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The Plain Dealer article
The title track of Bon Jovi's latest album, "Bounce," has struck many listeners as a national rallying cry inspired by the aftermath of Sept. 11, 2001.
Study the fine print in the liner notes, however, and you'll see the hard-rocking tune is dedicated to Bill Belichick.
So is the song about the resilience of the American spirit. Or is it an ode to the former Cleveland Browns coach, who went on to lead the New England Patriots to a Super Bowl victory in 2001?
"It's both," Jon Bon Jovi said. He and Belichick have been pals since the 1980s.
"I had the title 'Bounce' back in July 2001," Bon Jovi said, checking in by phone from his home in Middletown, N.J. He and his namesake pop-rock band perform Monday at Gund Arena.
"Bounce" started out as "a sports anthem about how Bill went from being run out of New York to winning the Super Bowl," said Bon Jovi, 41. "I know what he went through, having been friends with him from his days with the Giants to when he was run out of Cleveland to when he was with New York, then New England.
"Watching this guy who really got dissed by . . . the Jets and by New York go on to win the Super Bowl - I loved it for my friend. I was really happy for him."
Does he believe Belichick got a raw deal in Cleveland?
"It's old news to me," Bon Jovi said. "I forget the circumstances. It was so long ago.
"People see one thing. They think one thing. But you don't judge a book by its cover. Bill Belichick is devoted, hard-working and loyal to a fault. . . . He finds it hard to accept a pat on the back every so often.
"And surprisingly, he's a big Bon Jovi fan."
"Bounce" took on a whole new meaning after Sept. 11, according to Bon Jovi. He said the song also applies to his band, which bounced back to the top of the charts after temporarily falling out of fashion in the grungy 1990s.
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