Check out Bon Jovi in the 80s and 90s.
After a five year hiatus, Bon Jovi returned once again to a musical landscape dominated by boy bands and girl groups. Another reinvention – this time a shift towards pop rock – enabled Bon Jovi to gain a new generation of fans. In fact, Bon Jovi has been particularly prolific in the 2000s, which has included five studio albums, a box set, and forays into country music.
Crush (2000)
After regrouping in 1999 to record “Real Life” for the EdTV soundtrack, Bon Jovi rocketed back into music charts around the world with smash hit “It’s My Life”, the lead single from Crush. Crush also includes fan favourites “Just Older” and “One Wild Night” and is probably the album most responsible for Bon Jovi’s popularity across three generations today. However, it is also Bon Jovi’s most pop-sounding record to date and arguably one of its weakest.
Bounce (2002)
The follow-up to Crush is an eclectic mix of guitar-driven rock songs, piano-driven ballads, and mid-tempo pop rock. While Bounce was said to be influenced by the September 11 attacks, only the opening track “Undivided” appears to have the level of social awareness of their 90s material. Lead single “Everyday”, with its similar themes and message, is often criticised for being a regurgitation of “It’s My Life”.
This Left Feels Right (2003)
Bon Jovi aborted plans to release a live acoustic album in 2003 in favour of This Left Feels Right, a selection of previous hit singles re-recorded acoustically and with vastly different arrangements. This album tends to get unfavourable reviews from fans and critics alike, although it has its ardent defenders.
The new “Livin’ on a Prayer” was recorded as a duet with singer and actress Olivia d’Abo. Two new songs originally recorded for the album, “Thief of Hearts” and “Last Man Standing” were left off and eventually released on 100,000,000 Bon Jovi Fans Can’t Be Wrong. (An electric rock arrangement of “Last Man Standing” was also recorded for Have a Nice Day).
100,000,000 Bon Jovi Fans Can’t Be Wrong (2004)
The band’s 20th anniversary and the announcement that they had sold 100 million albums brought the release of the defiantly titled box set, which included four CDs of B-sides, bonus tracks, and previously unreleased material from the past two decades.
There was also a DVD containing archive footage and Jon talking about some of the songs. The title and cover, which features the four “official” band members posing in gold suits, is a homage to Elvis Presley’s greatest hits compilation 50,000,000 Elvis Fans Can’t Be Wrong. The box set is regarded by many diehard Bon Jovi fans as the band’s best release this decade.
Have a Nice Day (2005)
Bon Jovi’s most consistent modern rock record of the 00s, Have a Nice Day reached number one in Japan, Australia, Canada, and several European countries. The title track and first single, like “Everyday”, is often slated for being a “rip-off” of “It’s My Life” but remains one of the highest selling singles of that year.
A country version of “Who Says You Can’t Go Home”, recorded as a duet with Sugarland’s Jennifer Nettles, was also a major hit in North America. As a result, Bon Jovi also became the first rock band to have a number one hit on the US country charts, and won a Grammy Award for Best Country Collaboration in 2007.
Lost Highway (2007)
After the success of “Who Says You Can’t Go Home”, Bon Jovi’s next album further explored the popular country market. Lost Highway includes collaborations with LeAnn Rimes and Big & Rich and was partly recorded in Nashville. While Jon initially called it a “country record”, most of the songs are just pop or pop rock songs with some violins, pedal steel guitars, or banjos added to the arrangement.
The title track in particular is a typical Bon Jovi song. However, releasing the wistful ballad “(You Want To) Make a Memory” as the lead single was a brave choice that paid off in the US. Lost Highway reached number one in several countries but got a mixed reaction from fans. On the other hand, the Lost Highway Tour saw the return of several rarely performed fan favourites, and according to Billboard, was the highest grossing tour of 2008.
2009 and Beyond
Jon Bon Jovi announced during the band’s performance at the Summerfest music festival in June that they had finished recording a new album which would be mixed in London. Earlier that month, Jon had debuted an acoustic version of a new song, “Work for the Working Man” at the National Conference on Volunteering and Service in San Francisco. Bon Jovi are also set to release a DVD of their 2008 Madison Square Garden concerts and a documentary entitled When We Were Beautiful later this year.
