When you write the truth, people find it’s their story too
Jon Bon Jovi talks to NAOMI CLARKE about his rock band’s legacy, how vocal issues nearly ended his career and the secret to a long and happy marriage
PERSEVERANCE is needed in order to survive many of life’s major challenges, but you probably need a double dose to withstand the ruthless nature of the music industry.
Thankfully for Jon Bon Jovi, he fostered this steadfast attitude in the early days of his career when he had to power through his first song Runaway being rejected by countless studios and his rock band roaming the streets of New Jersey playing local bars and clubs hoping for a break.
Their first two albums, the selftitled Bon Jovi in 1984 and the follow-up 7800 Degrees Fahrenheit the following year, enjoyed reasonable success. But their third, Slippery When Wet propelled them to stratospheric fame filled, as it was, with classics such as You Give Love A Bad Name, Wanted Dead Or Alive and Livin’ On a Prayer – a track that was destined to become anthemic, reminding us to hold on to hope.
“It’s been our journey, and at least I can speak from my writing, that when you write truth, people find that’s their story too”, says Jon, 62, as he reflects on how the band’s music still resonates as they reach their 40th anniversary.
Bon Jovi has gone on to sell more than 130 million albums, performed in more than 50 countries and been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
They’ve now released their 16th studio album to celebrate their milestone, and it marks a change of direction from their last couple, with Jon regarding 2016’s This House Is Not for Sale as a “statement record” as it was their first since guitarist Richie Sambora quit in 2013, while their 2020 album was a “topic record” influenced by global events.
He describes their latest release as a “return to joy” as it came from a post-pandemic and post-surgery world for the singer, who has spent the last couple of years recovering from surgery on his vocal chords after they began to atrophy, threatening to end his career.
“It sucked”, he says. “I certainly didn’t anticipate anything like that, especially coming from a place where I had always taken very good care of my instrument [meaning his voice].
“So it was dumbfounding to me, prior to the surgery, when it wasn’t working all of a sudden, I couldn’t understand why.
“I tried everything to cajole it, and even that didn’t work. So it was very hard. I’m not 100% through it yet, but I’m darn close.”
There is still uncertainty if the group will ever be able to tour again, but for now, the singer is expressing his emotions through their new album.
The 12-track record takes stock of the band’s past but does not slip into desperately yearning for times gone by, instead feeling appreciative of the now, while looking towards the future.
Opener and lead single Legendary feels like a love letter to those who have supported Jon over the years. “Got what I want/cause I got what I need,” he sings.
It is also special to him as it pays tribute to his wife Dorothea, who is referred to as the “brown-eyed girl”. Jon married his teenage sweetheart 35 years ago after they met in high school, and he praises her as the “rock that everything revolves around”.
“I could not have done any of this without her support”, he says. “You can get all the professional help in the world, but it’s the personal touch of someone who cares as much as she does, that is the thing that keeps you going.”
Their family has expanded recently, with their eldest son Jesse getting married and third child Jake tying the knot with Stranger Things star Millie Bobby Brown in recent months.
Has he offered them marriage advice? “Not necessarily”, he says. “I think that all the kids have been looking, fortunately for us, to their parents and us as examples of what worked. And so we’re excited for them.”
While the father-of-four admits Bon Jovi had more than their “fair share of fun” over the years, he insists he always knew where to draw the line. “I didn’t have the physical or mental capacity to handle the drug culture”, he says.
The singer and the group have been undergoing a lot of self-reflection of late through their new four-part documentary Thank You, Goodnight: The Bon Jovi Story.
The series is described as a “rare look behind the scenes” of the US rock band, which revisits their “triumphs and setbacks, greatest hits, biggest disappointments, and most public moments of friction”.
“I watched my professional life flash by me, but fortunately, I haven’t been hit by that bus yet”, he says about how it felt to watch the last 40 years played back.
“But it was emotional because you realised the ups and the downs and everything we’ve been through.
“It’s not that I’d forgotten any aspect of it, but it’s been a lot, and it’s been great.”
As the group looks towards the future, Jon sounds optimistic, but he admits artificial intelligence seeping into the music industry “scares the hell out” of him.
“They haven’t quite figured out the greatest song yet, but it doesn’t mean it’s not coming”, he notes.
But he adds: “We’re going to have to find ways to regulate it and utilise it for something positive.”
And to the upcoming performers trying to make their way in the business, he advises them “to be true to who you are”.
“Do not chase fads nor fashions, because by the time you catch up, it’ll be by you already,” he adds.
“And it’ll never ring true. Even if you catch that tiger by the tail for a brief moment and maybe have that one hit because you jumped on a fad, if it’s not what moves you, the curse is you’re going to have to sing that song for the next 40 years.”