Jon Bon Jovi

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Lore & Background

After the band took a hiatus following These Days (1995), Jon Bon Jovi released a solo album. In 1999, he was planning to release a third solo album but the band started work on their new album in mid-1999. An initial plan to team up with producer Bruce Fairbairn fell through because of his death a year earlier. Bon Jovi asked A&R executive John Kalodner if he knew up-and-coming producers, and he recommended Luke Ebbin. Ebbin was brought to Bon Jovi's home studio in New Jersey, and took a demo with only vocals and acoustic guitar to add programming, string and background vocal arrangements. On his return, Ebbin was hired. The song 'Next 100 Years' is a self cover; Jon Bon Jovi (with B'z's Koshi Inaba, who wrote the Japanese lyrics) sent a demo version to now extinct Japanese talent agency Johnny & Associates. A special unit called J-Friends recorded the song in 1999.

In Their Own Story

The band took a hiatus after These Days (1995) during which Jon Bon Jovi released a solo album. In 1999, he was planning to release a third solo album but the band started work on their new album in mid-1999. Its working title was Sex Sells. Posters using this title are seen in and around New York in the video for 'Real Life' – the band's then most recent single. Another working title was One Wild Night. The latter was resurrected for a live compilation the following year. An initial plan to team up with producers Bob Rock and Bruce Fairbairn fell through because of the latter's death. An audition process was set up, but the band was uninterested by the producers interviewed. Eventually Bon Jovi asked A&R executive John Kalodner if he knew up-and-coming producers, and he recommended Luke Ebbin.

Reader's Guide

Jon Bon Jovi serves as lead vocalist and producer for Bon Jovi. On Crush, he co-produced the album with Richie Sambora and Luke Ebbin. The album marks the longest timespan between studio albums for the band, with five years between the release of These Days (1995) and this album. Despite the long break, the album was just as successful as their previous releases and helped introduce the band to a new generation of fans. The success of the album was largely due to the lead single 'It's My Life' which was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal, while the album itself was nominated for Best Rock Album. Crush was certified double platinum in the United States by the Recording Industry Association of America.

Did You Know?

• Jon Bon Jovi was planning to release a third solo album in 1999 but instead started work on Crush with the band.
• The working title for Crush was Sex Sells, and posters with that title appeared in the video for 'Real Life'.
• Jon Bon Jovi asked A&R executive John Kalodner to recommend an up-and-coming producer, leading to the hiring of Luke Ebbin.
• The song 'Next 100 Years' is a self cover; Jon Bon Jovi sent a demo version to Japanese talent agency Johnny & Associates, and the song was recorded by J-Friends in 1999.
• Crush was the first Bon Jovi album ever to be nominated for a Grammy.