Bon Jovi (album)
Bon Jovi | ||||
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Studio album by Bon Jovi | ||||
Released | January 23, 1984 (1984-01-23)[1] | |||
Recorded | 1982–1983 | |||
Studio | Power Station (New York City) | |||
Genre |
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Length | 38:33 | |||
Label |
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Producer |
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Bon Jovi chronology | ||||
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Singles from Bon Jovi | ||||
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Bon Jovi is the debut studio album by American rock band Bon Jovi, released on January 23, 1984, by Mercury Records. Produced by Tony Bongiovi and Lance Quinn, it is significant for being the only Bon Jovi album in which a song ("She Don't Know Me") appears that was not written or co-written by a member of the band. The album charted at number 43 on the US Billboard 200.[5]
Aside from the hit single "Runaway", songs from the album were rarely performed live after Bon Jovi released Slippery When Wet in 1986. However, on the band's 2010 Circle Tour, songs including "Roulette", "Shot Through the Heart" and "Get Ready" were performed. The album was ranked the 11th best rock album of 1984 by Kerrang! magazine.[6]
The song "Shot Through the Heart" should not be confused with the much better-known "You Give Love a Bad Name" from Slippery When Wet.[7]
On 25 January 2024, the band announced and released the 40th anniversary edition of the album on the same day.[8][9][10]
Background
In 1980, Jon Bon Jovi (born John Francis Bongiovi) began work at Power Station, a Manhattan recording facility co-founded by his cousin, Tony Bongiovi. Jon made several demos and sent them out to record companies, but failed to make an impact.
In 1982, Jon went to local radio station WAPP 103.5FM "The Apple". DJ Chip Hobart listened to the demos and loved "Runaway", deciding to include it on the station's compilation album of local homegrown talent. The studio musicians who helped record "Runaway" were known as The All Star Review. They were: guitarist Tim Pierce, keyboardist Roy Bittan, drummer Frankie LaRocka, bass guitarist Hugh McDonald, and additional singers David Grahmme and Mick Seeley (Seeley also composed the distinctive keyboard riff that opens the song). In 1994, McDonald would later replace Alec John Such as Bon Jovi's bass guitarist, initially only as a touring and session musician, before becoming a full member in 2016.
The song began to get airplay around New York. Jon signed to Mercury Records, part of the PolyGram company. He wanted a band name and the A&R staff at PolyGram came up with Bon Jovi.
In March 1983, Bon Jovi called David Bryan (then known as Rashbaum), who in turn called bass guitarist Alec John Such and an experienced drummer named Tico Torres. At that time Bon Jovi's lead guitarist was Dave Sabo, who later formed the band Skid Row. Sabo was soon replaced by Richie Sambora.
"We weren't a good band", Bon Jovi said in 2007. "We didn't become a good band until the third record, but we had a drummer who could keep time, which you should never take for granted. But I did okay for a 22-year-old. I'd only been in a studio for three years total prior to that record and I didn't know anything about comping a vocal – where you take a word or a line from one track and piece it together. I was thinking, My God, I'm so bad that they have to put my vocals together for me. The engineer was saying, Don't fret, Jon: even Freddie Mercury and the greats have to comp a vocal."[11]
Release and reception
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
The Rolling Stone Album Guide | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
AllMusic has retrospectively rated Bon Jovi three-and-a-half out of five stars. Leslie Mathew, who reviewed the album, said: "The songs may be simple and the writing prone to all clichés of the form, but the album boasts a pretty consistent hard rock attack, passionate playing, and a keen sense of melody", and called the album "an often-overlooked minor gem from the early days of hair metal".[2]
Track listing
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Runaway" |
|
| 3:50 |
2. | "Roulette" |
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| 4:38 |
3. | "She Don't Know Me" | Mark Avsec |
| 4:02 |
4. | "Shot Through the Heart" |
|
| 4:16 |
5. | "Love Lies" |
|
| 4:06 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
6. | "Breakout" |
|
| 5:20 |
7. | "Burning for Love" |
|
| 3:51 |
8. | "Come Back" |
|
| 3:56 |
9. | "Get Ready" |
|
| 4:07 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Runaway" (live Le Zenith 1988) | 5:18 |
2. | "Roulette" (live BBC Friday Rock Show) | 5:39 |
3. | "Shot Through the Heart" (live Japan Tour 1985) | |
4. | "Burning for Love" (live Japan Tour 1985) | |
5. | "Get Ready" (live Japan Tour 1985) | 7:04 |
6. | "Breakout" (live Super Rock '84) | 6:26 |
7. | "Runaway" (live Super Rock '84) |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Runaway" (live Japan Tour 1985) | 5:18 |
2. | "Roulette" (Live Japan Tour 1985) | 5:39 |
3. | "Breakout" (live Japan Tour 1985) | 6:26 |
4. | "Get Ready" (live Japan Tour 1985) | 7:04 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
10. | "Runaway" (cassette writing demo) | 2:14 |
11. | "Runaway" (pre-production studio demo) | 4:08 |
12. | "Runaway" (alternate version) | 4:18 |
13. | "Runaway" (extended version, 2024 mix) | 4:42 |
14. | "Come Back" (reference vocal version) | 4:15 |
15. | "Roulette" (live Tokyo 1985, Obie O’Brien mix) | 5:38 |
16. | "Breakout" (live Tokyo 1985, Obie O’Brien mix) | 7:06 |
17. | "Runaway" (live Tokyo 1985, Obie O’Brien mix) | 5:17 |
18. | "Get Ready" (live Tokyo 1985, Obie O’Brien mix) | 7:03 |
Personnel
Bon Jovi
- Jon Bon Jovi – lead vocals (all tracks), guitar
- Richie Sambora – guitar and backing vocals (except “Runaway”)
- Alec John Such – bass and backing vocals (except “Runaway”)
- Tico "The Hitman" Torres – drums (except “Runaway”)
- David Rashbaum – keyboards and backing vocals (except “Runaway”)
Additional musicians
- Hugh McDonald – bass on "Runaway"
- Roy Bittan – keyboards on "Runaway"
- Chuck Burgi – additional drums
- Doug Katsaros – additional keyboards
- Frankie LaRocka – drums on "Runaway"
- Aldo Nova – additional guitar and keyboards
- Tim Pierce – guitar on "Runaway"
- David Grahmme – backing vocals on "Runaway"
- Mick Seeley – backing vocals on "Runaway"
Production staff
- Tony Bongiovi – producer
- Lance Quinn – producer
- Larry Alexander – engineering
- Jeff Hendrickson – engineering
- John Bengelshmy – engineering
- Arthur Mann – executive producer
Design
- Spencer Drate – album design
- Judith Salavetz – album design
- Geoffrey Hargrave Thomas – photography
Charts
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
|
Certifications
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Canada (Music Canada)[25] | Gold | 50,000^ |
Hong Kong (IFPI Hong Kong)[26] | Gold | 10,000* |
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[27] | Gold | 25,000^ |
United Kingdom (BPI)[28] | Silver | 60,000^ |
United States (RIAA)[1] | 2× Platinum | 2,000,000^ |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. |
References
- ^ a b "American album certifications – Bon Jovi – Bon Jovi". Recording Industry Association of America. April 14, 1987. Retrieved July 20, 2012.
- ^ a b c d Bon Jovi at AllMusic
- ^ Popoff, Martin (2014). The Big Book of Hair Metal: The Illustrated Oral History of Heavy Metal's Debauched Decade. Minneapolis, Minnesota. p. 59. ISBN 978-0-7603-4546-7. OCLC 858901054.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ McPadden 1/26/2015, Mike. "Kingmakers In Makeup: 15 Future Metal Superstars That Opened For Kiss". VH1 News. Archived from the original on May 17, 2022. Retrieved 2021-05-29.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "Allmusic (Bon Jovi charts & awards) Billboard albums".
- ^ "Rock List Music.uk".
- ^ Schonfeld, Zach (May 10, 2018). "Every Bon Jovi Album, Ranked: Celebrating 'Slippery When Wet,' 'New Jersey,' and All the Rest". Newsweek. Retrieved March 13, 2019.
- ^ Rivadavia, Eduardo (2024-01-21). "40 Years Ago: Bon Jovi's Debut Album Points to Bigger Things". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved 2024-01-27.
- ^ Peacock, Tim (January 24, 2024). "Bon Jovi's Self-Titled Debut Album Celebrates 40 Years With Deluxe Edition". UDiscover Music. Retrieved June 3, 2024.
- ^ "Bon Jovi Commemorates 40th Anniversary Of Self-Titled Debut 'Bon Jovi Deluxe Edition' Out Now". Universal Music Enterprises (UMe). Universal Music Enterprises (UMe). February 7, 2024. Retrieved June 3, 2024.
- ^ Blake, Mark (August 2007). "My brilliant career: Jon Bon Jovi". Q #253. p. 67.
- ^ "Rolling Stone Album Guide". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 2011-06-28. Retrieved 2017-08-24.
- ^ Rivadavia, Eduardo (2024-01-21). "40 Years Ago: Bon Jovi's Debut Album Points to Bigger Things". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved 2024-01-27.
- ^ Peacock, Tim (January 24, 2024). "Bon Jovi's Self-Titled Debut Album Celebrates 40 Years With Deluxe Edition". UDiscover Music. Retrieved June 3, 2024.
- ^ "Bon Jovi Commemorates 40th Anniversary Of Self-Titled Debut 'Bon Jovi Deluxe Edition' Out Now". Universal Music Enterprises (UMe). Universal Music Enterprises (UMe). February 7, 2024. Retrieved June 3, 2024.
- ^ "ARIA Top 100 Albums – Week Commencing 28th January 2008" (PDF). The ARIA Report. No. 935. January 28, 2008. p. 5. Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 February 2008. Retrieved July 20, 2012.
- ^ Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
- ^ Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970–2005 (in Japanese). Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN 4-87131-077-9.
- ^ "Charts.nz – Bon Jovi – Bon Jovi". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 30, 2019.
- ^ Salaverrie, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (in Spanish) (1st ed.). Madrid: Fundación Autor/SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
- ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 23, 2022.
- ^ "Bon Jovi Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved June 23, 2022.
- ^ "Top Pop Albums of 1984". Billboard. June 23, 2022. Archived from the original on December 31, 2012. Retrieved July 31, 2021.
- ^ "Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1987". Billboard. Archived from the original on May 14, 2018. Retrieved June 23, 2022.
- ^ "Canadian album certifications – Bon Jovi – Bon Jovi". Music Canada. March 31, 1987. Retrieved July 20, 2012.
- ^ "IFPIHK Gold Disc Award − 1989". IFPI Hong Kong. Retrieved November 29, 2019.
- ^ "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards ('1st Album')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien. Retrieved June 23, 2022.
- ^ "British album certifications – Bon Jovi – Bon Jovi". British Phonographic Industry. July 22, 2013. Retrieved October 10, 2021.
- v
- t
- e
- Jon Bon Jovi
- Tico Torres
- David Bryan
- Hugh McDonald
- Phil X
- Bon Jovi
- 7800° Fahrenheit
- Slippery When Wet
- New Jersey
- Keep the Faith
- These Days
- Crush
- Bounce
- Have a Nice Day
- Lost Highway
- The Circle
- What About Now
- Burning Bridges
- This House Is Not for Sale
- 2020
- Forever
- Hard & Hot (Best of Bon Jovi)
- Cross Road
- Tokyo Road: Best of Bon Jovi
- This Left Feels Right
- 100,000,000 Bon Jovi Fans Can't Be Wrong
- Greatest Hits
- "Runaway"
- "She Don't Know Me"
- "Only Lonely"
- "In and Out of Love"
- "The Hardest Part Is the Night"
- "Silent Night"
- "You Give Love a Bad Name"
- "Livin' on a Prayer"
- "Wanted Dead or Alive"
- "Never Say Goodbye"
- "Edge of a Broken Heart"
- "Bad Medicine"
- "Born to Be My Baby"
- "I'll Be There for You"
- "Lay Your Hands on Me"
- "Living in Sin"
- "Keep the Faith"
- "Bed of Roses"
- "In These Arms"
- "I'll Sleep When I'm Dead"
- "I Believe"
- "Dry County"
- "Always"
- "Please Come Home for Christmas"
- "Someday I'll Be Saturday Night"
- "This Ain't a Love Song"
- "Something for the Pain"
- "Lie to Me"
- "These Days"
- "Hey God"
- "Real Life"
- "It's My Life"
- "Say It Isn't So"
- "Thank You for Loving Me"
- "One Wild Night"
- "Everyday"
- "Misunderstood"
- "Bounce"
- "All About Lovin' You"
- "Have a Nice Day"
- "Welcome to Wherever You Are"
- "Who Says You Can't Go Home"
- "(You Want to) Make a Memory"
- "Lost Highway"
- "Till We Ain't Strangers Anymore"
- "Summertime"
- "Whole Lot of Leavin'"
- "We Weren't Born to Follow"
- "Superman Tonight"
- "What Do You Got?"
- "This Is Our House" (promo)
- "Because We Can"
- "We Don't Run"
- "This House Is Not for Sale"
- "When We Were Us"
- "Do What You Can"
- "Legendary"
- Breakout: Video Singles
- Slippery When Wet: The Videos
- New Jersey: The Videos
- Access All Areas: A Rock & Roll Odyssey
- Keep the Faith: An Evening with Bon Jovi
- Keep the Faith: The Videos
- Cross Road
- Live from London
- The Crush Tour
- This Left Feels Right Live
- Lost Highway: The Concert
- When We Were Beautiful
- Live at Madison Square Garden
- Greatest Hits: The Ultimate Video Collection
- Jon Bon Jovi
- Blaze of Glory
- Destination Anywhere
- Richie Sambora
- David Bryan
- On a Full Moon
- Lunar Eclipse
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