Bon Jovi's Best Songs That Aren't Livin' on a Prayer: My Definitive Ranking
My guy JBJ is having a moment, so let's celebrate what he does best
Anyone who has even casually followed my Twitter account since it launched in 2016 knows that Jon Bon Jovi has, inexplicably to most, been revealed as my captain and muse. And was, unwittingly, the subject matter of one of my favorite threads of all time.
So seeing Jon’s renaissance/resurgence in the pop culture zeitgeist, largely due to an amiable and humanizing if not a bit sanitized Hulu documentary on the band, “Thank You, Goodnight: The Bon Jovi Story” (which premiered at SXSW 2024) has been fun (and perhaps a bit validating) to watch.
This has all served as motivation for me to go back and listen to a lot of Bon Jovi. Like, a lot. And in doing so I want to share some of my favorite Bon Jovi tunes that aren’t the best Bon Jovi tune, Livin’ on a Prayer. I’m not one of those weird, self-important fan club types that shuns the hits in favor of some obscure B-side released only on vinyl in Romania in 1989. You’re going to know most of these. But my unquestionably discerning tastes may be good for a wrinkle or two.
In no particular order:
Who Says You Can’t Go Home?: Light, airy, and as feel good as a bump of Westlake coke I (I’ll bet), this up-tempo, country-twinged little jam off of 2005’s Have a Nice Day wasn’t a huge hit, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t great, especially the second version re-imagined as a duet with Jennifer Nettles. Although JBJ has mined the “I love my New Jersey hometown” theme almost as much as The Killers have with Las Vegas, it still feels genuine here. You will tap your foot enthusiastically and probably hit replay at least once or twice.
Wanted Dead or Alive: The origin story for all of Jon’s later “cowboy cool” offerings, this twangy power balled banger co-written with Richie Sambora was pure gold. Unleashed upon the word in 1987 as the follow up single to the generationally fantastic Livin’ on a Prayer (no small undertaking), this one rose to #7 on the charts and was quickly cemented as one of Bon Jovi’s concert stalwarts. JBJ has since called it the band’s anthem, and it’s hard to disagree.
Runaway: Although the subject matter of a teen girl who has fled her home to live on the streets is dark stuff, Bon Jovi’s first real hit was approached as a fairly standard rock song, starting with an iconic keys intro and going from there. It famously got traction after Jon shopped it on a DJ by DJ basis, finally catching the attention of NYC station WAPP in 1983. Although it was recorded with session musicians before Bon Jovi had even fully coalesced, it quickly became a concert favorite, despite only reaching #39 on the Billboard charts.
Born To Be My Baby: The only thing harder than coming up with a career defining mega hit like Prayer is trying to do it again. That was the dilemma facing Bon Jovi in 1988 as they headed into the studio for their Slippery When Wet follow up. And I submit, they did very well. No, 1989’s New Jersey (recorded in a tight window between massive world tours) didn’t quite capture the special magic of its iconic predecessor, but it was still jammed full of quality area rockers and score with your lady in the backseat ballads. And my personal favorite is the spiritual sequel to Prayer (at least until It’s My Life was released), Born To Be My Baby. Potent, anthemic, and catchy as fuck, with skyscraper high stakes, this one just gets it done and gets it done well.
Always: No, this isn’t a rocker. Yes, it could fit in perfectly on the soundtrack of a wide-release rom com. But it’s a very well-crafted 1994 power ballad just the same and there were very few humans who could have sold “It’s been raining since you left me, now I’m drowning in the flood” without sounding like a cheesy tainthuffer, and Jon Bon Jovi is one of them. The writing credits on this one are all JBJ, and he’s still very proud of it. The fact that the video is a work of mid-90s art (with a youthful Carla Gugino!) is just gravy.
It’s My Life: You had me at the return of the Prayer talkbox. When Sambora kicks off the 2000 banger with the familiar wah-wah-wah distortion, it’s like crawling back into a cozy childhood bed. The fact that its chorus is arguably second in Bon Jovi’s long catalog only adds heft to the proposition that this song is an all-timer. Even Ukrainians fighting off a Russian invasion have used It’s My Life to find inspiration. It showed the world that the boys were far from done as the new millennium hit and if there were any doubters they were quickly converted back into Bon Jovians. Just remember: when Bon Jovi wins, Putin loses.
This House is Not For Sale: By 2016, Bon Jovi was still popular but had long past its sell by date on the pop charts. That probably said more about the state of modern music than the band, but it was the reality. That’s part of why it was so cool to hear/see the New Jersey rockers drop This House is Not For Sale, the lead single from the 2016 record of the same name. With confident vocals (this seems even more poignant today with JBJ’s much publicized singing issues), a catchy chorus, and strong writing, this throwback song was a revelation and would have been a massive hit single for the band in a different time. It’s a true fist pumper that showed Jon’s New Jersey pride had aged like a fine wine.
There are so many more that could be on this list, but that’s where I’ll stop for today. I’d love to hear your favorite Bon Jovi songs (besides Prayer) in the comments. There are no wrong answers beyond solo Sambora.
Bed of Roses. Duh.