Bon Jovi has released 12 studio albums with his band; to date, the band has sold over 130 million albums worldwide. Bon Jovi has also released two solo albums. In the 1990s, Bon Jovi started an acting career, starring in the films Moonlight and Valentino and U-571 and appearing on television in Sex and the City and Ally McBeal.
As a songwriter, Bon Jovi was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2009. In 2012, Bon Jovi ranked #50 on the list of Billboard Magazine's "Power 100", a ranking of "The Most Powerful and Influential People In The Music Business". In 1996, People Magazine named him one of the "50 Most Beautiful People In The World". In 2000, People awarded him the title "Sexiest Rock Star", and he was placed at #13 on VH1's list of "100 Sexiest Artists".
Bon Jovi was a founder and majority owner of the Arena Football League team, the Philadelphia Soul. He is the founder of The Jon Bon Jovi Soul Foundation, founded in 2006.
Early life:
John Francis Bongiovi Jr. was born in Perth Amboy, New Jersey, a son of two former Marines, barber John Francis Bongiovi Sr. and Playboy Bunny turned florist Carol (Sharkey). He has two brothers, Anthony and Matthew. His father was of Italian (from Sciacca, Sicily) and Slovak ancestry and his mother is of German and Russian descent. He has stated that he is a blood relative of singer Frank Sinatra. Bon Jovi was raised Catholic. He spent summers in Erie, Pennsylvania, with his grandparents, and sold newspapers. As a child, John attended St. Joseph High School, in Metuchen, New Jersey, during his freshman and sophomore years. He later transferred to Sayreville War Memorial High School in Parlin, New Jersey.
Music career - Beginnings
Jon Bon Jovi began playing music in 1975, at the age of 13, playing piano and guitar with his first band, Raze. At 16, he met David Bryan and formed a band called Atlantic City Expressway. Still in his teens, Bon Jovi played in the band John Bongiovi and the Wild Ones, playing clubs such as the Fast Lane and opening for local acts. By 1980, he had formed another band, the Rest, and opened up for New Jersey acts such as Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes.
When he was seventeen, Bon Jovi was sweeping floors at his cousin Tony Bongiovi's recording studio, Power Station. In 1980, when Meco was there recording Christmas in the Stars: The Star Wars Christmas Album, Tony Bongiovi recommended John for the song "R2-D2 We Wish You A Merry Christmas", which became his first professional recording (credited as John Bongiovi).
In 1983, Bon Jovi visited a local radio station WAPP 103.5FM "The Apple" in Lake Success, New York to write and sing the jingles for the station. He spoke with DJ Chip Hobart and to the promotion director, John Lassman, who suggested Jon let WAPP include the song "Runaway" on the station's compilation album of local homegrown talent. Jon was reluctant, but eventually gave them the song, which he had rerecorded in 1982 (following a rough early recording in 1981) with local studio musicians whom he designated The All Star Review: Guitarist Tim Pierce, keyboardist Roy Bittan, drummer Frankie LaRocka, and bassist Hugh McDonald.
Bon Jovi
In March 1983, Jon Bon Jovi called David Bryan, who in turn called bassist Alec John Such and an experienced drummer named Tico Torres. Guitarist Richie Sambora later joined the band; Bon Jovi, Sambora, Such, Bryan, and Torres became the founding members of Bon Jovi. In 1984 and 1985, Bon Jovi released their first two albums and their debut single "Runaway" managed to crack the Top 40. In 1986, the band achieved widespread success and global recognition with their third album, Slippery When Wet, which had sold 28 million copies worldwide as of 2011. Slippery When Wet included three Top 10 singles, two of which reached No. 1 ("You Give Love a Bad Name" and "Livin' on a Prayer").
As of 2019, Bon Jovi has released 14 studio albums, five compilations and three live albums. They have sold more than 100 million records worldwide, making them one of the bestselling American rock bands. Bon Jovi has performed more than 2,700 concerts in over 50 countries for more than 34 million fans. Bon Jovi was inducted into the UK Music Hall of Fame in 2006, and into the U.S. Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame in 2018.
Solo career:
In 1990, Jon Bon Jovi recorded a soundtrack to the movie Young Guns II more commonly known as Blaze of Glory. Having been originally approached by his friend Emilio Estevez to lend "Wanted Dead Or Alive" as the theme song for his upcoming Billy the Kid sequel, Bon Jovi ended up composing an all-new theme song for the film's soundtrack and delivering his first solo album. The album featured guests such as Elton John, Little Richard and Jeff Beck. The title track, "Blaze of Glory", peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100. In 1991, "Blaze of Glory" won an award for Favorite Pop/Rock Single at the American Music Awards and awarded a Golden Globe, as well. The song also earned him an Academy Award nomination and a Grammy Award nomination.
Lost Highway Tour:
In 1991, Jon Bon Jovi started his own label, Jambco Records, and produced Aldo Nova's album Blood on the Bricks and Billy Falcon's album Pretty Blue World.
Bon Jovi's second solo album was 1997's Destination Anywhere. A short movie of the same name was recorded right around the record's release, based entirely on the songs from the record and starring Jon Bon Jovi, Demi Moore, Kevin Bacon and Whoopi Goldberg. The film debuted on both MTV and VH1 in 1997.
In 2012, Jon Bon Jovi recorded a soundtrack to the movie Stand Up Guys more commonly known as Not Running Anymore. On December 13, 2012, it was announced that "Not Running Anymore" would be nominated for a Golden Globe Award.
Acting career:
Jon Bon Jovi is a credited actor in the movies Moonlight and Valentino, The Leading Man, Destination Anywhere, Homegrown, Little City, No Looking Back, Row Your Boat, Vampires Los Muertos, U-571, Cry Wolf, National Lampoon's Pucked, and New Year's Eve.[citation needed] He also had a supporting role in the movie Pay It Forward, where he played Helen Hunt's abusive ex-husband.[citation needed] His TV series appearances include Sex and the City, 30 Rock, Las Vegas, The West Wing, and an extended stint on Ally McBeal as a plumber who was Ally's boyfriend for a short period of time. He also had a brief, uncredited role in the 1990 film Young Guns II. On January 24, 2011, it was confirmed that Bon Jovi would be cast in the film New Year's Eve, released later that year, as a successful rock star who is connected with Katherine Heigl's character.
Sports franchises
In 2004, Bon Jovi became founder and primary owner of the Philadelphia Soul of the Arena Football League. He appeared in several television commercials for the league, typically with John Elway, Hall of Fame quarterback for the Denver Broncos (and co-owner of the AFL's Colorado Crush). Bon Jovi is no longer part owner of the Soul. In 2011, Bon Jovi expressed interest in purchasing 15% of the Atlanta Falcons for $150 million.
In 2014, a group of investors including Bon Jovi made it to the final round of bidding to acquire the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League, but the team was sold to Terry Pegula, the owner of the Buffalo Sabres of the National Hockey League.
Philanthropy:
Jon Bon Jovi has worked on behalf of the Special Olympics, the American Red Cross, the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, Habitat for Humanity, Covenant House, Project H.O.M.E., The Jon Bon Jovi Soul Foundation (formerly the Philadelphia Soul Charitable Foundation), and other groups.
He has been named the first founding ambassador of the Habitat for Humanity Ambassador program as part of the international nonprofit organization's new advocacy outreach initiative. Jon Bon Jovi has been raising awareness with Habitat for Humanity since 2005 when he provided the funds to build six homes in Philadelphia and built the homes alongside the homeowner families, as well as with members of his Philadelphia Soul Arena football team. The construction site also served as the video shoot location for his band's single "Who Says You Can't Go Home". In 2006, he made a $1 million donation to build 28 Habitat homes in Louisiana in partnership with low-income families on the hurricane-stricken coast. In July 2007, Bon Jovi announced a project that will rehabilitate a block of 15 homes in north Philadelphia. During an appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show in 2005, the band donated $1 million to the Angel Network foundation.
The Jon Bon Jovi Soul Foundation (formerly the Philadelphia Soul Charitable Foundation) was founded in 2006 and exists to combat issues that force families and individuals into economic despair. Through the funding and creation of programs and partnerships, they support innovative community efforts to break the cycle of poverty and homelessness. On October 19, 2011, they opened the JBJ Soul Kitchen, a community restaurant where patrons pay what they can afford for their meals, either with money or by volunteering work. On January 21, 2019, the restaurant provided free meals to government workers and family members who had been affected by the federal government shutdown.
He is one of 21 artists singing on "Everybody Hurts", a charity single organized by Simon Cowell aiding victims of the 2010 Haiti earthquake.
Political activism:
Although Bon Jovi's voter registration indicates that he is unaffiliated, he has supported and toured with many Democratic politicians. He toured extensively on behalf of presidential candidate John Kerry in 2004, appearing at and playing acoustic sets (with Richie Sambora) at rallies for the Kerry-Edwards ticket throughout the United States. Bon Jovi also played as a part of the Live Earth concert at the Meadowlands in 2007, and was introduced by former Vice President Al Gore. In 2008, Jon Bon Jovi supported Barack Obama for president, holding an exclusive private dinner at his home, as a fundraiser for his campaign. He also played at a 2009 Manhattan fundraiser for former Secretary of State and 2016 Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton to lessen some of her $6.3 million 2008 campaign debt. On Sunday, January 18, 2009, Bon Jovi performed a duet at the Obama Inauguration Concert of the Sam Cooke classic "A Change is Gonna Come" with Bettye LaVette. On June 4, 2009, Bon Jovi performed an acoustic benefit show for Democratic Governor Jon Corzine at the NJPAC in Newark, New Jersey.
On June 24, 2009, Bon Jovi, Sambora and Andy Madadian recorded a musical message of worldwide solidarity with the people of Iran. The handwritten Persian sign in the video translates to "we are one". On December 15, 2010, Bon Jovi was appointed by Barack Obama to the White House Council for Community Solutions. In 2017, Bon Jovi raised money for Jim Renacci, conservative Republican representative from Ohio's 16th congressional district and then a candidate for Ohio governor.
Personal life:
Graceland Wedding Chapel, where Jon Bon Jovi married Dorothea Hurley. The chapel has used it as a claim to fame ever since. During a stop in Los Angeles on The New Jersey Syndicate Tour in 1989, Bon Jovi secretly took a trip to Las Vegas, and married his high school sweetheart, Dorothea Hurley (born September 29, 1962), on April 29 at the Graceland Wedding Chapel. The couple has four children: a daughter, Stephanie Rose (born May 31, 1993), and three sons, Jesse James Louis (born February 19, 1995), Jacob Hurley (born May 7, 2002) and Romeo Jon (born March 29, 2004).
A former resident of Rumson, New Jersey, he established his Sanctuary Sound recording studio in the basement of his home there. Bon Jovi describes himself as a recovering Catholic. Bon Jovi is a close friend of New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft and head coach Bill Belichick. He owns two Super Bowl rings from the Patriots, and Bon Jovi was the first musical act to hold a concert at the Patriots' home field, Gillette Stadium.
Midnight In Chelsea
Jon Bon Jovi Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
They trade old licks with a beat up six
I just smile and catch the groove
Gothic girls all dress in black
Serious as heart attacks
It takes a little bit of getting used to
Lost the night forgot his name
His poor wife will sleep alone again
And it ain't hard to understand
Why she's holding on to her own hand
Chorus:
It's midnight in chelsea, midnight in chelsea
No one's asking me for favors
No one's looking for a savoir
They're too busy saving me
(repeat chorus)
I've seen a lone,sloane ranger drive
Seems her chauffeur took a dive
And sold her secrets to the sun
And later in a magazine
I finally figured what it means
To be a saint, not a queen
Two lustful lovers catch a spark
And chase their shadows in the dark
Someone's getting off tonight
Of a big red bus that's packed so tight
It disappears in a trail of light
Somewhere someone's dreaming baby it's all right...
Chorus:
It's midnight in chelsea, midnight in chelsea
No one's asking me for favors
No one's looking for a savoir
They're too busy saving me
Midnight in chelsea, midnight in chelsea
No one's pinned dreams on me
No one's asking me to bleed
I'm the man i want to be
When chelsea girls sing...
It's morning when i go to sleep
In the distant dawn a church bell rings
Another day is coming on
A baby's born, an old man dies
Somewhere young lovers kiss good-bye
I leave my soul and just move on
And wish that i was there to sing this song
Chorus:
It's midnight in chelsea, midnight in chelsea
No one's asking me for favors
No one's looking for a savoir
They're too busy saving me
It's midnight in chelsea, midnight in chelsea
No one's pinned dreams on me
No one's asking me to bleed
I'm the man i want to be
The man i want to be,the man i want to be
Midnight in chelsea
The lyrics of "Midnight In Chelsea" are a poetic reflection on the diversity of people and experiences found in a specific area of New York City. The song starts by describing the "kids 'round here" who appear "thin as sticks" as they play their guitars and sing songs, giving the impression of a struggling but dedicated music scene. The singer observes the gothic girls who dress in black and seem "serious as heart attacks," implying that they are passionate and intense about their beliefs and identity. There is a sense of unfamiliarity in the air, as the singer admits that it takes getting used to the various types of people in the area.
Next, the lyrics introduce an old man with whiskey stains who has lost himself and forgotten his name, while his wife sleeps alone. The singer empathizes with the wife and her lonely predicament, acknowledging why she would hold onto her own hand for comfort. However, the chorus changes the tone by revealing that, despite the hardship and struggles around, nobody is asking anything from him or looking for him to save them. The people are too busy saving him, suggesting that even amidst difficulties, there remains a sense of community and mutual support.
The narrative moves on to describe a lone "sloane ranger" whose chauffeur took a dive and exposed her secrets to the public. The singer realizes that to be a saint, not a queen, is what matters, alluding perhaps to the idea that humility and grace are essential for finding true happiness. Two lustful lovers then appear, who lose themselves in the darkness by chasing their shadows. They are not participants in the quest for power or fame, but they seek pleasure on their own terms. The final chorus repeats the earlier sentiments, with the singer ending on a reflective note of a new day coming while he moves on, wishing he were present to sing this song, evincing the longing he feels for his memories of Midnight In Chelsea.
Line by Line Meaning
The kids 'round here look just like sticks
The children in this area are so thin that they resemble sticks in appearance.
They trade old licks with a beat up six
They play music on a damaged guitar.
I just smile and catch the groove
I enjoy the music and join in the rhythm.
Gothic girls all dress in black
Girls who follow the Gothic subculture wear exclusive black attire.
Serious as heart attacks
They have a gloomy and serious demeanor.
It takes a little bit of getting used to
It requires time to understand and accept their way of life.
The old man with the whiskey stains
The elderly man whose clothes are ruined by spilled whiskey.
Lost the night forgot his name
He got drunk and had no recollection of his name or whereabouts.
His poor wife will sleep alone again
His wife will have to sleep by herself due to his erratic behavior.
And it ain't hard to understand
It's easy to comprehend.
Why she's holding on to her own hand
She's taking care of herself and not depending on her husband.
It's midnight in chelsea, midnight in chelsea
The time is late at night in the Chelsea area.
No one's asking me for favors
Nobody is expecting me to do something for them.
No one's looking for a savoir
Nobody is in need of a savior.
They're too busy saving me
Instead, others are helping and protecting me.
I've seen a lone,sloane ranger drive
I once saw a single, wealthy person driving around in Sloane Square.
Seems her chauffeur took a dive
It appears that the person driving the car crashed.
And sold her secrets to the sun
He shared her secrets and scandals with the media.
And later in a magazine
The information was published in a magazine.
I finally figured what it means
I finally understood the meaning of something.
To be a saint, not a queen
It means to be a good person rather than seeking royal status.
Two lustful lovers catch a spark
Two people in love start to feel passionate.
And chase their shadows in the dark
They run after their shadows in the darkness.
Someone's getting off tonight
Someone is experiencing sexual pleasure tonight.
Of a big red bus that's packed so tight
A red bus that's full of people cramped together.
It disappears in a trail of light
It vanishes into the distance as it moves away.
Somewhere someone's dreaming baby it's all right...
Someone is dreaming, and everything will be okay.
No one's pinned dreams on me
Nobody expects me to adhere to their dreams or plans for me.
No one's asking me to bleed
Nobody is demanding that I harm myself.
I'm the man i want to be
I'm living my life the way that I desire.
When chelsea girls sing...
When girls from Chelsea sing, something beautiful happens.
It's morning when i go to sleep
When I go to sleep, it's already morning.
In the distant dawn a church bell rings
In the early hours of the morning, a church bell can be heard ringing in the distance.
Another day is coming on
A new day is beginning.
A baby's born, an old man dies
The cycle of life goes on; people are born and others pass away.
Somewhere young lovers kiss good-bye
In some places, young couples might be saying goodbye to one another.
I leave my soul and just move on
I move forward with my life and leave my past behind.
And wish that i was there to sing this song
I wish I could be presently singing this song in Chelsea.
No one's pinned dreams on me
Nobody is pressuring me to follow their ideal life.
No one's asking me to bleed
Nobody is trying to hurt me.
I'm the man i want to be
I'm living my life my way and being the person I've always wanted to be.
The man i want to be,the man i want to be
I am moving towards being the man I want to be.
Midnight in chelsea
It's late at night in Chelsea.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: DAVID ALLAN STEWART, JON BON JOVI
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Ryan Egan
Very underrated song and album. The critics either missed, or didn't want to hear the brilliance in both 'These Days' and 'Destination Anywhere'
Алексей Горохов
'Destination Anywhere' sounds very different from 'These Days', that was some kind of turning point for Bon Jovi that changed the band's sound forever. Take 'New Jersey' and 'Crush', they are different as night and day.
Frederique martin
True
JJRJ 85
critics can't stand rockstars that are also beautiful; apparently, you need to be plain-looking or even ugly to be taken seriously by the all-knowing critics
Lia Cutecchia
My friend a COMPLETELY AGREE with you: both masterpiece and both criminally underrated 🙄
Márcio Coelho
Delícia de música. Meu pai tem razão, já não se faz mais músicas como antigamente!
beth cummings
I’m amazed again at Jon’s talent. It’s poetry that he’s writing and that takes so much effort and imagination and talent. How did he write and sing so many great songs?❤
beth cummings
JonBonJovi I’ll always love Jon and the band. So many memories. Thanks for that ❤️
beth cummings
JonBonJovi late 80’s till now
Дмитрий Коломин
It seems that he write and sing his songs very easy. I think, this ability is a great telanted musician!