I'll Be There for You (Bon Jovi song)

"I'll Be There for You"
Single by Bon Jovi
from the album New Jersey
B-side"Homebound Train"
ReleasedFebruary 1989
Genre
Length
  • 5:46 (album version)
  • 5:41 (single version)
  • 4:43 (radio edit)
LabelMercury
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Bruce Fairbairn
Bon Jovi singles chronology
"Born to Be My Baby"
(1988) 		"I'll Be There for You"
(1989) 		"Lay Your Hands on Me"
(1989)
Music video
I'll Be There for You on YouTube

"I'll Be There for You" is a song by American rock band Bon Jovi, released as the third single from their 1988 album, New Jersey. The power ballad was written by Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora. The single reached number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number five on the Album Rock Tracks chart.

Background

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Originally released on the 1988 album New Jersey, "I'll Be There for You" is a glam metal and arena rock power ballad.[1][2][3] It became Bon Jovi's third single from the album when it was released as a single in 1989. As the band (and glam metal) was at its peak popularity at this time, the song quickly climbed to the number one position on both the Cash Box Top 100 and Billboard Hot 100, becoming their fourth number-one single. Cash Box ranked it as the number-two pop single of 1989.[4]

Music video

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The video for the song (directed by Wayne Isham) features the band performing on a dark stage with an almost monochromatic blue color due to the stage lighting, with close-ups of each member, most notably lead singer Jon Bon Jovi and lead guitarist Richie Sambora. However, it is persistent throughout the clip that Richie Sambora's face is constantly in shadow through the entire video. The video footage then switches midway to black-and-white footage from a Bon Jovi concert at the old Wembley Arena in London, England.

"Homebound Train"

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"Homebound Train", the B-side to "I'll Be There for You", is notable for being one of the band's heaviest songs, and also for the brief back-and-forth keyboard and harmonica solos leading up to the guitar solo. When played during The Circle Tour, it was sung by lead guitarist Richie Sambora.

Charts

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Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[23] Platinum 70,000‡
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[24] Gold 30,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

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Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref.
United States February 1989
  • 7-inch vinyl
  • mini-CD
  • cassette
 Mercury
United Kingdom April 17, 1989
  • 7-inch vinyl
  • 12-inch vinyl
  • CD
 Vertigo [25]
Japan April 25, 1989 Mini-CD Mercury [26]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Top Hair Metal Power Ballads To Celebrate Valentine's Day | Shutter 16 Magazine". Archived from the original on April 18, 2021. Retrieved March 14, 2021.
  2. ^ Smith, Troy L.; Clevel; .com (May 13, 2021). "Every No. 1 song of the 1980s ranked from worst to best". clevelandn. Retrieved July 2, 2021.
  3. ^ Breihan, Tom (July 12, 2021). "The Number Ones: Bon Jovi's "I'll Be There For You". Stereogum. Retrieved November 24, 2023. I'll Be There For You," Bon Jovi's fourth and final #1 hit, is a perfectly satisfying arena-rock jam...
  4. ^ "Top 50 Pop Singles" (PDF). Cash Box. December 30, 1989. p. 9. Retrieved December 21, 2022.
  5. ^ "Bon Jovi – I'll Be There For You". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
  6. ^ "Bon Jovi – I'll Be There For You" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
  7. ^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 6352." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved March 17, 2023.
  8. ^ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles". Music & Media. Vol. 6, no. 20. May 20, 1989. p. 20.
  9. ^ "Accès direct à ces Artistes" (in French). Infodisc.fr. Archived from the original on September 20, 2013. Retrieved October 30, 2012. Select BON JOVI then press OK.
  10. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – I'll Be There For You". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved March 17, 2023.
  11. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Bon Jovi" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved March 13, 2023.
  12. ^ "Bon Jovi – I'll Be There For You" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  13. ^ "Bon Jovi – I'll Be There For You". Top 40 Singles.
  14. ^ "Bon Jovi – I'll Be There For You". Swiss Singles Chart.
  15. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  16. ^ "Bon Jovi Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  17. ^ "Bon Jovi Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved March 17, 2023.
  18. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2014). Cash Box Pop Hits 1952-1996. Sheridan Books, Inc. ISBN 978-0-89820-209-0.
  19. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Bon Jovi – I'll Be There for You" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts.
  20. ^ "Top 100 Singles of '89". RPM. December 23, 1989. Retrieved August 29, 2023 – via Library and Archives Canada.
  21. ^ "1989 The Year in Music: Top Pop Singles". Billboard. Vol. 101, no. 51. December 23, 1989. p. Y-22.
  22. ^ "Top 50 Pop Singles". Cash Box Magazine. December 30, 1989. p. 9.
  23. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2023 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved December 14, 2023.
  24. ^ "Brazilian single certifications – Bon Jovi – I'll Be There for You" (in Portuguese). Pro-Música Brasil. Retrieved February 3, 2024.
  25. ^ "New Singles". Music Week. April 15, 1989. p. 27. Misprinted as April 16 on the source. The New Albums section uses the correct date.
  26. ^ "アイル・ビー・ゼア・フォー・ユー | ボン・ジョヴィ" [I'll Be There for You | Bon Jovi] (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved August 29, 2023.
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