New Jersey (album)

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).[5]

New Jersey
Studio album by
Bon Jovi
ReleasedSeptember 19, 1988 (1988-09-19)
RecordedMay 1 – July 31, 1988
StudioLittle Mountain Sound, Vancouver
Genre
Length57:30
Label
ProducerBruce Fairbairn
Bon Jovi chronology
Slippery When Wet
(1986)		 New Jersey
(1988)		 Hard & Hot (Best of Bon Jovi)
(1991)
Singles from New Jersey
  1. "Bad Medicine"
    Released: September 3, 1988
  2. "Born to Be My Baby"
    Released: November 24, 1988
  3. "I'll Be There for You"
    Released: February 1989
  4. "Lay Your Hands on Me"
    Released: August 1, 1989
  5. "Living in Sin"
    Released: November 11, 1989

It produced five Billboard Hot 100 top ten hits, the most top ten hits to date for any glam metal album, including "Bad Medicine" and "I'll Be There for You", which both reached number one. The album was certified 7× platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The album also debuted at number one in the UK and was the band's first UK No. 1 album. New Jersey was released by the Soviet state-owned record label Melodiya, being the first American album to be officially released in the USSR.[6][7] To celebrate the band's 30th anniversary in 2014, the album was repackaged with bonus tracks.

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[8]
Kerrang!3.75/5[9]
Number One[10]
Rolling Stone[11]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[12]
The Village VoiceC+[13]

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.[14] The album 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.[14] One working title for the album was Sons of Beaches, which alluded to the title of Slippery When Wet.[4]

Recording and production

The album was produced by Bruce Fairbairn like its predecessor and recorded at Little Mountain Sound Studios in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.[4] It marked the final collaboration between Bon Jovi and producer Bruce Fairbairn.

When the Slippery When Wet Tour ended in October 1987, the band were inactive for about three to four weeks.[4][14] Then Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora began making demos for 17 songs which would make up the first batch of songs written for the album. However, they began to feel a high level of pressure because they did not feel as though they had "the amazing song".[4][14] Jon Bon Jovi said that "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.[14] There was a real fear of not being able to write You Give Love A Bad Name again." Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora sat together and wrote the song "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. They later started on the second batch of songs and they wrote "Bad Medicine" and "Born to Be My Baby" with Desmond Child. "Born to Be My Baby" was originally recorded acoustically, however the producer Bruce Fairbairn persuaded them to re-record it with electric instruments in a much more metal style. Jon Bon Jovi has since said that he believed the song would have made number one on the charts if it had been released in its original form. This song has a similar theme to "Livin' on a Prayer", as it is about a young working class couple struggling to make ends meet.

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 additional engineering by Cavallaro and Nejat Bekan.

Release and reception

New Jersey debuted at No. 8 on the Billboard 200 chart, but climbed to No. 1 the following week and spent four weeks at the top spot. It eventually 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.

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.

Track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Lay Your Hands on Me"Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora5:58
2."Bad Medicine"Bon Jovi, Sambora, Desmond Child5:16
3."Born to Be My Baby"Bon Jovi, Sambora, Child4:40
4."Living in Sin"Bon Jovi4:39
5."Blood on Blood"Bon Jovi, Sambora, Child6:16
6."Homebound Train"Bon Jovi, Sambora5:10
7."Wild Is the Wind"Bon Jovi, Sambora, Child, Diane Warren5:08
8."Ride Cowboy Ride"Bon Jovi, Sambora1:25
9."Stick to Your Guns"Bon Jovi, Sambora, Holly Knight4:45
10."I'll Be There for You"Bon Jovi, Sambora5:46
11."99 in the Shade"Bon Jovi, Sambora4:29
12."Love for Sale"Bon Jovi, Sambora3:58
Total length:57:30
1998 2-CD Special Edition bonus CD PHCR-90017~8
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
11."Bad Medicine" (Live at Wembley Arena, 1988)Bon Jovi, Sambora, Child 
12."Bad Medicine" (Live on the New Jersey Tour)Bon Jovi, Sambora, Child 
13."Blood on Blood" (Live at Wembley Arena, 1988)Bon Jovi, Sambora, Child 
14."Born to Be My Baby" (Acoustic version)Bon Jovi, Sambora, Child 
15."I'll Be There for You" (Live at Lakeland 1989)Bon Jovi, Sambora 
16."Lay Your Hands on Me" (Live at Giants Stadium, 1989)Bon Jovi, Sambora 
17."Love Is War" (Studio outtake)Bon Jovi, Sambora 
2010 special edition bonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
13."Blood on Blood" (Live Version)Bon Jovi, Sambora, Child12:04
14."Born to Be My Baby" (Live Version)Bon Jovi, Sambora, Child5:47
Total length:75:21
Japan bonus track
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
13."You Give Love a Bad Name" (Live Version)Bon Jovi, Sambora, Child3:53
Total length:61:23

2014 deluxe edition
Disc 1: Original "New Jersey" Album Remastered
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Lay Your Hands on Me"Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora5:58
2."Bad Medicine"Bon Jovi, Sambora, Desmond Child5:16
3."Born to Be My Baby"Bon Jovi, Sambora, Child4:40
4."Living in Sin"Bon Jovi4:39
5."Blood on Blood"Bon Jovi, Sambora, Child6:16
6."Homebound Train"Bon Jovi, Sambora5:10
7."Wild Is the Wind"Bon Jovi, Sambora, Child, Diane Warren5:08
8."Ride Cowboy Ride"Bon Jovi, Sambora1:24
9."Stick to Your Guns"Bon Jovi, Sambora, Holly Knight4:45
10."I'll Be There for You"Bon Jovi, Sambora5:46
11."99 in the Shade"Bon Jovi, Sambora4:29
12."Love for Sale"Bon Jovi, Sambora4:01
13."The Boys Are Back in Town" (Thin Lizzy cover, previously released on Stairway to Heaven/Highway to Hell compilation. Released in the U.K. as a 12” single B-side.)Phil Lynott4:05
14."Love Is War" (B-side from "Living in Sin" single.)Bon Jovi, Sambora, Child4:14
15."Born to Be My Baby (Acoustic Version)" (Previously released as a B-side in Japan)Bon Jovi, Sambora, Child4:53
Total length:70:42
Disc 2: The "Sons of Beaches" Demos
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Homebound Train"Bon Jovi, Sambora6:32
2."Judgement Day"Bon Jovi, Sambora4:18
3."Full Moon High"Bon Jovi, Sambora4:42
4."Growin' Up the Hard Way"Bon Jovi, Sambora5:31
5."Let's Make It Baby"Bon Jovi, Sambora, Child5:56
6."Love Hurts"Bon Jovi, Sambora4:49
7."Backdoor to Heaven"Bon Jovi, Sambora5:51
8."Now and Forever"Bon Jovi, Sambora5:34
9."Wild Is the Wind"Bon Jovi, Sambora, Child, Warren4:55
10."Stick to Your Guns"Bon Jovi, Sambora, Knight5:15
11."House of Fire" (Demo of the song from Alice Cooper's 1989 album Trash)Alice Cooper, Child, Joan Jett5:01
12."Does Anybody Really Fall in Love Anymore?" (This song was later recorded for Heart of Stone by Cher and by Kane Roberts for his album, Saints and Sinners.)Bon Jovi, Sambora, Child, Warren4:57
13."Diamond Ring" (This song was later recorded for These Days)Bon Jovi, Sambora, Child4:10
Total length:67:31

Personnel

Bon Jovi

Additional musicians

  • Scott Fairbairn – cello
  • Audrey Nordwell – cello
  • Bruce Fairbairn – additional percussion, horn

Additional credits

  • Bruce Fairbairn – production
  • John Allen – engineering
  • Peter Berring – arrangement, additional vocals, vocal arrangement
  • Chris Cavallaro – engineering
  • Bob Rock – engineering, mixing
  • George Marino – mastering
  • Isabella Lento, Carmela Lento – photography, unknown association
  • Hugh Syme – artwork, design
  • Chris Taylor – engineering assistance
  • Jim Williams – engineering assistance
  • Tim White – photography
  • Cameron Wong – cover photography

Charts

Certifications and sales
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[36] 2× Platinum 165,000[37]
Austria (IFPI Austria)[38] Platinum 50,000*
Canada (Music Canada)[39] 5× Platinum 500,000^
Finland (Musiikkituottajat)[40] Platinum 51,126[40]
Germany (BVMI)[41] Platinum 500,000^
Italy (FIMI)[42] Gold 100,000[42]
Japan (Oricon Charts) — 332,000[43]
New Zealand (RMNZ)[44] Platinum 15,000^
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[45] Platinum 100,000^
Sweden (GLF)[46] Gold 50,000^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[47]
1989 certification 		Platinum 50,000^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[47]
1998 certification 		Gold 25,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[48] 2× Platinum 600,000^
United States (RIAA)[49] 7× Platinum 7,000,000^

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

See also

References
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  2. Rivadavia, Eduardo (December 2, 2013). "Top 10 Albums of 1988". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved June 11, 2021.
  3. Rolli, Bryan (July 1, 2021). "Top 30 Glam Metal Albums". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved July 1, 2021.
  4. Kuzminski, Anthony (September 19, 2018). "30 Years Ago: Bon Jovi Grow Up on 'New Jersey'". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved November 14, 2021.
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  7. "n-this-day". Historyking.com. Retrieved June 1, 2009.
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  9. Henderson, Paul (September 24, 1988). "Bon Jovi 'New Jersey'". Kerrang!. Vol. 206. London, UK: Spotlight Publications ltd. pp. 26–27.
  10. "Review: Bon Jovi — New Jersey (Phonogram)". Number One. No. 287. London: IPC Magazines Ltd. December 14, 1988. p. 37.
  11. Azerrad, Michael (November 4, 1992). "New Jersey". Rolling Stone. Retrieved June 26, 2012.
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