These Days (Bon Jovi song)

"These Days"
Single by Bon Jovi
from the album These Days
Released	February 26, 1996 (1996-2-26)
Length	6:28 (album version) 4:31 (single edit)
Label	Mercury
Songwriter(s)	Jon Bon Jovi Richie Sambora
Producer(s)	Jon Bon Jovi Richie Sambora Peter Collins
Bon Jovi singles chronology
"Lie to Me" (1995) "These Days" (1996) "Hey God" (1996)
Music video
"These Days" on YouTube

"These Days" is a song by American rock band Bon Jovi. It was released on February 26, 1996, by Mercury Records, as the fourth single from their sixth studio album, These Days (1995). It was written by Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora, and produced by them with Peter Collins. The single peaked at number seven in the United Kingdom and reached the top 10 in Lithuania.

Background

"These Days" showcases the darker tone that Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora’s lyrics sought to achieve with the album. The song which begins with a haunting piano progression, deals with homelessness, loss of innocence and the difficulty of keeping up a relationship in the modern age. It is about people out there trying to be understood, to live their dreams.^{[ citation needed ]}

Critical reception

Gina Morris from Smash Hits gave the song two out of five, writing, "'These Days' is an up-tempo rock ballad, all about people living sad lives and wanting to be somebody else. He even makes a passing reference to Kurt Cobain." ^[1]

Track listings

Australasian CD single [2] "These Days" (edit) – 4:29 "634-5789" – 3:08 "(It's Hard) Letting You Go" (live) – 6:45 "Rocking in the Free World" (live) – 5:53 UK CD1 [3] "These Days" (edit) – 4:31 "Someday I'll Be Saturday Night" – 4:38 "These Days" (live) – 5:57 "Helter Skelter" (live) – 3:20 UK CD2 [4] "These Days" (edit) – 4:31 "634-5789" – 3:08 "Rocking in the Free World" (live) – 5:53 "(It's Hard) Letting You Go" (live) – 6:45

UK cassette single and European CD single [5] [6] "These Days" (edit) – 4:31 "634-5789" – 3:08 Japanese CD single [7] "These Days" – 6:27 "The End" (demo) – 3:40 "When She Comes" (demo) – 3:28 "Lonely at the Top" (demo) – 4:17 Japanese mini-album [8] "These Days" (edit) "(It's Hard) Letting You Go" (live) "Rocking in the Free World" (live) "Helter Skelter" (live) "Hey God" (live) "These Days" (live)

Charts

Chart (1996)	Peak position
Australia (ARIA) [9]	38
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100) [10]	40
Germany (GfK) [11]	61
Iceland (Íslenski Listinn Topp 40) [12]	25
Ireland (IRMA) [13]	22
Japan (Oricon) [14]	37
Lithuania (M-1) [15]	10
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40) [16]	33
Netherlands (Single Top 100) [17]	45
Scotland (OCC) [18]	8
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade) [19]	31
UK Singles (OCC) [20]	7
UK Rock & Metal (OCC) [21]	1

Release history

Region	Date	Format(s)	Label(s)	Ref(s).
United Kingdom	February 26, 1996	CD cassette	Mercury	[22]
Japan	April 10, 1996	CD		[14] [23]

References

1. Morris, Gina (February 28, 1996). "Singles". Smash Hits . p. 55. Retrieved December 1, 2024.
2. These Days (Australasian CD single liner notes). Mercury Records. 1996. 852 745-2.
3. These Days (UK CD1 liner notes). Mercury Records. 1996. JOVCX 20, 852 747-2.
4. These Days (UK CD2 liner notes). Mercury Records. 1996. JOVCD 20, 852 745-2.
5. These Days (UK cassette single sleeve). Mercury Records. 1996. JOVCD 20, 852 745-2.
6. These Days (European CD single liner notes). Mercury Records. 1996. 852 744-2.
7. These Days (Japanese CD single liner notes). Mercury Records. 1996. PHCR-8357.
8. These Days (Japanese mini-album liner notes). Mercury Records. 1996. PHCR-3038.
9. "Bon Jovi – These Days". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved November 3, 2012.
10. "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media . Vol. 13, no. 12. March 23, 1996. p. 17. Retrieved June 2, 2021.
11. "Bon Jovi – These Days" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved October 19, 2018.
12. "Íslenski Listinn Topp 40 (30.3. – 5.4. '96)". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). March 30, 1996. p. 52. Retrieved June 2, 2021.
13. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – These Days". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved June 2, 2021.
14. "ジーズ・デイズ(エディット・ヴァージョン)+ライヴ・フロム・サウス・アフリカ | ボン・ジョヴィ" [These Days (Edit Version) + Live from South Africa | Bon Jovi] (in Japanese). Oricon . Retrieved January 18, 2024.
15. "M-1 Top 40". M-1.fm. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved August 31, 2021.
16. "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 13, 1996" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved June 2, 2021.
17. "Bon Jovi – These Days" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved November 3, 2012.
18. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 2, 2021.
19. "Bon Jovi – These Days". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved November 3, 2012.
20. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 3, 2012.
21. "Official Rock & Metal Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 2, 2021.
22. "New Releases: Singles" (PDF). Music Week . February 24, 1996. p. 31. Retrieved June 27, 2021.
23. "ジーズ・デイズ | ボン・ジョヴィ" [These Days | Bon Jovi] (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved August 29, 2023.