"I'll Be There for You" | ||||
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Single by Bon Jovi | ||||
from the album New Jersey | ||||
B-side | "Homebound Train" | |||
Released | February 1989 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length |
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Label | Mercury | |||
Songwriter(s) | ||||
Producer(s) | Bruce Fairbairn | |||
Bon Jovi singles chronology | ||||
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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.
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]
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", 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.
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Australia (ARIA) [23] | Platinum | 70,000‡ |
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil) [24] | Gold | 30,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |
Region | Date | Format(s) | Label(s) | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
United States | February 1989 |
| Mercury | |
United Kingdom | April 17, 1989 |
| Vertigo | [25] |
Japan | April 25, 1989 | Mini-CD | Mercury | [26] |
Bon Jovi is an American rock band formed in Sayreville, New Jersey in 1983. The band consists of singer Jon Bon Jovi, keyboardist David Bryan, drummer Tico Torres, guitarists John Shanks and Phil X, percussionist Everett Bradley, and bassist Hugh McDonald. Original bassist Alec John Such left the band in 1994, and longtime guitarist and co-songwriter Richie Sambora left in 2013.
Slippery When Wet is the third studio album by American rock band Bon Jovi, released on August 18, 1986, by Mercury Records in North America and Vertigo Records internationally. It was produced by Bruce Fairbairn, with recording sessions taking place between January and July 1986 at Little Mountain Sound Studios in Vancouver. The album features many of Bon Jovi's best-known songs, including "You Give Love a Bad Name", "Livin' on a Prayer", and "Wanted Dead or Alive".
New Jersey is the fourth studio album by American rock band Bon Jovi, released on September 19, 1988, by Mercury Records. The album was produced by Bruce Fairbairn and recorded at Little Mountain Sound Studios in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The album was the follow-up to the band's third album, Slippery When Wet, and reached number one on the Billboard 200 chart in its second week of release after debuting at number eight. It remained at the top for four consecutive weeks and was Bon Jovi's last album to do so until Lost Highway (2007). The album was named after the birth state of Jon Bon Jovi, New Jersey.
Keep the Faith is the fifth studio album by American rock band Bon Jovi, released on November 3, 1992, by Mercury Records. It is Bon Jovi's last studio album to feature all five original band members as bass guitarist Alec John Such was dismissed from the band in 1994, though it was not his last release with the band. It is Bon Jovi's first album to not be produced by either Lance Quinn or Bruce Fairbairn. The album was produced by Bob Rock and was recorded at the Little Mountain Sound Studios in Vancouver, British Columbia. Keep the Faith marked a change to a "more serious interpretation of the band's pop-metal groove". It is also Bon Jovi's longest album to date, clocking in at 66 minutes.
These Days (stylized as (these Days)) is the sixth studio album by American rock band Bon Jovi, released on June 27, 1995, by Mercury Records. This was the first album Bon Jovi released after the dismissal of original bass guitarist Alec John Such, and their first album to be recorded officially as four-piece band (without an official bassist, but featured Hugh McDonald as a session/touring member on bass guitar). The album, produced by Peter Collins, Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora, is praised by many critics and fans as their best album. These Days is overall a darker album in contrast to the band's usual brand of feel-good, inspiring rock songs and love ballads.
"It's My Life" is a song by American rock band Bon Jovi. It was released on May 8, 2000, as the lead single from their seventh studio album, Crush (2000). It was written by Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora, and Max Martin, and co-produced by Luke Ebbin. The song peaked at number one in Austria, Flanders, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Romania, Spain, and Switzerland while charting within the top 10 across several other countries and peaking at number 33 on the US Billboard Hot 100. "It's My Life" is Bon Jovi's most well-known post-1980s hit single and helped introduce the band to a new, younger fanbase.
"Livin' on a Prayer" is a song by the American rock band Bon Jovi from their third studio album, Slippery When Wet. Written by Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora and Desmond Child, the single, released in late 1986, performed strongly on both rock and pop radio and its music video was given heavy rotation at MTV, giving the band their first song to reach No. 1 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart and their second consecutive No. 1 Billboard Hot 100 hit.
Stranger in This Town is the first solo studio album by Richie Sambora, the guitarist from the New Jersey band Bon Jovi. The album was released in 1991, while Bon Jovi was on a 17-month hiatus. Jon Bon Jovi also released a solo album, Blaze of Glory (1990), during this period.
"Wanted Dead or Alive" is a power ballad by American band Bon Jovi. It is from their 1986 album Slippery When Wet. The song was written by Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora and was released in 1987, as the album's third single. During a February 20, 2008 encore performance in Detroit, Jon Bon Jovi told the crowd about running into Bob Seger at a Pistons game. As he introduced his song "Wanted Dead or Alive", he said it was inspired by Seger's "Turn the Page" hit and called the song the band's anthem. The song peaked at number 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and number 13 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, making it the third single from the album to reach the Top 10 of the Hot 100. As a result, Slippery When Wet was the first glam metal album to have 3 top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100.
"You Give Love a Bad Name" is a song by American rock band Bon Jovi, released as the first single from their 1986 album Slippery When Wet. Written by Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora, and Desmond Child about a woman who has jilted her lover, the song reached No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 on November 29, 1986, and became the band's first number-one hit. In 2007, the song re-entered the charts at No. 29 after Blake Lewis performed it on American Idol. Despite the lyrics of the chorus, the song should not be confused with "Shot Through the Heart", an unrelated song from Bon Jovi's 1984 self-titled debut album.
"We All Sleep Alone" is the second official single from American singer and actress Cher's self-titled eighteenth album, Cher (1987), released on January 28, 1988 by Geffen Records. The song was written and produced by Desmond Child, Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora. It was remixed over a decade later by Todd Terry for her 1998 album Believe. The single was also released on VHS containing the music video, as directed by Cher herself.
"Bed of Roses" is a song by American rock band Bon Jovi, first appearing on their fifth studio album, Keep the Faith (1992), then released as a single on January 11, 1993 by Mercury and Jambco. Jon Bon Jovi wrote the song in a hotel room while suffering from a hangover and the lyrics reflect his feelings at the time. The song contains drawn out guitar riffs and soft piano playing, along with emotive and high vocals by Jon Bon Jovi.
"Keep the Faith" is a song by American rock band Bon Jovi. It was written by Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora, and Desmond Child. It was released on October 7, 1992, as the lead single from Bon Jovi's fifth album, Keep the Faith (1992). It is characterized by its driving bass line and is a live staple for the band. "I Wish Everyday Could Be Like Christmas" appeared as a B-side to the song in the United States. In the US, the song reached number one on the Billboard Album Rock Tracks chart and peaked at number 29 on the Billboard Hot 100. Worldwide, "Keep the Faith" topped the charts of Norway and Portugal and reached number five in the United Kingdom.
"Born to Be My Baby" is a song by American rock band Bon Jovi. It was written by Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora, and Desmond Child. It was released on November 24, 1988 as the second single from their fourth studio album New Jersey. It peaked the following year at number 2 on the Cash Box Top 100, 3 on the Billboard Hot 100, number 7 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, number 22 in the UK, and number 30 in Australia.
"Bad Medicine" is a song by American rock band Bon Jovi. It was written by Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora, and Desmond Child, and was released on September 12, 1988, as the lead single from the band's fourth album, New Jersey (1988). The song reached number one on the US Billboard Hot 100, Bon Jovi's third single to do so, and became a top-10 hit in Australia, Canada, Finland, Ireland, the Netherlands, and New Zealand.
"Lay Your Hands on Me" is a song by American rock band Bon Jovi. It was released on August 1, 1989, as the fourth single from the band's 1988 album New Jersey. It peaked at #7 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming the band's fourth single from New Jersey to chart in the Top 10 and it also charted at #20 on the Mainstream rock charts.
"Living in Sin" is a power ballad by American rock band Bon Jovi. It was written by lead singer Jon Bon Jovi, and was released on October 7, 1989, as the fifth single from their fourth album New Jersey. It also was the fifth single from New Jersey to chart in the Top 10, allowing Bon Jovi to hold the record for the most songs from a glam metal album to reach the Top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 and the Cash Box Top 100, peaking at #9 on both charts. It also reached #37 on the Mainstream rock charts.
"In These Arms" is a song by American rock band Bon Jovi, released on May 3, 1993 by Mercury and Jambco, as the third single from the band's fifth studio album, Keep the Faith (1992). The song was written by band members Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora and David Bryan, and produced by Bob Rock.
"Never Say Goodbye" is a song by American rock band Bon Jovi, written by Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora. It was a track off the band's third album, Slippery When Wet, on June 15, 1987, and reached number 11 on the mainstream rock charts and number 21 on the UK Singles Chart. Because it was not released domestically as a commercially available single, "Never Say Goodbye" was ineligible to chart on the Billboard Hot 100; Nevertheless, it reached number 28 on the Hot 100 Airplay survey.
"(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.
I'll Be There For You," Bon Jovi's fourth and final #1 hit, is a perfectly satisfying arena-rock jam...