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Bon Jovi is the self-titled debut studio album by American rock band Bon Jovi, released on January 21, 1984. Produced by Tony Bongiovi and Lance Quinn, it is significant for being the only Bon Jovi album in which a song ("She Don't Know Me") appears that was not written or co-written by a member of the band. The album charted at No. 43 on the U.S. Billboard 200.

Aside from the hit song "Runaway", songs from the album were rarely performed live after Bon Jovi released Slippery When Wet. However, on the band's 2010 Circle Tour, songs including "Roulette", "Shot Through The Heart" and "Get Ready" were performed. The song "Shot Through the Heart" should not be confused with the much more well-known "You Give Love a Bad Name" from Slippery When Wet.

The album was ranked the 11th best rock album of 1984 by Kerrang! magazine.

Background

In 1980, Jon Bon Jovi began work at Power Station Studios, a Manhattan recording facility where his cousin, Tony Bongiovi, was a co-owner. Jon made several demos and sent them out to record companies, but failed to make an impact.

In 1982, Jon went to local radio station WAPP 103.5FM "The Apple". DJ Chip Hobart listened to the demos and loved "Runaway", deciding to include it on the station's compilation album of local homegrown talent. The studio musicians who helped record "Runaway" were known as The All Star Review. They were: guitarist Tim Pierce, keyboardist Roy Bittan, drummer Frankie LaRocka, bass guitarist Hugh McDonald, and additional singers David Grahmme and Mick Seeley (Seeley also composed the distinctive keyboard riff that opens the song). McDonald would later replace Alec John Such as Bon Jovi's bass guitarist.

The song began to get airplay around New York. Jon signed to Mercury Records, part of the PolyGram company. He wanted a band name and the A&R staff at PolyGram came up with Bon Jovi.

In March 1983 Bon Jovi called David Bryan (then Rashbaum), who in turn called bass guitarist Alec John Such and an experienced drummer named Tico Torres. At that time Bon Jovi's lead guitarist was Dave Sabo, who later formed the band Skid Row. Sabo was soon replaced by Richie Sambora.

Release and reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic
The Rolling Stone Album Guide

AllMusic has retrospectively rated Bon Jovi three-and-a-half out of five stars. Leslie Mathew, who reviewed the album, said: "The songs may be simple and the writing prone to all clichés of the form, but the album boasts a pretty consistent hard rock attack, passionate playing, and a keen sense of melody."

Track listing

Notes

• Runaway was the first single under the band's name Bon Jovi however, other than Jon Bon Jovi none of the other members of the band played on the song. The first single to feature lead guitarist Richie Sambora, original bass guitarist Alec John Such, drummer Tico Torres, and keyboardist David Bryan was She Don't Know Me. However, Alec John Such's later replacement Hugh McDonald does play on the track.
• The working title was Tough Talk, but the name was rejected by the record company, who insisted it should be a self-titled album so people would know it was the band's first album.
• It was co-produced by Jon's father's cousin, Tony Bongiovi.
• "Burning for Love" and "Come Back" were the very first songs written for the album.
• Three singles were released from the album: "Runaway", "She Don't Know Me" and in Japan only, "Burning for Love". "Breakout" was released as a promo EP/single.
• "Runaway" was inspired by Jon's observations of his journey to and from work where he was employed at The Power Station. He would see girls his own age who'd fallen down on their luck and having to resort to prostitution.
• Jon Bon Jovi hated She Don't Know Me and it's to this day the only song that appears on a Bon Jovi album that doesn't have a writing credit from him.

Personnel

Bon Jovi

• Jon Bon Jovi – lead vocals, rhythm guitar
• Richie Sambora – lead guitar, backing vocals
• Alec John Such – bass guitar, backing vocals
• Tico Torres – drums, percussion
• David Bryan (credited as David Rashbaum) – keyboards, backing vocals

Additional musicians

• Hugh McDonald – bass guitar on 'Runaway'
• Roy Bittan – keyboards on 'Runaway'
• Chuck Burgi – additional drums
• Doug Katsaros – additional keyboards
• Frankie LaRocka – drums on 'Runaway'
• Aldo Nova – additional guitar and keyboards
• Tim Pierce – guitar on 'Runaway'
• David Grahmme – backing vocals on 'Runaway'
• Mick Seeley – backing vocals on 'Runaway'

Engineers

• Larry Alexander
• Jeff Hendrickson
• John Bengelshmy

Charts

Certifications

References

1. "Allmusic (Bon Jovi charts & awards) Billboard albums".
2. "Rock List Music.uk".
3. ^ Bon Jovi at AllMusic
4. Rolling Stone Album Guide
5. Australian Recording Industry Association (ed.). "The ARIA Report - Week Commencing ~ 28th January 2008 ~ Issue #935" (PDF). p. 5. Retrieved July 20, 2012.
6. Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970-2005. Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN 4-87131-077-9.
7. "New Zealand Charts - Bon Jovi - Bon Jovi (album)". Charts.org.nz. Archived from the original on November 8, 2012. Retrieved July 20, 2012. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
8. Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
9. "The Official Charts Company - Bon Jovi by Bon Jovi Search". The Official Charts Company. May 6, 2013.
10. "Bon Jovi Album & Song Chart History - Billboard 200". Billboard. Retrieved July 20, 2012.
11. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. "1984 Billboard Year-End". Billboard. Google Books. Retrieved 2014-05-01. {{cite web}}: |author1= has generic name (help)
12. "Canadian album certifications – Bon Jovi – Bon Jovi". Music Canada. Retrieved 20 July 2012.
13. "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards ('Bon Jovi')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien. Retrieved 20 July 2012.
14. id MUST BE PROVIDED for UK CERTIFICATION.
15. "American album certifications – Bon Jovi – Bon Jovi". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 20 July 2012.

• Pages with empty short description
• Bon Jovi albums
• 1984 debut albums
• Albums produced by Tony Bongiovi
• Mercury Records albums
• Vertigo Records albums