Lyrics:

[Chorus]
Your love is like bad medicine
Bad medicine is what I need
Shake it up, just like bad medicine
There ain’t no doctor that can
Cure my disease

[Verse 1]
I ain’t got a fever got a permanent disease
It’ll take more than a doctor to prescribe a remedy
I got lots of money but it isn’t what I need
Gonna take more than a shot to get this poison out of me
I got all the symptoms count them 1,2,3
First you need
That’s what you get for falling in love
Then you bleed
You get a little but it’s never enough
On your knees
That’s what you get for falling in love
And now this boy’s addicted cause your kiss is the drug

[Chorus]
Your love is like bad medicine
Bad medicine is what I need
Shake it up, just like bad medicine
There ain’t no doctor that can
Cure my disease
Bad, bad medicine [x2]

[Verse 2]
I don’t need no needle
To be giving me a thrill
And I don’t need no anesthesia
Or a nurse to bring a pill
I got a dirty down addiction
It doesn’t leave a track
I got a jolt for your affection
Like a monkey on my back
There ain’t no paramedic
Going to save this heart attack
When you need
That’s what you get for falling in love
Then you bleed
You get a little but it’s never enough
On your knees
That’s what you get for falling in love
Now I’m addicted and your kiss is the drug

[Chorus]
Your love is like bad medicine
Bad medicine is what I need
Shake it up, just like bad medicine
So let’s play doctor, baby
Cure my disease
Bad, bad medicine [x2]

[Verse 3]
I need a respirator cause I’m running out of breath
You’re an all night generator wrapped is stockings and a dress
When you find your medicine you take what you can get
Cause if there’s something better baby well they haven’t found it yet

[Chorus]
Your love is like bad medicine
Bad medicine is what I need
Shake it up, just like bad medicine
There ain’t no doctor that can
Cure my disease
Your love is like bad medicine
Bad medicine is what I need
Shake it up, just like bad medicine
Your love’s the potion that
Can cure my disease
Bad, bad medicine [x2]

“Bad Medicine” is a single by American rock band Bon Jovi. It was written by Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora, and Desmond Child. It was released in September 1988 as the lead single from the band’s album New Jersey.

Song structure

The song is highlighted by a near constant keyboard playing by David Bryan that is well defined in the beginning of the song and at several interludes, as well as loud guitar playing by Richie Sambora, background singing in the bridge and chorus, and a loud fast-paced delivery of lyrics by Jon Bon Jovi. It is one of the more upbeat and hard rocking songs on New Jersey.

Towards the end of the song, Jon says he is running out of breath and has to go, but then relents, saying “I’m not done…one more time, with feelin'” and the band finishes the song with another repeat of the chorus.

Music video

There are two videos for the song, one with the band live in concert, and a more well-known live video in which a crowd of young people waiting in line to get into the video shoot is asked by Sam Kinison if they (the public) “can make a better Bon Jovi video than these guys can.” The crowd gives a very enthusiastic response, and members of the crowd are given hand-held cameras and invited onstage to help shoot the video.^{[citation needed]}

Legacy

“Bad Medicine” continues to see considerable airplay on many rock radio stations and has always been a live staple at Bon Jovi concerts. In concert, an approximately 1-minute interlude of the classic “Shout” is incorporated into the middle of the song. Although with the Circle Tour, “Bad Medicine” has been played with many more covers than just “Shout”.

The song was featured on the band’s compilation albums Cross Road and Greatest Hits, the live album One Wild Night: Live 1985-2001, the acoustic collection This Left Feels Right, as well as several concert videos including Live From London and The Crush Tour.

In popular culture

• “Bad Medicine” is part of Bon Jovi’s Greatest Hits pack released for Rock Band 3.
• In the 2001 film Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, the song was played when Justice (Shannon Elizabeth) walks into Mooby’s restaurant, giving Jay (Jason Mewes) dreams about kissing her.
• In 2008, the Canadian hit show Degrassi: The Next Generation named an episode after this song.
• Mexican Wrestler Dr. Wagner Jr. uses the song as his entrance theme.
• The song was frequently sung by football (soccer) fans with the lyrics changed to “Your love is like Barry Venison” in honour of Barry Venison, the former Liverpool F.C. and Newcastle United^[1]
• In The Simpsons episode called “Black Widower” Bart Simpson says “Bart no like. Bad medicine.” when Aunt Selma married Sideshow Bob.
• In 2017, in the Young Sheldon episode entitled “Spock, Kirk, and Testicular Hernia,” Sheldon enters Gerogie’s room to help him study for a math test and the song can be heard as Sheldon enters his room.

Chart performance

End

Lyrics:

[Verse 1]
On the street where you live girls talk about their social lives
They’re made of lipstick, plastic and paint, a touch of sable in their eyes
(All your life) all your life all you’ve asked when’s your daddy gonna talk to you
But you were living in another world trying to get your message through

[Chorus 1]
No one heard a single word you said
They should have seen it in your eyes
What was going around your head

[Chorus 2]
Ooh, she’s a little runaway
Daddy’s girl learned fast
All those things she couldn’t say
Ooh, she’s a little runaway

[Verse 2]
Take a line every night guaranteed to blow your mind
I see you out on the streets, calling for a wild time
So you sit home alone cause there’s nothing left that you can do
There’s only pictures hung in the shadows left there to look at you
You know she likes the lights at nights on the neon Broadway signs
She don’t really mind, it’s only love she hoped to find

[Chorus 2]

[Chorus 1]

[Chorus 2][x3]

“Runaway” is a single by American rock band Bon Jovi. It was originally recorded in 1981 for the so-called “Power Station Demos”. These were primarily made by an ensemble simply known as John Bongiovi & the Rest. One night after a show, Richie Sambora found Bon Jovi backstage and told him he should be the guitarist. Bon Jovi wrote him off and did not think much of it but told him to learn the material and show up for rehearsal. Sambora was early and knew the material and Bon Jovi was impressed; in that moment, Sambora became the band’s lead guitarist and Bon Jovi, the band, was born.

Background

The track released to radio in 1983 was recorded in 1982^[3] by Jon Bon Jovi and studio musicians known as “The All Star Review”, which included bassist Hugh McDonald (who would join Bon Jovi in 1995 as an unofficial member), guitarist Tim Pierce, drummer Frankie LaRocka and keyboardist Roy Bittan. The keyboard intro was written by Mick Seeley, then of John Bongiovi and the Wild Ones and later with Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes, who performed backing vocals on the track with David Grahmme.

In 1983, local radio station WAPP 103.5FM “The Apple” had a contest, held in conjunction with St. John’s University, to search for the best unsigned band. After the song won the contest, it became a radio hit in the summer of 1983.

“Runaway” became the first single from the band’s self-titled debut album. It hit the Top 40 on the Billboard Hot 100 at #39 in early 1984 and became the band’s first Top 40 hit in the US.^[4]

A dance/club remake of “Runaway” was released in July 2008^[5] by “DJ Freddy Retro featuring Jim Davis Jr.” on Casa Records.^[6]

Live performances

In latterday live performances, Jon Bon Jovi has been known to do a short guitar solo near the end of the song instead of hitting the high notes at the end; something only done in the 1980s, as heard on the vintage performance featured on One Wild Night: Live 1985-2001.

After the band attained worldwide fame in the mid to late 1980s, they shed material from their pre-stardom albums in their live sets, in favor of more well known and accomplished material. However, “Runaway” is a song of which they remain proud. For well over 20 years, it has been the only song from the bands’ first two albums to be performed on a regular basis. “I still think a couple of the songs hold up,” Bon Jovi said of the debut album in 2007. “‘Runaway’, definitely.”^[7] A few others have been played live over the years, notably during The Circle Tour in 2010; however they were extreme rarities when they appeared and were not regularly performed.

Covers & samples

Rapper Tru-NC released an updated hip-hop version of the song in 2011 with the same title. It tells a story about Tommy & Gina getting evicted from their apartment. The song is available to download for free at Tru-NC’s Reverbnation page.

American rapper Immortal Technique samples the synthesizer in the track Young Lords from his album The Martyr (2011).

Mississippi rapper Tito Lopez samples the song on his own track “Married to the Mob” on his mixtape Tito Be Killing These Bitches 3. Finnish melodic death metal band Blind Stare covered the track on the digipak edition of their Symphony of Delusions album.

In popular culture

• The song was made available to download on November 9, 2010 for use in the Rock Band 3 music video game in both Basic rhythm, and PRO mode which takes advantage of the use of a real guitar / bass guitar, and standard MIDI-compatible electronic drum kits / keyboards in addition to three-part harmony or backup vocals.^[8][9]
• The song was featured on a MasterCard television commercial and in the movie Paul Blart: Mall Cop.
• A portion of the song is heard during a scene of the seventh episode of Netflix’s Stranger Things second season.^[10]

Track listing

Charts

End

Lyrics:

[Verse 1]
This romeo is bleeding
But you can’t see his blood
It’s nothing but some feelings
That this old dog kicked up
It’s been raining since you left me
Now I’m drowning in the flood
You see I’ve always been a fighter
But without you I give up
Now I can’t sing a love song
Like the way it’s meant to be
Well, I guess I’m not that good anymore
But baby, that’s just me

[Chorus]
And I will love you, baby, always
And I’ll be there forever and a day, always
I’ll be there till the stars don’t shine
Till the heavens burst and
The words don’t rhyme
And I know when I die, you’ll be on my mind
And I’ll love you, always

[Verse 2]
Now your pictures that you left behind
Are just memories of a different life
Some that made us laugh, some that made us cry
One that made you have to say goodbye
What I’d give to run my fingers through your hair
To touch your lips, to hold you near
When you say your prayers try to understand
I’ve made mistakes, I’m just a man
When he holds you close, when he pulls you near
When he says the words you’ve been needing to hear
I’ll wish I was him cause those words are mine
To say to you till the end of time

[Chorus]
Yeah, I will love you baby, always
And I’ll be there forever and a day, always

[Bridge]
If you told me to cry for you
I could
If you told me to die for you
I would
Take a look at my face
There’s no price I won’t pay
To say these words to you

Well, there ain’t no luck
In these loaded dice
But baby if you give me just one more try
We can pack up our old dreams
And our old lives
We’ll find a place where the sun still shines

[Chorus]
And I will love you, baby, always
And I’ll be there forever and a day, always
I’ll be there till the stars don’t shine
Till the heavens burst and
The words don’t rhyme
And I know when I die, you’ll be on my mind
And I’ll love you, always

“Always” is a power ballad^[1] by Bon Jovi. It was released as a single from their 1994 album Cross Road and went on to become one of their best-selling singles, with a million copies sold in the U.S. and more than 3 million worldwide.^[2] The song reached #4 in the U.S. Billboard charts, No. 2 on the Mainstream Top 40^[3] and was also an international hit, peaking at #1 in Canada, #2 in Australia and the United Kingdom, and #4 in Germany. It marks Alec John Such‘s final single with the band before he left the band in late 1994.

Song origin

The song was originally written for the soundtrack to the 1993 film Romeo Is Bleeding. After disliking the movie – which was a critical and box office bomb on release – the band decided not to lend “Always” to the producers. Jon Bon Jovi left the track on his shelf and forgot about it, until a friend found it and convinced him to re-record and release it on the band’s Cross Road compilation album.

Music video

The music video featured Jack Noseworthy, Carla Gugino, Jason Wiles and Keri Russell.

Live performances

The song’s powerful lyrics and power ballad sound made “Always” an instant hit at live concerts, but the high demand on Jon Bon Jovi‘s vocals have seen it rarely performed in concert following the band’s 1995-1996 These Days tour. Hence, when it is performed it is done so in a lower key. The song is featured on the band’s Live From London Video. During the 2005-2006 Have a Nice Day Tour it was occasionally performed in the acoustic style heard on the band’s 2003 This Left Feels Right album. Recently the band has performed the original version on their Lost Highway Tour, particularly in the UK leg. A live version from the song, performed on the final night of the Lost Highway Tour has been included on the concert DVD from the band: Live at Madison Square Garden. Since then the song in its original version has been occasionally performed during every tour.

Track listing

  Promo CD

1. “Always” ((Radio Edit)) (Jon Bon Jovi) 4:37
2. “Always” (Edit) (Jon Bon Jovi) 4:52
3. “Always” (Jon Bon Jovi) 5:52

UK CD single

1. “Always” (Edit) (Jon Bon Jovi) 4:52
2. “Always” (Jon Bon Jovi) 5:52
3. “Edge of a Broken Heart” (Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora, Desmond Child) 4:33

German CD single

1. “Always” (Edit) (Jon Bon Jovi) 4:52
2. “Always” (Jon Bon Jovi) 5:52
3. “Edge of a Broken Heart” (Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora, Desmond Child) 4:33
4. “Prayer 94” (Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora, Desmond Child) 5:20

US Cassette single

1. “Always (Edit)”
2. “Never Say Goodbye”
3. “Edge of a Broken Heart”

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

All-time charts

Certifications

End

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Lyrics:

[Verse 1]
If you’re ready, I’m willing and able
Help me lay my cards out on the table
You’re mine and I’m yours for the taking
Right now the rules we made are meant for breaking
What you get ain’t always what you see
But satisfaction’s guaranteed
They say what you give is always what you need
So if you want me to lay my hands on you

[Chorus]
Lay your hands on me [x7]

[Verse 2]
I’m a fighter, I’m a poet, I’m a preacher
I’ve been to school and baby, I’ve been the teacher
If you show me how to get up off the ground
I can show you how to fly and never ever come back down
Everything you want is what I need
Satisfaction’s guaranteed
But the ride don’t never ever come for free
If you want me to lay my hands on you

[Chorus]

[Outro]
Don’t you know I only aim to please
If you want me to lay my hands on you
Lay your hands on me

“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.^[1]

Song structure

The song runs 6 minutes, with a long intro focused on the drum beats of Tico Torres and keyboard playing of David Bryan as well as the chants of the crowd: “hey!”, before going into an extremely hard rock song, filled with loud guitar riffs by Richie Sambora and the husky delivery of lyrics by Jon Bon Jovi. By Jon’s own admission, this is one of the few Bon Jovi songs that was written from a guitar riff (Jon Bon Jovi’s usual style is to begin writing a song with the title). It was written in the studio while they were recording the New Jersey album.

Music video

The video for this song was culled from performances at the Tacoma Dome in Tacoma, WA and the Memorial Coliseum in Portland, OR during The Jersey Syndicate Tour. It was also released to home video on New Jersey: The Videos and Cross Road: The Videos. The MTV video for “Lay Your Hands On Me” was shot in Salt Lake in May 1989.^[2]

In concert

For live performances through the 80s and 90s, Sambora would use a double neck guitar with one neck tuned to drop D and the other tuned to Standard tuning. Examples of this can be seen in the official video clip, as well as in the Live From London DVD. During the 2000s he began using a single-necked guitar, as can be seen in The Crush Tour DVD. The song was performed a few times on the Lost Highway Tour. During recent performances on The Circle Tour, the song has been performed with Sambora on lead vocals.

This Left Feels Right version

“Lay Your Hands on Me” was re-recorded for 2003’s This Left Feels Right album. The new version is in a laid-back acoustic style, featuring Sambora playing the Mandocello as the primary instrument. This version was performed at several concerts on the Have a Nice Day Tour.

Cover versions

After hearing the song and thinking it would be a good Gospel song, country singer Dolly Parton called Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora and got permission to turn the song into a Gospel tune for her 2014 album, Blue Smoke. Dolly and Richie performed this cover at Glastonbury on 29 June 2014.

Charts

End

Lyrics:

[Verse 1]
Rainy night and we worked all day
We both got jobs because there’s bills to pay
We got something they can’t take away
Our love, our lives
Close the door, leave the cold outside
I don’t need nothing when I’m by your side
We got something that’ll never die
Our dreams, our pride

[Chorus]
My heart beats like a drum (all night)
Flesh to flesh, one to one (and it’s alright)
And I’ll never let go cause
There’s something I know deep inside
You were born to be my baby
And baby, I was made to be your man

[Verse 2]
We got something to believe in
Even if we don’t know where we stand
Only God would know the reasons
But I bet he must have had a plan
Cause you were born to be my baby
And baby, I was made to be your man
Light a candle, blow the world away
Table for two on a TV tray
It ain’t fancy, baby that’s OK
Our time, our way
So hold me close better hang on tight
Buckle up, baby, it’s a bumpy ride
We’re two kids hitching down the road of life
Our world, our fight

[Chorus]
If we stand side by side (all night)
There’s a chance we’ll get by (and it’s alright)
And I’ll know that you’ll be live
In my heart till the day that I die
Cause you were born to be my baby
And baby, I was made to be your man

[Verse 3]
We got something to believe in
Even if we don’t know where we stand
Only God would know the reasons
But I bet he must have had a plan
Cause you were born to be my baby
And baby, I was made to be your man

[Chorus]
My heart beats like a drum (all night)
Flesh to flesh, one to one (and it’s alright)
And I’ll never let go cause
There’s something I know deep inside
Cause you were born to be my baby
And baby, I was made to be your man
We got something to believe in
Even if we don’t know where we stand
Only God would know the reasons
But I bet he must have had a plan
Cause you were born to be my baby
And baby, I was made to be your man
You were born to be my baby
And baby, I was made to be your man

“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 in November 1988 as the second single from their album New Jersey. It peaked at number 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1989, number 7 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart,^[1] number 22 in the UK, and number 30 in Australia.

“Born to Be My Baby” was the second of five singles from New Jersey to chart in the Top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100, the most top 10 hits for any hard rock album. Despite the song’s success, it was not included in the 1994 Cross Road greatest hits album. However the song was included on Bon Jovi’s Greatest Hits album in 2010. In addition, an acoustic version of the song was recorded for their album This Left Feels Right.

Music video

The video for the song was done in all black-and-white, like many of the band’s videos from the New Jersey album.

A very low budget video, it was shot all in the studio, chronicling the recording process for “Born to Be My Baby”. In the full length video, there is actually a dialogue between the band members, and the band does the chorus again, unsatisfied with the original version. The video prominently features photogenic shots of Jon Bon Jovi singing, as well as the band gathering around a microphone to sing the “na-na-na-na-na” part. The video also features Jon Bon Jovi’s wife, Dorothea.

The video was featured on New Jersey: The Videos, a promotional VHS that is no longer manufactured. The video was absent from the video collection Cross Road: The Videos. It was later featured on Bon Jovi’s 2010 release Greatest Hits – The Ultimate Video Collection.

The ending of the video depicts Bon Jovi cheering and hugging each other. This was the moment that the band learned New Jersey was the No. 1 album in the U.S. ^[2]

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

End

Lyrics:

[Verse 1]
You want commitment
Take a look into these eyes
They burn with fire
Until the end of time
I would do anything
I’d beg, I’d steal, I’d die
To have you in these arms tonight
Baby I want you
Like the roses want the rain
You know I need you
Like a poet needs the pain
I would give anything
My blood, my love, my life
If you were in these arms tonight

[Chorus]
I’d hold you, I’d need you
I’d get down on my knees for you
And make everything alright
If you were in these arms
I’d love you
I’d please you
I’d tell you that I’d never leave you
And love you until the end of time
If you were in these arms tonight

[Verse 2]
We stared at the sun
And we made a promise
A promise this world would never blind us
And these were our words
Our words were our songs
Our songs are our prayers
These prayers keep me strong
And I still believe
If you were in these arms

[Chorus]

[Verse 3]
Your clothes are still scattered
All over our room
This whole place still smells like
Your cheap perfume
Everything here reminds me of you
And there’s nothing
That I wouldn’t do
And these were our words
They keep me strong, baby!

[Chorus]

[Outro]
If you were in these arms tonight [x3]

“In These Arms” is a song by American rock band Bon Jovi. It was written by Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora, and David Bryan. It was released in May 1993 as the third single from the band’s 1992 album Keep the Faith.

Track listing

UK release

1. “In These Arms”
2. “Keep The Faith” (Live)
3. “In These Arms” (Live)

Chart performance

The song was the band’s second most successful single from Keep the Faith in the U.S., reaching #27 on the Billboard Hot 100, #32 on the Mainstream Rock chart and #14 on the top 40 mainstream chart.^[2] It also reached #6 on the Canadian singles chart, #9 on the UK Singles Chart, #10 on the Australian singles chart and #14 on the German Top 40.

Year-end charts

Song information

The song’s lyrics are about everlasting love and devotion. The song is characterized by a strong bass rhythm, jangling guitars, and very light drum playing, as well as soulful, emotional singing by Jon Bon Jovi. However, it is not a ballad, as its driving guitars and fast-paced beat and upbeat sound maintain it as more of a pop-rock song, in the vein of “Born to Be My Baby“.

Music video

The video for the song shows Bon Jovi performing at a concert on their Keep the Faith Tour. The live portions were filmed during Bon Jovi’s New Year’s Eve show at Stabler Arena in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania on December 31, 1992. The live show was also featured on their previous track “Bed of Roses“. Portions of the video were also filmed at the Dane County Coliseum in Madison, Wisconsin in March 1993.

Legacy

The song has always been a fan favorite, and was a staple in the band’s setlist on their Have A Nice Day Tour, and also was played frequently on the Lost Highway Tour, especially on the European leg of the tour. The song was also recorded by the band’s keyboard player David Bryan on his first solo album On a Full Moon released in 1995, and again, this time with him singing vocals, on his second solo album Lunar Eclipse released in 2000.

End

Lyrics:

[Verse 1]
I should have seen it coming when roses died
Should have seen the end of summer in your eyes
I should have listened when you said good night
You really meant good bye
Baby, ain’t it funny how we never ever learn to fall
You’re really on your knees, when you think you’re standing tall
But only fools are “know-it-alls” and i played that fool for you

[Pre-Chorus]
I cried and I cried
There were nights that I died for you baby
I tried and I tried to deny your love drove me crazy, baby

[Chorus 1]
If the love that I’ve got for you is gone
And if the river I’ve cried ain’t that long
Then I’m wrong, yeah I’m wrong, this ain’t a love song

[Verse 2]
Baby, i thought you and me would stand the test of time
Like we got away with the perfect crime
But we were just a legend in my mind
I guess that I was blind
Remember those nights dancing at the masquerade
The clowns wore smiles that wouldn’t fade
But you and I were the renegades, some things never change
It made me so mad because I wanted it bad for us baby
And now it’s so sad that whatever we had ain’t worth saving

[Chorus 1]
If the love that I’ve got for you is gone
And if the river I’ve cried ain’t that long
Then I’m wrong, yeah I’m wrong, this ain’t a love song

[Chorus 2]
If the pain that I’m feeling so strong
Is the reason I’m holding on
Then I’m wrong, yeah I’m wrong – this ain’t a love song

[Pre-Chorus]
I cried and I cried
There were nights that I died for you baby
I tried and I tried to deny your love drove me crazy, baby

[Chorus 1]
If the love that I’ve got for you is gone
And if the river I’ve cried ain’t that long
Then I’m wrong, yeah I’m wrong, this ain’t a love song

[Chorus 2]
If the pain that I’m feeling so strong
Is the reason I’m holding on
Then I’m wrong, yeah I’m wrong – this ain’t a love song

[Outro]
Then I’m wrong, yeah I’m wrong – this ain’t a love song
Then, I’m wrong, yeah, I’m wrong – this ain’t a love song

“This Ain’t a Love Song” is the lead single from Bon Jovi’s 1995 album These Days. It reached #14 on the Billboard Hot 100, #11 on the Mainstream Top 40^[1] and it reached #6 on the UK Singles Chart. The song is an example of the strong rhythm and blues influence that Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora wanted the These Days album to have, and the final result by the Q is alternative rock according to the critics of the magazine. The official music video was shot at Wat Ratchaburana in Ayuthaya, Thailand; and directed by Andy Morahan.^[2] A Spanish version, “Como Yo Nadie Te Ha Amado,” was also recorded, however the Spanish version is different from the original because the lyrics are different and it talks about how nobody really love the two people that are in a relationship. Mexican singer Yuridia covered the Spanish version on her second studio album Habla El Corazón which peaked at #16 on the Billboard Hot Latin Songs chart.^[3] Yuridia’s cover received was nominated at the 2008 Latin Billboard Awards for Latin Pop Airplay of the Year by a Female Artist.^[4] Her cover also led to Jon Bon Jovi winning an ASCAP Latin Award in the Pop/Ballad field.^[5]

Although a successful single, Bon Jovi have performed “This Ain’t a Love Song” live only six times since the conclusion of the These Days Tour, with the song not performed even once between July 13, 1996 and June 19, 2008.^[6]

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

End

Lyrics:

[Verse 1]
Sitting here wasted and wounded
At this old piano
Trying hard to capture
The moment this morning I don’t know
Cause a bottle of Vodka
Is still lodged in my head
And some blonde gave me nightmares
I think that she’s still in my bed
As I dream about movies
They won’t make of me when I’m dead
With an ironclad fist I wake up and
French kiss the morning
While some marching band keeps
Its own beat in my head
While we’re talking
About all of the things that I long to believe
About love and the truth and
What you mean to me
And the truth is baby you’re all that I need…

[Chorus]
I want to lay you down in a bed of roses
For tonight I sleep on a bed of nails
Oh I want to be just as close as the Holy Ghost is
And lay you down on a bed of roses

[Verse 2]
Well I’m so far away
That each step that I take is on my way home
A king’s ransom in dimes I’d given each night
Just to see through this payphone
Still I run out of time
Or it’s hard to get through
Till the bird on the wire flies me back to you
I’ll just close my eyes and whisper
Baby blind love is true

[Chorus]
I want to lay you down in a bed of roses
For tonight I sleep on a bed of nails
Oh I want to be just as close as
The Holy Ghost is
And lay you down on a bed of roses

[Verse 3]
The hotel bar hangover whiskey’s gone dry
The barkeeper’s wig’s crooked
And she’s giving me the eye
I might have said yeah
But I laughed so hard I think I died

[Guitar solo]

[Verse 4]
Now as you close your eyes
Know I’ll be thinking about you
While my mistress she calls me
To stand in her spotlight again
Tonight I won’t be alone
But you know that don’t
Mean I’m not lonely
I’ve got nothing to prove
For it’s you that I’d die to defend

[Chorus]
I want to lay you down in a bed of roses
For tonight I sleep on a bed of nails
I want to be just as close as the Holy Ghost is
And lay you down on a bed of roses

I want to lay you down in a bed of roses
For tonight I sleep on a bed of nails
I want to be just as close as the Holy Ghost is
And lay you down on a bed of roses

“Bed of Roses” is a song by American rock band Bon Jovi in late January 1993, from the album Keep the Faith. 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.

The song’s power ballad style made it a worldwide hit, and it demonstrated the band’s new, more mature sound after their success as a glam metal band in the 1980s. Released as a successful single in 1993, it reached #10 on the Billboard Hot 100, #5 on the top 40 mainstream,^[2] #13 in the UK Top 40, and #10 in the German Top 100.

A Spanish version, Cama de Rosas, was also recorded.

Music video

The video for “Bed of Roses” begins with shots of Richie Sambora playing guitar high in the mountain tops, and then cuts to scenes of Jon alone in his hotel room, the band recording the song in the studio, and finally performing live on stage. Initially the video directors wanted Jon Bon Jovi to be on the mountain tops, but Jon said: “I was on top of a mountain in ‘Blaze of Glory’, send them” (Richie Sambora and David Bryan, who is seen playing the piano at the mountain top).

The live portions were filmed at Stabler Arena in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, on December 31, 1992 as part of a special 1993’s New Year’s Eve concert. In order to get the liveliest and largest crowd there for the video, the band made arrangements to have no floor seating, and to have one price, general admission tickets.

Track listing

International release

1. “Bed of Roses”
2. “Lay Your Hands on Me (Live)”
3. “Tokyo Road (Live)”
4. “I’ll Be There for You (Live)”

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Legacy

“Bed of Roses” became a staple on Bon Jovi setlists for years to come, and was featured on the band’s Cross Road greatest hits album, and in acoustic style on This Left Feels Right. A live performance can be viewed on the Crush Tour DVD. A version with lyrics in Spanish was also recorded, entitled “Cama De Rosas”.

The song was also recorded by the hard rock band Hinder as a bonus track of the Wal-Mart re-release of their debut album, Extreme Behavior. Toše Proeski covered this song during his concerts and on his posthumous 2011 album S ljubavlju od Toseta. American country singer Cassadee Pope covered this song during her 2014 concert tour.

End

Lyrics:

As I sit in this smokey room
The night about to end
I pass my time with strangers
But this bottle’s my only friend

Remember when we used to park
On Butler Street out in the dark
Remember when we lost the keys
And you lost more than that in my backseat baby

Remember how we used to talk
About busting out – we’d break their hearts
Together – forever

Never say goodbye, never say goodbye
You and me and my old friends
Hoping it would never end
Say goodbye, never say goodbye
Holdin’ on – we got to try
Holdin’ on to never say goodbye

Remember days of skipping school
Racing cars and being cool
With a six pack and the radio
We didn’t need no place to go

Remember at the prom that night
You and me we had a fight
But the band they played our favorite song
And I held you in my arms so strong

We danced so close
We danced so slow
And I swore I’d never let you go
Together – forever

Never say goodbye, never say goodbye
You and me and my old friends
Hoping it would never end
Say goodbye, never say goodbye
Holdin’ on – we got to try
Holdin’ on to never say goodbye

I guess you’d say we used to talk
About busting out
We’d break their hearts
Together – forever

Never say goodbye, never say goodbye
You and me and my old friends
Hoping it would never end
Say goodbye, never say goodbye
Holdin’ on – we got to try
Holdin’ on to never say goodbye
Yeah yeah

“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, in June 1987, and reached number 11 on the mainstream rock charts^[1] and number 21 in 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;^[2] nevertheless, it reached number 28 on the Hot 100 Airplay survey.^[3]

The song was featured on some versions of the band’s Cross Road greatest hits album and is still occasionally performed live by the band in concert.

Song style

“Never Say Goodbye” is a power ballad, featuring drawn out vocals and a slow tempo, in contrast to the other tracks on Slippery When Wet, which are of a much faster, hard rock pace.

This song is often used as the class song at prom nights, especially in New Jersey. Jon Bon Jovi claims that his inspiration for the song was the Southside Johnny song “Hearts of Stone“.^[4]

The song is in the key of A major and progresses to C# minor, D major and D minor.

	Never Say Goodbye

Track listing

• Original European Release (August 13, 1987)

1. “Never Say Goodbye”
2. “Shot Through the Heart” (Live)

US & UK CD “Re-Release”

1. “Never Say Goodbye”
2. “Social Disease”
3. “Edge Of A Broken Heart”
4. “Raise Your Hands”

Charts

End