Bon Jovi’s Signature and Popular Songs – Recommended Classics

RunawayBon Jovi

Bon Jovi – Runaway (Official Music Video)

Bon Jovi’s landmark debut single! It’s the opening track of their debut album, BON JOVI, released in 1984, and even now, well into the 2020s, it remains a beloved live staple.

In Japan, the song is known as “Yoake no Runaway” (Runaway at Dawn), and that Japanese title was also used for the album itself.

The instant David Bryan’s strikingly memorable keyboard intro kicks in, you can’t help but want to shout, “Here it comes!” It’s also worth noting as an important piece of history that Bon Jovi’s popularity first caught fire here in Japan before it did back in their home country.

Rewatching the music video, the members’ intense direct gazes into the camera, the perfectly posed stances, and the era-defining fashion feel wonderfully fresh-faced.

If you only know them as rough-and-ready guys cranking out classic American rock, be sure to check it out as well!

These DaysBon Jovi

Bon Jovi – These Days

The song opens with an intro featuring a melancholic guitar arpeggio and piano tones, and is delivered with calm, restrained vocals throughout.

It’s the title track from These Days, their sixth album, released in 1995.

What’s particularly interesting is that, even as Bon Jovi were enjoying worldwide success with their first greatest hits album, Cross Road, released in 1994, their original album at this time showcased a mature sound with an overall darker tone.

In Japan, it topped the Oricon charts and demonstrated its popularity with total sales of 1.

3 million copies.

It’s a melodic and understated classic that lets you appreciate a different side of Bon Jovi from their catchy, straightforward mainstream style.

Something For The PainBon Jovi

Bon Jovi – Something For The Pain (Official Music Video)

Released in 1995 and included on their sixth album, These Days, this track was later issued as a single.

It’s a somewhat subdued, seasoned number with a melodic yet distinctly wistful atmosphere.

It’s also unusual in that, after the guitar solo, guitarist Richie Sambora takes over lead vocals.

For Bon Jovi, the song feels less tightly constructed and more rough-around-the-edges, which reflects the spirit of the ’90s.

If you’ve only ever listened to Bon Jovi’s ’80s material, it may feel refreshingly different.

In that sense, including the music video—featuring many characters modeled after famous ’90s musicians—the song offers a glimpse into the distance between Bon Jovi and the era of the 1990s, making it a valuable piece in their catalog.

In These ArmsBon Jovi

Bon Jovi – In These Arms

From a music history perspective, the early 1990s marked a turning point: a new wave of so-called alternative rock and grunge swept in, and many bands that had enjoyed commercial success in the ’80s faltered across the board.

In such a turbulent era, the fact that Bon Jovi—one of the quintessential bands of the ’80s—survived without being swallowed by that tide suggests they held fast to their convictions and steadily built an honest musical career.

This classic track from their 1992 album Keep the Faith is quintessential Bon Jovi: a straight-ahead slice of American rock untouched by passing trends, and a standout song that clearly captures the band in its mature phase.

AlwaysBon Jovi

Bon Jovi – Always (Official Music Video)

Among Bon Jovi’s many superb ballads, this one is surely among their most famous—easily a contender for the top spot.

Released in 1994, it was included as a new track on Bon Jovi’s first greatest-hits album, Cross Road, which sold over 15 million copies worldwide, and it became a hit as the lead single.

It’s a classic rock ballad: deeply emotional vocals, a memorable piano phrase, a poignantly melancholic guitar solo, and the addition of strings in the latter half that elevates the whole arrangement.

Bands that can write such straightforward, honest ballads really are formidable, aren’t they? Incidentally, this song was originally written by Jon Bon Jovi to be used in the film The Web, but for various reasons it was shelved.

It’s a relief—even for non-fans—that a masterpiece like this didn’t end up buried forever.

Keep The FaithBon Jovi

Bon Jovi – Keep The Faith (Official Music Video)

Bon Jovi, a band with record-breaking sales that has continued a long career without being swept away by the tides of the times, has not always had smooth sailing.

The tremendous success of the 1980s exhausted the band, soured the atmosphere among the members, and led them into solo projects, bringing them to the brink of breaking up.

The song that symbolizes the band rising again after overcoming the greatest crisis in their history is Keep The Faith.

In 1992, at the height of the alternative rock era, the album of the same name reached No.

5 on the U.

S.

charts and No.

1 on the U.

K.

charts.

It showcased the band’s vitality, and listening to this anthem—celebrating their unshakeable bond as they face headwinds without giving in—will surely give you courage.

Tokyo RoadBon Jovi

Bon Jovi – ” Tokyo Road ” ’85 (Rare Live Video) HD

A track included as a Japan-only addition on the best-of album “Cross Road: The Best of Bon Jovi,” released to commemorate their 10th anniversary.

It even opens with the traditional Japanese song “Sakura Sakura,” which really shows their affection for their Japanese fans.

With Bon Jovi’s signature, full-throttle American hard rock sound and a catchy chorus, it’s a high-quality rock tune that feels too good to be limited to Japan.

It’s also recommended as an entry point for listeners not very familiar with Bon Jovi—a number that conveys the band’s mentality.