Born to Be My Baby
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| "Born to Be My Baby" | ||
|---|---|---|
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| Single by Bon Jovi | ||
| from the album New Jersey | ||
| B-side(s) | "Love for Sale" | |
| Released | 1988 | |
| Format | CD Single | |
| Recorded | 1988 | |
| Genre | Rock | |
| Length | 4:40 | |
| Label | Mercury Records | |
| Writer(s) | Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora, Desmond Child | |
| Producer(s) | Bruce Fairbairn | |
| Chart positions | ||
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| Bon Jovi singles chronology | ||
| "Bad Medicine" (1988) | "Born to Be My Baby" (1988) | "I'll Be There For You" (1989) |
"Born to Be My Baby" is a song performed by American rock band Bon Jovi. It was written by Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora, and Desmond Child. It was released as the second single from their hugely successful album New Jersey in 1988. It peaked at #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1989. The song also made it to #7 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, #22 in the UK, and #30 in Australia.
"Born to Be My Baby" was the second of five singles from the New Jersey album to chart in the Top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100, the most singles from an album to chart in the Top 10 for a rock band.
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[edit] Lyrical Interpretation
The song's lyrics could be compared to those of "Livin' on a Prayer", as they are about a young ("two kids hitchin' down the road of life") working class couple ("we both got jobs, cause there's bills to pay") who struggle to make ends meet ("table for two on a TV tray"). The narrator says that they should stick through and make their relationship work no matter what the outside world thinks ("Close the door, leave the cold outside") and that despite their situation they have something to believe in ("we got something that'll never die, our dreams, our pride").
In the chorus, the narrator believes it is destiny for the couple to be together ("You were born to be my baby and I was made to be your man"; "Only God would know the reasons, but I bet He must have had a plan").
[edit] Song Structure
Despite the heartfelt, romantic lyrics, the song has a very poppy, catchy, upbeat tone.
In the beginning and end of the song is a refrain of "na-na-na na, na-na na, na-na na, na" by the band members, that is in sync with the melody of the song.
The song is highlighted by upbeat keyboard playing by David Bryan, a loud steady drum beat by Tico Torres, bombastic guitar riffs by Richie Sambora, a husky emotional delivery of lyrics by Jon Bon Jovi, and prominent background singing in the bridge and chorus, especially by Sambora.
The chorus is repeated several times throughout the song, and is well-remembered also due to well-defined rhyming and the use of alliteration ("Born to Be My Baby").
The song was originally recorded acoustically, with just two acoustic guitars and a harmonica in the outro. However under Bruce Fairbairn's influence, it was re-recorded in the form found on the album. Jon Bon Jovi once said that he believed the song would have made number 1 on the charts if released in its original form; instead he alleges that Fairbairn was trying to create another Livin' on a Prayer.
[edit] 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 dialogue between 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 was featured on New Jersey: The Videos, a promotional VHS that is no longer manufactured. The video was notbably absent from the video collection Cross Road: The Videos.
[edit] Legacy
The song can be described almost as a forgotten gem as it was notably absent from the band's 1994 compilation Cross Road, and also as it doesn't receive nearly as much radio airplay as the Slippery When Wet singles and New Jersey's two #1 singles receive.
However, the song has remained a favorite among fans and the band has obviously taken note, as it has been a setlist staple on Bon Jovi's last three tours ("Crush Tour", "Bounce Tour", and "Have a Nice Day"), and was also featured on the band's acoustic re-invention album This Left Feels Right, where the song became a romantic ballad.
