New Jersey (album)

New Jersey
Studio album by Bon Jovi
Released September 19, 1988
Recorded March–August 1988 at the Little Mountain Sound Studios in Vancouver
Genre Hard rock, glam metal
Length 56:32
Label Mercury Records (USA)
Vertigo Records (Europe)
Producer Bruce Fairbairn
Bon Jovi chronology

Slippery When Wet
(1986)		 New Jersey
(1988)		 Keep the Faith
(1992)
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: April 4, 1989
  4. "Lay Your Hands on Me"
    Released: August 1, 1989
  5. "Living in Sin"
    Released: November 11, 1989

New Jersey is the fourth studio album by the American rock band Bon Jovi, released on 19 September 1988 through Mercury Records. The album was produced by Bruce Fairbairn and recorded at the Little Mountain Sound Studios in Vancouver, Canada.

The album was the follow-up to the band's 1986 breakthrough album, Slippery When Wet, and reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart in its second week of release after making its debut at No. 8. It remained at No. 1 for four consecutive weeks.[1] It produced five Billboard Hot 100 top ten singles, 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 No. 1. The album was certified seven times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. The album also debuted at No. 1 in UK and was the band's first UK No. 1 album. New Jersey was released by the Soviet state-owned record company "Melodiya", being the first American album ever released in USSR.[2][3]

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
AllMusic [4]
Kerrang! (3.75/5)[5]
Robert Christgau C+[6]
Rolling Stone [7]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide [8]

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. The album was initially planned to be a double album; however, this idea was rejected by the record company 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 parodied the title of their previous album, Slippery When Wet.

Recording and production

The album was produced by Bruce Fairbairn like its predecessor and recorded at the Little Mountain Sound Studios in Vancouver, Canada. 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. 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." 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. 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 "Born To Be My Baby" and "Bad Medicine" with Desmond Child. "Born To Be My Baby" was originally recorded acoustically, however the producer Bruce Fairbairn persuaded them to re-record it with electronic instruments in a harder rock and much more metal style. Jon Bon Jovi has since said that he believed the song would have made #1 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's 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 also recorded when the band were drunk during a party in a place called Chalet Sound in New Jersey.

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 UK, Switzerland, Sweden, New Zealand and Australia. New Jersey also holds the record for the hard rock album to spawn the most Top 10 singles, with five singles charting on the Top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart in United States. No other hard rock or heavy metal album has ever equaled or broken this feat. "Bad Medicine" and the ballad "I'll Be There for You" both hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. "Born to Be My Baby", "Lay Your Hands on Me", and "Living in Sin" reached the Top 10.

Track listing

Side one
No. TitleWriter(s) Length
1. "Lay Your Hands on Me"  Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora 6:01
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
No. TitleWriter(s) Length
6. "Homebound Train"  Bon Jovi, Sambora 5:10
7. "Wild Is the Wind"  Bon Jovi, Sambora, Child, Diane Warren 5:08
8. "Ride Cowboy Ride"  Captain Kidd, King of Swing 1:25
9. "Stick to Your Guns"  Bon Jovi, Sambora, Holly Knight 4:45
10. "I'll Be There for You"  Bon Jovi, Sambora 5:46
11. "99 in the Shade"  Bon Jovi, Sambora 4:29
12. "Love for Sale"  Bon Jovi, Sambora 3:58

2014 Deluxe Edition

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.

Charts

Peak positions

Charts Position
Australian Albums Chart[9] 1
Austrian Albums Chart[10] 5
German Albums Chart[11] 4
Italian Albums Chart[12] 10
Japanese Albums Chart[13] 2
New Zealand Albums Chart[14] 1
Norwegian Albums Chart[15] 4
Spanish Albums Chart[16] 21
Swedish Albums Chart[17] 1
Swiss Albums Chart[18] 1
UK Albums Chart[19] 1
US Billboard 200[20] 1

Year-end charts

Chart (1988) Position
Italian Albums Chart[12] 47
Swiss Albums Chart[21] 27
Chart (1989) Position
Canadian Albums Chart[22] 36
Japanese Albums Chart[23] 94
US Billboard 200[24] 4

Certifications

Region Certification Sales/shipments
Australia (ARIA)[25] 2× Platinum 140,000^
Austria (IFPI Austria)[26] Platinum 50,000x
Canada (Music Canada)[27] 5× Platinum 500,000^
Finland (Musiikkituottajat)[28] Platinum 51,126[28]
Germany (BVMI)[29] Platinum 500,000^
Japan (Oricon Charts) 332,000[30]
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[31] Platinum 100,000^
Sweden (GLF)[32] Gold 50,000^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[33] Platinum+Gold 75,000x
United Kingdom (BPI)[34] 2× Platinum 600,000^
United States (RIAA)[35] 7× Platinum 7,000,000^

^shipments figures based on certification alone
xunspecified figures based on certification alone

Personnel

References

  1. ↑ "AllMusic (Bon Jovi charts & awards) Billboard albums".
  2. ↑ "netmusiccountdown". Historyking.com. Retrieved 2009-06-01.
  3. ↑ "n-this-day". Historyking.com. Retrieved 2009-06-01.
  4. ↑ Ruhlmann, William. "Bon Jovi New Jersey review". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 2011-10-04.
  5. ↑ Henderson, Paul (24 September 1988). "Bon Jovi 'New Jersey'". Kerrang! 206. London, UK: Spotlight Publications ltd. pp. 26–27.
  6. ↑ Christgau, Robert. "Consumer Guide Reviews: New Jersey". Robert Christgau. Retrieved 2011-10-04.
  7. ↑ Azerrad, Michael (4 November 1992). "New Jersey". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2012-06-26.
  8. ↑ "Bon Jovi: Album Guide". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2011-10-04.
  9. ↑ "Australian Charts - Bon Jovi - New Jersey (album)". Australian-charts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved January 12, 2014.
  10. ↑ "Austria Top 40 - Bon Jovi - New Jersey (album)" (in German). Austriancharts.at. Hung Medien. Retrieved January 12, 2014.
  11. ↑ "Album - Bon Jovi, New Jersey" (in German). Charts.de. Retrieved July 3, 2012.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 "Hit Parade Italia - Gli album più venduti del 1988" (in Italian). hitparadeitalia.it. Retrieved January 12, 2014.
  13. ↑ "ボン・ジョヴィ 4 NEW JERSEY／ボン・ジョヴィ-リリース-ORICON STYLE-ミュージック" [Highest position and charting weeks of New Jersey by Bon Jovi]. oricon.co.jp (in Japanese). Oricon Style. Retrieved January 12, 2014.
  14. ↑ "New Zealand Charts - Bon Jovi - New Jersey (album)". Charts.org.nz. Hung Medien. Retrieved July 3, 2012.
  15. ↑ "VG-lista - Bon Jovi - New Jersey (album)". Norwegiancharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved July 3, 2012.
  16. ↑ Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  17. ↑ "Swedish Charts - Bon Jovi - New Jersey (album)". Swedishcharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved July 3, 2012.
  18. ↑ "Swiss Charts - Bon Jovi - New Jersey (album)" (in German). Hitparade.ch. Hung Medien. Retrieved July 3, 2012.
  19. ↑ "1988 Top 40 Official UK Albums Archive - 1st October 1988". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 3, 2012.
  20. ↑ "Bon Jovi Album & Song Chart History - Billboard 200". Billboard. Retrieved July 3, 2012.
  21. ↑ "Hitparade.ch – Schweizer Jahreshitparade 1988". Hung Medien. Retrieved January 12, 2014.
  22. ↑ "RPM Top 100 Albums of 1989". RPM. December 23, 1989. Retrieved January 12, 2014.
  23. ↑ "1989年 アルバム年間TOP100" [Oricon Year-end Albums Chart of 1989] (in Japanese). Retrieved January 12, 2014.
  24. ↑ "Billboard.BIZ – Year-end Charts – Billboard 200 – 1989". billboard.biz. Retrieved January 22, 2010.
  25. ↑ "The ARIA Report - Chartifacts - Week Commencing ~ 28th January 2008 ~ Issue #935" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association.
  26. ↑ "Austrian album certifications – Bon Jovi – New Jersey" (in German). IFPI Austria. Retrieved July 3, 2013. Enter Bon Jovi in the field Interpret. Enter New Jersey in the field Titel. Select album in the field Format. Click Suchen
  27. ↑ "Canadian album certifications – Bon Jovi – New Jersey". Music Canada. Retrieved July 3, 2012.
  28. ↑ 28.0 28.1 The first web page presents the sales figures, the second presents the certification limits:
  29. ↑ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Bon Jovi; 'New Jersey')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved July 3, 2012.
  30. ↑ Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970-2005. Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN 4-87131-077-9.
  31. ↑ "Solo Exitos 1959–2002 Ano A Ano: Certificados 1979–1990". Solo Exitos 1959–2002 Ano A Ano.
  32. ↑ "Guld- och Platinacertifikat − År 1987−1998" (PDF) (in Swedish). IFPI Sweden. Retrieved July 3, 2012.
  33. ↑ "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards (Bon Jovi; 'New Jersey')". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 3, 2012.
  34. ↑ "British album certifications – Bon Jovi – New Jersey". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved July 3, 2012. Enter New Jersey in the field Keywords. Select Title in the field Search by. Select album in the field By Format. Select Platinum in the field By Award. Click Search
  35. ↑ "American album certifications – Bon Jovi – New Jersey". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved July 3, 2012. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH
Awards and achievements
Preceded by
Bad by Michael Jackson		 Japan Gold Disc Award for Album of the Year
1989 		Succeeded by
Like a Prayer by Madonna