New Jersey
The fourth studio album that produced five Billboard Hot 100 top ten hits.
New Jersey is the fourth studio album by American rock band Bon Jovi, released on September 19, 1988, by Mercury Records. Produced by Bruce Fairbairn and recorded at Little Mountain Sound Studios in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, it was the follow-up to the band's third album, Slippery When Wet. The album reached number one on the Billboard 200 chart in its second week of release after debuting at number eight, remaining at the top for four consecutive weeks. Named after the band's home state, it produced five Billboard Hot 100 top ten hits, the most top ten hits to date for any hard rock album, including "Bad Medicine" and "I'll Be There for You," which both reached number one.
Quick Facts
- Artist
- Bon Jovi
- Released
- 19 September 1988
- Recorded
- May 1 – July 31, 1988
- Studio
- Little Mountain (Vancouver, Canada)
- Genre
- Glam metal
- hard rock
- arena rock
- Length
- 57:30
- Label
- Mercury (North America); Vertigo (worldwide)
- Producer
- Bruce Fairbairn
Lore & Background
The album was recorded very shortly after the Slippery When Wet Tour, because the band wanted to prove that they were not just going to be a one hit wonder. Initially planned as a double album, the idea was rejected by the record label due to skepticism about the higher price point. One working title was Sons of Beaches, alluding to the title of Slippery When Wet. In 1996, ten years after release, the album was certified 7× platinum by the RIAA. It debuted at number one in the UK, a first for the band, and was released by the Soviet state-owned record label Melodiya, becoming the first American album to be officially released in the USSR.
Reader's Guide
Released on September 19, 1988, New Jersey debuted at No. 8 on the Billboard 200 chart, climbing to No. 1 the following week and spending four weeks at the top spot. It sold 7 million copies in the United States. The album debuted at No. 1 in Canada, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Sweden, New Zealand and Australia. "Bad Medicine" and the ballad "I'll Be There for You" both hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. "Born to Be My Baby," "Lay Your Hands on Me," and "Living in Sin" reached the Top 10. To celebrate the band's 30th anniversary in 2014, the album was repackaged as a 2CD "Deluxe Edition" with B-sides and previously unreleased demos, and a "Super Deluxe Edition" including a DVD with the documentary Access All Areas: A Rock & Roll Odyssey and New Jersey: The Videos.
Track listing
Side one
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lay Your Hands on Me | 5:58 | |
| 2 | Bad Medicine | Bon Jovi, Sambora, Desmond Child | 5:16 |
| 3 | Born to Be My Baby | Bon Jovi, Sambora, Child | 4:40 |
| 4 | Living in Sin | Bon Jovi | 4:39 |
| 5 | Blood on Blood | Bon Jovi, Sambora, Child | 6:16 |
Side two
Origins and Creative Pressure
The album was recorded very shortly after the Slippery When Wet Tour, because the band wanted to prove that they were not just going to be a one hit wonder. It was initially planned to be a double album; however, this idea was rejected by the record label because they were skeptical about the higher price point and decided they would only release a single album. One working title for the album was Sons of Beaches, which alluded to the title of Slippery When Wet. When the tour ended in October 1987, the band were inactive for about three to four weeks. Then Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora began making demos for 17 songs. They felt a high level of pressure because they did not feel as though they had "the amazing song." Jon Bon Jovi said, "I really wanted to do it again, not for monetary reasons—I have plenty of money—but it was such an amazing feeling to have done what we've done. There was a real fear of not being able to write 'You Give Love a Bad Name' again." They wrote "Love Is War" but Jon Bon Jovi wanted to write a song that would prove to be just as successful as "You Give Love a Bad Name" so desperately that it came out with exactly the same chord progression.
Production and Musical Diversity
The album was produced by Bruce Fairbairn like its predecessor and recorded at Little Mountain Sound Studios in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It marked the final collaboration between Bon Jovi and producer Bruce Fairbairn. Although the glossy production and anthems from Slippery When Wet remained, the band wished to show a level of diversity on the album. The album is much more experimental with a long, atmosphere-building intro on "Lay Your Hands on Me," harmonica and organ duels on "Homebound Train" and a flamenco guitar intro on "Wild Is the Wind." "Ride Cowboy Ride" is a short song functioning as an introduction to "Stick to Your Guns" and was recorded in mono. The song is credited to "Captain Kidd and King of Swing," the nicknames of Bon Jovi and Sambora. "Love for Sale" was recorded and engineered by John P. Allen and Chris Cavallaro at Chalet Sound in Allenwood, New Jersey. All pre-production songs were recorded and engineered at Chalet Sound by Allen with additional engineering by Cavallaro and Nejat Bekan.
Legacy and Commemorative Reissues
To celebrate the band's 30th anniversary in 2014, the album was repackaged with bonus tracks. New Jersey was released on July 1, 2014, as a 2CD "Deluxe Edition," which included the original album remastered along with B-sides and previously unreleased demos from the New Jersey/Sons of Beaches sessions. The "Super Deluxe Edition" includes both discs plus a DVD containing the documentary Access All Areas: A Rock & Roll Odyssey and New Jersey: The Videos. Both titles were previously available on VHS.
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