by wildangels

It's really strange, what can inspire a post here. I was browsing a message board on Television Without Pity and saw an Unsolved Mysteries topic. I used to love that show, and one of the sadder cases I saw on that show was about a kid named Katherine Korzilius. She was a 6-year-old girl whose mother let her walk home from the community mailbox often. One day, the girl never came home and her mom and brother went looking for her. They ended up finding her laying dead in the street and to this day no one is 100% sure what happened to her. Some say she was murdered, while others say she probably tried to jump on the bumper of the car as it was driving away and fell.

I'm sure some of you might be asking what exactly this has to do with music. Well, Katherine's father just happened to work with Bon Jovi. When Jon released his solo album, Destination Anywhere, he included a song about the incident. I had forgotten about the song until I started reading those posts and thought I would share a line and a few thoughts about it.

First off... it's a very moving song. Don't get the wrong impression, though- it's not a ballad. This is a fast number with a driving beat that perfectly expresses the anger and frustration over the situation as well as the grief. In the song, Jon tells the story from beginning to end. He starts off talking about how "they raced home from the mailbox, a mother and a son, against a girl of 6-years-old the independent one". His voice is tough throughout the whole song, showing a little vulnerability in a couple spots. One is in the chorus, where he begs someone to "tell me it was just a dream, August 7, 4:15". He goes on to say that "God closed his eyes and the world got mean" that day. The most moving part is the final verse. His mournful voice cracks as he talks about how no one will ever hurt her again. In the same verse, however, he manages to quickly shift to an angry and accusing tone as he says that "somewhere someone's conscience is like a burning bed. The flames are all around you, how you gonna sleep again?"

To this day, I still get chills listening to this one. If you've never heard it before... you are really missing out. This song is pure emotion and is exactly what music can be at it's best. I'm sure "August 7, 4:15" is on amazon or itunes.