Maps of Music

New Jersey (1988)

Where the lyrics of New Jersey take you, and where it was really made.

The album was named after the band's home state, yet most of it was recorded in Vancouver, Canada, not in New Jersey.

Key places

Recorded at Little Mountain Sound (1988)

Recording site Little Mountain Sound Studios — The album was produced by Bruce Fairbairn and recorded at Little Mountain Sound Studios in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The point marks the studio used for the main recording sessions. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Pre-production songs at Chalet Sound (1988)

Recording site Chalet Sound — Love for Sale was recorded and engineered at Chalet Sound in Allenwood, New Jersey, and the pre-production songs were also recorded there. The point is placed at the town centre of Allenwood, not at the studio building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• New Jersey: fourth studio album by American rock band Bon Jovi
• Released 19 September 1988 by Mercury Records
• Produced by Bruce Fairbairn
• Named after the band's home state of New Jersey
• Follow-up to the band's third album, Slippery When Wet

Background

• Recorded very shortly after the Slippery When Wet Tour
• The band wanted to prove it would not be a one-hit act
• First planned as a double album; the label rejected the idea over the higher price and chose a single album
• Working title was Sons of Beaches, a nod to Slippery When Wet

Recording

• Recorded at Little Mountain Sound Studios in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
• Marked the final collaboration between Bon Jovi and producer Bruce Fairbairn
• Songs from the pre-production stage were recorded at Chalet Sound in Allenwood, New Jersey, by John P. Allen and Chris Cavallaro
• Born to Be My Baby was first recorded acoustically, then re-recorded with electric instruments in a heavier style at the producer's urging

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• Bon Jovi is an American rock band formed in Sayreville, New Jersey in 1983.
• Jon Bon Jovi began performing live in 1975 at age 13 with his first band, Raze.
• The band was named Bon Jovi on the suggestion of Pamela Maher, following the model of two-word bands such as Van Halen.
• Its debut album Bon Jovi was released on January 21, 1984, with the single "Runaway" reaching the Billboard Hot 100 top forty.

Members

• The current lineup is Jon Bon Jovi, David Bryan, Tico Torres, John Shanks, Phil X, Everett Bradley, and Hugh McDonald.
• Original bassist Alec John Such left in 1994; he died in 2022.
• Guitarist and co-songwriter Richie Sambora left in 2013.

Career

• Slippery When Wet (1986) brought global success, with "You Give Love a Bad Name" and "Livin' on a Prayer" reaching No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.
• New Jersey (1988) produced five Billboard Hot 100 top-ten singles, a record for a hard rock album.
• Keep the Faith (1992) marked a shift to a more mature sound.
• "Always" (1994) became the band's biggest-selling and longest-charting single.
• Crush (2000) and "It's My Life" introduced the band to a younger audience.
• "Who Says You Can't Go Home" (2006) won a Grammy and became the first rock band single to top the Billboard country chart.
• The band has sold more than 130 million records worldwide and was inducted into the US Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2018.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Debuted at No. 8 on the Billboard 200, then rose to No. 1 the following week
• Held the top spot for four weeks
• Debuted at No. 1 in Canada, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Sweden, New Zealand and Australia
• The UK No. 1 debut was a first for the band
• Produced five Billboard Hot 100 top ten hits, the most top ten hits to date for a hard rock album
• Bad Medicine and I'll Be There for You both reached No. 1 on the Hot 100
• Born to Be My Baby, Lay Your Hands on Me and Living in Sin reached the top 10

Records

• Sold 7 million copies in the United States
• Certified 7× platinum by the RIAA in 1996, eight years after release
• Released in the USSR by the state label Melodiya, the first American album officially released there
• Repackaged with bonus tracks for the band's 30th anniversary in 2014

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• Planned as a double album, but the label rejected it over the higher price and released a single album
• Working title Sons of Beaches alluded to the title of Slippery When Wet
• Born to Be My Baby was first recorded acoustically; the producer pushed for an electric, heavier re-recording
• Released in the Soviet Union by the state-owned label Melodiya, the first American album officially released there
• Recorded shortly after the Slippery When Wet Tour so the band could show it was more than a one-hit act

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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