Page 24 - Black Velvet Rock Magazine Issue 113

BV113 pg 22-25 Bon Jovi.qxp_BV113 pg 24 03/12/2025 23:26 Page 3

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that this is a tour of gratitude and nothing more say, ‘Let’s go do some shows.’ Not a murderous out the years, and take these now famous drives
than that.” road tour of 150 shows and 10 nights at Wemb- and we’ll be playing each other music, and I re-
ley… we’ll come back and do that… Let’s just member, on ‘Hollow Man’, for instance, he called
on Jovi released ‘Forever’, their 16th come back and get my feet wet, let me have me back the next day, after hearing the demo,
Bstudio album, on 7th June, 2024. It’s an some fun.” saying ‘That’s a very special song’. So, it was
album that Jon has said was full of joy – and he easier, a year later, to say, ‘We’ve never
is quick to reiterate that. He explains, “Our last recorded together,
few albums, when I look back… In 2016, we put remember how
out ‘This House Is Not For Sale’, it was a state- much you loved
ment record. It really encapsulated the title of ‘Hollow Man’?
the record, ‘This house, this heart, this soul, this Why don’t you do
house is not for sale’. We went out and did a that one?’ and not
short tour to accompany it, and it was a number go for the obvious
one record all around the world. We were very one, ‘Legendary’,
happy. Then, the next record was ‘2020’, which and doing the sin-
was released in the midst of COVID, while we gle, but doing the
were all home dealing with that, worldwide. In one that he felt
fact, I was here. As we were watching television, close to. So, it was
I was here with the Invictus Games Choir and really wonderful of
Prince Harry at Abbey Road, doing a song called him to do it.”
‘Unbroken’, which was on that record with the Another guest
Invictus Games Choir, soldiers that were dealing on the album is
with the same kind of issues that I had written Avril Lavigne, who
the song about, when the news came on that sings on ‘Living In
said this thing called COVID had crossed over Paradise’. Jon
the continent to the UK and I was watching the says, “We needed
television, getting ready to go to work with the a big, powerful
choir. A week later, the country was shut down. voice. Somebody
The world was shut down. So, the ‘2020’ record that could sing a
did not get its chance either. I took that off the rock song. She’s
release schedule and continued writing for it, so just a fabulous girl
it was a topical record, a heavy record. It was a who’d also worked
songwriter’s record. But it wasn’t a joyous with John Shanks,
record. And then, the surgery set in, and the re- who’s our guitar
covery happened. But, I felt joy in the process player/co-pro-
because I knew the bigger, better me would ducer, so he had
come out of it, and that the band and I had familiarity with her,
bonded just on a whole other level of love and and she was very
appreciation of each other. eager to do it. You
“And so, with the 40th anniversary, we nother of the friends that Jon called to know, you want someone who’s going to bring
wanted to celebrate that. And, when the record Aappear on the ‘Forever (Legendary Edi- that energy. And I really wanted an album that
did not get its due, I thought of the Beatles song, tion)’ album was none other than his fellow New had guys and girls, internationally known, as
‘With A Little Help From My Friends’. And, in this Jersey musical legend, Bruce Springsteen. well as domestic, old relationships, new relation-
day and age, so ships, country as well as rock. So, she also,
many people are with her and Lainey Wilson, and then, of
doing these fea- course, with The War And Treaty, because it
tures and I thought, was a couple, we wanted gals on it, and strong-
why not call around voiced women. Avril absolutely floored it.”
and see who could While Jon was in the studio with some of
give me a shoulder the guests, others just did their parts on their
to lean on? And the own.
first guy I called “John worked with Avril. I didn’t get the
was Robbie chance to be in California that day,” Jon says.
Williams, and I “I was there with Jason Isbell.”
knew that he could He says he wanted the guests to interpret
relate in subject the songs in their own way. “Lainey Wilson re-
matter to the song ally took it to a whole other place. I had come
‘We Made It Look down the stairs with the verse in my hand, writ-
Easy’. He was ing on that day, telling my wife, in fact, that lyric
about to promote of ‘I Wrote You A Song’ and it was single-
his film. He was minded. When she [Lainey] did it, it became a
writing and record- duet, like a real duet, not like her singing a
ing ‘Britpop’. He verse. It was like a story between two people.
was going to go So, it depended on the situation. The War And
back on the road. Treaty took ‘The People’s House’ and took it to
He got it. He was church, you know. I think Bruce took a magni-
the first one to say fying glass to my storytelling, but it’s the same
yes, and it made it thing, just better. So, everybody had their con-
easier for me to call tribution that I honestly think made each and
number 2, 3, 4 and every song better on the record that I loved.”
10. And, when that Speaking of ‘Hollow Man’, which Bruce
all came together, sang on, Jon’s lyrics reveal, ‘Here I am, a hollow
we wrote a new man, telling stories ‘bout the promise of a prom-
song for it, just a ised land. Feel like a cheap bouquet of flowers
celebratory song. I and a one-man band’. He is asked if he feels a
think the cherry on sense of imposter syndrome.
top was me writing ‘Red, White And Jersey’ with Jon says of Bruce, “We’re very close “Every time you start the process, you al-
my family in mind. Just simply, that was one per- friends. He’s like a brother to me. He’s like a big ways feel that self-doubt,” he replies. “There’s a
son to say thanks to, my wife. So, with that joy brother to me. He knew of these songs, because quiet confidence in the self-doubt, because I al-
in my heart, we could release this record and we’ve often played each other’s songs through- ways know it will come again. But, with experi-
BON JOVI