In 1984, Bon Jovi released their debut single, “Runaway”. Although not a big hit at radio, it did go platinum, the beginnings of a legendary career. By 1986, Bon Jovi had their first hit single, with “You Give Love A Bad Name”. The song is on the band’s eponymous debut album.
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For the next eight years, the group remained one of the mainstays on rock music charts, with songs like “Livin’ On A Prayer”, “Wanted Dead Or Alive”, “Bad Medicine”, and others. In 1994, Bon Jovi’s “Always” became their final No. 1 hit, for years. Still releasing music, Bon Jovi could have maintained their loyal fanbase, continued to tour, and accepted that their best days in rock music were behind them.
Fortunately, that’s not what happened. After releasing These Days in 1995, a success but not to the degree of their previous projects, Bon Jovi returned with Crush in 2000. The record includes “It’s My Life“, a rock anthem written by band members Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora, plus producer Max Martin. A multi-platinum hit, Bon Jovi was suddenly as relevant as they were at the beginning of their career.
The Story Behind “It’s My Life” by Bon Jovi
“It’s My Life” says, “It’s my life / It’s now or never / I ain’t gonna live forever / I just want to live while I’m alive / It’s my life / My heart is like the open highway / Like Frankie said, ‘I did it my way’ / I just want to live while I’m alive / It’s my life.“
The Frankie line, of course, references Frank Sinatra, an artist who has a surprising influence on Bon Jovi’s triumphant return. When Bon Jovi went in to record for Crush, it was after the lead singer had been working on a movie, and Frank Sinatra had just passed away.
“I was very much aware of Mr. Sinatra passing away, and the impact that someone like he had on the industry,” Jon Bon Jovi says on his SiriusXM radio station. “He was making records, he was making movies, he helped get a president elected. All of these things weighed very heavily on me in the 2000 election and this reinvention. And like I say, you’re coming home with a crew cut, and the industry is saying you should go away. And I say, ‘Wait a minute, it’s my life. It’s now or never.’ And like Frankie said, ‘I did it my way.’
The lead singer admits that Sambora wasn’t a fan of that line, but he was adamant that it remain.
“That was the line that I had to defend with Richie, because he said, ‘What is anybody gonna know with this Frankie?’” Jon Bon Jovi recalls.” I say, ‘I’m gonna know.’ And what he said to me is, ‘Well, you’re the one that’s gotta sing it at night. So I get it.’ And ‘It’s My Life’ was yet another reinvention of the band.”
Photo by Bill Nation/Sygma via Getty Images
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