Forever (Bon Jovi album)

Last updated

Forever
Bon Jovi - Forever.png
Studio album by
ReleasedJune 7, 2024 (2024-06-07)
Recorded2023
Studio
Genre Rock
Length48:41
Label Island
Producer
Bon Jovi chronology
2020
(2020)
Forever
(2024)
Forever (Legendary Edition)
(2025)
Singles from Forever
  1. "Legendary"
    Released: March 14, 2024
  2. "Living Proof"
    Released: May 17, 2024
Forever (Legendary Edition)
Studio album by
Bon Jovi
ReleasedOctober 24, 2025 (2025-10-24)
Label Island
Producer
  • Bon Jovi
  • Shanks
Bon Jovi chronology
Forever
(2024)
Forever (Legendary Edition)
(2025)
Singles from Forever (Legendary Edition)
  1. "The People's House (with The War & Treaty)"
    Released: August 30, 2024
  2. "Red, White and Jersey"
    Released: August 29, 2025
  3. "Hollow Man (with Bruce Springsteen)"
    Released: August 29, 2025

Forever is the sixteenth studio album by American rock band Bon Jovi, released on June 7, 2024, through Island Records. It was preceded by the singles "Legendary" and "Living Proof". It is their first studio album recorded with longtime producer John Shanks on rhythm guitar and Everett Bradley on backing vocals as official members, marking their first album to be recorded and released as a 7-piece band.

Contents

Background and composition

The album is Bon Jovi's first since Jon Bon Jovi had vocal cord surgery in 2022, which was part of the band's 2024 Hulu docuseries Thank You, Goodnight: The Bon Jovi Story, [1] released in conjunction with the band's 40th anniversary. After his recovery, Bon Jovi regained his joy and confidence, inspiring him to start writing music again. [2]

The album opens with the pop-rock song "Legendary", which reflects on the past while looking forward to the future. Bon Jovi explained: "I just feel that there's an opportunity for me to leave a legacy that was there to do some good and maybe just cause a little ripple in the sea." [3] "Living Proof" is the first Bon Jovi song in 14 years that features the use of the talk box, being last used in their 2010 song "This Is Love This Is Life." [4] This sound effect is famously known from their hits "It's My Life" and "Livin' on a Prayer". [5]

"Kiss the Bride" is a wedding song written by Bon Jovi for his daughter, Stephanie Bongiovi. [6] "Living in Paradise" is a collaboration song with British songwriter/singer Ed Sheeran. The song was composed during a weekend when Ed and his family were at Jon Bon Jovi's house. The composition began when Ed started asking for Jon's advice regarding his life experiences. [7] "My First Guitar" is a song composed by Bon Jovi using his very first guitar, which he managed to repurchase from the person he sold it to 45 years ago. [8]

Release and promotion

In October 2023, MusiCares announced that Jon Bon Jovi had been selected as the 2024 Person of the Year. [9] During the gala event on February 2, 2024, the band performed "Legendary" for the first time. [10] On March 12, a video titled "Bon Jovi Forever" was uploaded to the band's YouTube channel, announcing the album title and the release of the lead single "Legendary" on March 14. [11] The video also included snippets of the songs "We Made It Look Easy", "Living Proof", and "Waves". On May 15, the band announced that the second single "Living Proof" would be released on May 17. [12] On May 20, the band began posting track-by-track commentary and snippets of each song's chorus on their social media. [13] The album was released on June 7. On August 30, a duet of the song "The People's House" featuring The War and Treaty was released, accompanied by a lyric video. On October 11, the official music video for “The People’s House” featuring The War and Treaty was released, accompanied by a statement from Jon Bon Jovi endorsing Kamala Harris in the 2024 United States presidential election. [14]

In August 2025, rumors circulated online suggesting that Bon Jovi had retired. On August 25, drummer Tico Torres addressed the speculation in a video statement, clarifying that the band had not disbanded. Two days later, on August 27, Bon Jovi announced a new edition of the album, titled "Forever (Legendary Edition)", scheduled for release on October 24, 2025. The "Forever (Legendary Edition)" is a re-recorded version of the original album’s tracklist featuring guest appearances by Jelly Roll, Avril Lavigne, Bruce Springsteen, Marcus King and others, as well as a brand new song titled "Red, White and Jersey". [15] On August 29, the songs "Red, White and Jersey" and "Hollow Man (with Bruce Springsteen)" were released as a double single from "Forever (Legendary Edition)".

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic 61/100 [16]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [17]
Classic Rock Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [18]
The Independent 8/10 [19]
Kerrang! 4/5 [20]

Forever received a score of 61 out of 100 on review aggregator Metacritic based on five critics' reviews, indicating "generally favorable" reception. [16] AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine wrote that "as the first record Bon Jovi has made since their singer's surgery, it also functions as an unveiling of a revived band" and "this sense of refinement suits a group who knows they're a bit older and a bit slower than they were 40 years ago but they're grateful to still be happy doing what they're doing all these decades later." [17] Steve Beebee of Kerrang! called Forever "an album by an artist who has much to celebrate and nothing left to prove" and found that the music "has a kind of open-road joy about it. The songs are reflective, certainly, and often chime with Bon Jovi classics of the past." [20] Bryan Rolli of Ultimate Classic Rock wrote that "the guitars are sterile, the lyrics are treacly and you can telegraph exactly where the band's going to drop out for Bon Jovi to utter the hook—yet despite your best efforts, these songs will lodge themselves in your brain, because that's what this band does best." [1]

Classic Rock 's Philip Wilding wrote that unlike the "pretty much solo" 2020 , "Forever sounds like a Bon Jovi album. Rock songs, power ballads, it's a big-sounding record designed to be played to big rooms." [18] Carla Feric, reviewing the album for The Independent , concluded that "The album diverges from past material, but Jon Bon Jovi's powerful vocals have not faltered and the band's instrumentals keep the tracks catchy and fresh – making the listener want to keep this one on repeat." [19]

Track listing

All tracks are produced by Jon Bon Jovi and John Shanks, except "Living in Paradise", produced by Bon Jovi, Shanks and Joe Rubel

Forever track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Legendary"4:05
2."We Made It Look Easy"
3:15
3."Living Proof"
  • Bon Jovi
  • Shanks
3:39
4."Waves"
3:52
5."Seeds"5:05
6."Kiss the Bride"
  • Bon Jovi
  • Falcon
3:51
7."The People's House"Bon Jovi4:36
8."Walls of Jericho"
  • Bon Jovi
  • Shanks
  • Philip Lawrence
3:48
9."I Wrote You a Song"
  • Bon Jovi
  • Shanks
  • Falcon
3:25
10."Living in Paradise"
3:16
11."My First Guitar"Bon Jovi4:55
12."Hollow Man"Bon Jovi4:54
Total length:48:41
Japanese deluxe edition / extended digital bonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
13."That Was Then, This Is Now"
  • Bon Jovi
  • Shanks
  • Lawrence
4:57
14."Legendary" (demo)
  • Bon Jovi
  • Shanks
  • Falcon
4:09
Total length:57:53
Japanese deluxe edition blu-ray [21]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Track By Track Commentary"  
2."Behind the Scenes"  
3."Legendary" (Music Video)
  • Bon Jovi
  • Shanks
  • Falcon
 
4."Runaway" (Music Video)
  • Bon Jovi
  • George Karak
 
5."Livin' on a Prayer" (Music Video) 
6."It's My Life" (Music Video)
 
Forever (Legendary Edition) track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Red, White and Jersey"Bon Jovi, Shanks, Ashley Gorley, Casey Brown3:36
2."Legendary (with James Bay)"
  • Bon Jovi
  • Shanks
  • Falcon
 
3."We Made It Look Easy (with Robbie Williams)"
  • Bon Jovi
  • Tedder
  • DeRoberts
  • Long
 
4."Living Proof (with Jelly Roll)"
  • Bon Jovi
  • Shanks
 
5."Waves (with Jason Isbell)"
  • Bon Jovi
  • Shanks
  • Isbell
 
6."Seeds (with Ryan Tedder)"
  • Bon Jovi
  • Tedder
  • Douglas
  • Pollack
 
7."Kiss the Bride (with Billy Falcon)"
  • Bon Jovi
  • Falcon
 
8."The People's House (with The War & Treaty)"Bon Jovi4:25
9."Walls of Jericho (with Joe Elliott)"
  • Bon Jovi
  • Shanks
  • Lawrence
 
10."I Wrote You a Song (with Lainey Wilson)"
  • Bon Jovi
  • Shanks
  • Falcon
 
11."Living in Paradise (with Avril Lavigne)"
  • Bon Jovi
  • Sheeran
 
12."My First Guitar (with Marcus King)"Bon Jovi 
13."Hollow Man (with Bruce Springsteen)"Bon Jovi4:53
14."We Made It Look Easy/Hicimos Que Pareciera Fácil (with Carin León)"Bon Jovi 
Forever (Legendary Edition) Bonus Track LP / Japanese Legendary Edition (Deluxe) [22] [23]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
15."Fight Somebody"Bon Jovi, Falcon, Jordan Schmidt , Ernest Smith  

Personnel

Bon Jovi

Additional musicians

Technical

Charts

Release history

Release history and formats for Forever
RegionDateVersionLabelFormatRef
WorldwideJune 7, 2024Standard Island [50]
JapanDeluxeCD+Blu Ray [51]
WorldwideJune 17, 2024Extended DigitalDigital Download [50]
October 24, 2025Legendary Edition
  • Digital Download
  • Streaming
  • CD
  • 2xLP
[50]
Legendary Edition (Bonus Track LP)2xLP [50]
JapanLegendary Edition (Deluxe Edition)2xCD [23]

References

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  2. Kaufman, Gil (June 6, 2024). "Jon Bon Jovi Talks Bouncing Back From Vocal Cord Surgery, Forever Album and Why Band's Songs Will 'Outlive Us'". Billboard . Retrieved June 14, 2024.
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  5. Fraser, Lewry (May 17, 2024). "Bon Jovi break out the talkbox for new single Living Proof and it could almost be 1986 all over again". Louder . Retrieved June 18, 2024 via Yahoo!.
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