Destination Jam: Rock out to the five best Bon Jovi songs before new album '2020' drops
Bon Jovi's new album '2020' is just around the corner, releasing today (October 2). Before we rock out to the highly-anticipated LP, let's get warmed up with some of the best tracks by the legendary rock band. Check out our Destination Jam playlist featuring the five best Bon Jovi songs.
'It's My Life'
You knew it had to be here. One of Bon Jovi's most resounding hits, 'It's My Life' is a timeless classic. A song belted out by fans at the top of their lungs in the early 2000s, 'It's My Life' became an anthem to take claim of one's own life and choices.
According to reports, frontman Jon Bon Jovi later explained, "I thought I was writing very self-indulgently about my own life and where I was in it. I didn't realize that the phrase 'It's My Life' would be taken as being about everyone – by teenagers, by older guys, mechanics, whatever. 'It's my life, and I'm taking control.' Everyone kind of feels that way from time to time."
'You Give Love A Bad Name'
Ah, the glorious sounds of '80s rock and roll. There are certain songs that hit that sweet spot for classic rock music, and Bon Jovi's mega-hit 'You Give Love A Bad Name' certainly comes to the fore as one of the best and most familiar examples of the era. In 2009, this epic track was named the 20th greatest hard rock song of all time by VH1. You may want to pump up the volume and wip out your best air-guitaring for this one.
'Livin' On A Prayer'
Before you hit play on the below music video, it has to be said. 'Livin' on a Prayer' is the band's signature song, so a Bon Jovi playlist wouldn't be complete without it. This track has topped fan-voted lists and re-charted around the world decades after its release. It may come as a surprise to know that Jon Bon Jovi didn't like the original recording of this song, which can be found as a hidden track on the box-set album '100,000,000 Bon Jovi Fans Can't Be Wrong'. However, the band's lead guitarist Richie Sambora, did convince him that the song was a potential hit, and they reworked it with a new bassline, different drum fills and the use of a talk box to include it on their 1986 LP 'Slippery When Wet'.
'Bed Of Roses'
When it comes to Bon Jovi music, fan can account that the band's slow jams knock just as hard as their uptempo numbers. One to hit you right in the feels has to be their classic 'Bed Of Roses'. Following an intimate ballad intro, Jon Bon Jovi belts out "I wanna lay you down in a bed of roses. For tonight I'll sleep on a bed of nails. I want to be just as close as, the Holy Ghost is. And lay you down on a bed of roses."
'Always'
The power ballad 'Always' was released as a single from the band's 1994 greatest hits album 'Cross Road' and went on to become one of their best-selling singles, selling a million copies in the US and more than three million globally.
'Always' was originally written by Jon Bon Jovi for the soundtrack to the 1993 film 'Romeo Is Bleeding', which stars Gary Oldman as a corrupt cop and Mafia aide who is renounced by his wife. After the singer was left unimpressed by a preview screening of the movie, he decided not to lend the song to the producers. 'Romeo Is Bleeding' was also a box office flop and Jovi even commented, "The script was great: the movie wasn't." Eventually, a friend and A&R executive, John Kalodner, convinced him to re-record the song and release it. Such a series of unfortunate events thankfully led to the fortunate event of one of the band's best slow songs we can't forget. Watch the official music video below.
Destination Jam is a daily list of songs that will keep you entertained and grooving up top in lieu of feeling drained and losing the plot. Look out for a fresh selection of great tunes from MEAWW to refresh your mood every day!