I'll Be There for You (Bon Jovi song)

Last updated

"I'll Be There for You"
Bonjovi illbethereforyou.jpg
Single by Bon Jovi
from the album New Jersey
B-side "Homebound Train"
ReleasedFebruary 1989
Genre
Length
  • 5:46 (album version)
  • 5:41 (single version)
  • 4:43 (radio edit)
Label Mercury
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s) Bruce Fairbairn
Bon Jovi singles chronology
"Born to Be My Baby"
(1988)
"I'll Be There for You"
(1989)
"Lay Your Hands on Me"
(1989)
Music video
I'll Be There for You on YouTube

"I'll Be There for You" is a song by American rock band Bon Jovi, released as the third single from their 1988 album, New Jersey . The power ballad was written by Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora. The single reached number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number five on the Album Rock Tracks chart.

Contents

Background

Originally released on the 1988 album New Jersey , "I'll Be There for You" is a glam metal and arena rock power ballad. [1] [2] [3] It became Bon Jovi's third single from the album when it was released as a single in 1989. As the band (and glam metal) was at its peak popularity at this time, the song quickly climbed to the number one position on both the Cash Box Top 100 and Billboard Hot 100, becoming their fourth number-one single. Cash Box ranked it as the number-two pop single of 1989. [4]

Music video

The video for the song (directed by Wayne Isham) features the band performing on a dark stage with an almost monochromatic blue color due to the stage lighting, with close-ups of each member, most notably lead singer Jon Bon Jovi and lead guitarist Richie Sambora. However, it is persistent throughout the clip that Richie Sambora's face is constantly in shadow through the entire video. The video footage then switches midway to black-and-white footage from a Bon Jovi concert at the old Wembley Arena in London, England.

"Homebound Train"

"Homebound Train", the B-side to "I'll Be There for You", is notable for being one of the band's heaviest songs, and also for the brief back-and-forth keyboard and harmonica solos leading up to the guitar solo. When played during The Circle Tour, it was sung by lead guitarist Richie Sambora.

Charts

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA) [23] Platinum70,000
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil) [24] Gold30,000

Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

RegionDateFormat(s)Label(s)Ref.
United StatesFebruary 1989
  • 7-inch vinyl
  • mini-CD
  • cassette
Mercury
United KingdomApril 17, 1989
  • 7-inch vinyl
  • 12-inch vinyl
  • CD
Vertigo [25]
JapanApril 25, 1989Mini-CDMercury [26]

See also

Related Research Articles

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"(You Want to) Make a Memory" is a song by American rock band Bon Jovi, which was released as the first single from their tenth studio album Lost Highway (2007). Written by Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora and Desmond Child, it was released for radio airplay on March 20, 2007, and for download on the US iTunes Store on April 17, 2007. The song is a ballad, and was performed at several nationally-televised events in an effort to promote the single. "(You Want to) Make a Memory" peaked at number 27 in the United States, making it Bon Jovi's last single to break the Top 40 on the Hot 100.

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