so good
The pain can feel oddly satisfying.
Baby life has no guarantee
Life is unpredictable and there are no guarantees in relationships.
Never knowing where love's gonna lead
We can never predict how our love story will unfold.
Even though you're a part of me
Despite our struggles, I still have deep feelings for you.
We have to deal with our pain separately
We must work through our own emotions without relying solely on each other.
Sometimes we both fell like victims
At times, we both feel like the other person is attacking us, rather than supporting us.
With no easy way out, no, no
There is no quick fix or solution to our problems.
Somehow we stand by each other
Despite our struggles, we still support each other and stay together.
When we're desperate, and drowning in
During the hardest times of our relationship, when we feel overwhelmed.
The shadows of doubts
Our doubts and insecurities about the relationship.
The times we share the tenderness
The moments of intimacy and closeness we share.
And the times that keep us alive
The moments that give us hope and keep us going.
You get in my face, you rough me up
We argue and push each other away.
But baby you know
Despite the arguments, we both know deep down how strongly we feel for each other.
Can't hurt me 'nough, to give you up
The hardships we face are not enough for me to let go of our love.
And make me let go
I cannot bring myself to end our relationship.
Cause it's a long, long road baby
The path of love is not an easy one and requires work and dedication.
Stand by my side baby
Stay with me and support me through the hardships.
No, no, no
We cannot give up on each other.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: DAVID BRYAN, RICHIE SAMBORA, RICHIE SUPA
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind