Having been a devoted Bon Jovi fan for basically my whole life, it’s a bit embarrassing to admit Prayer wasn’t such a big deal for me to begin with, back in the mid 80’s.

I became a fan by the time Slippery had just been released and the album’s music videos were on a heavy rotation on the MTV. The first Bon Jovi song I ever heard was Bad Name and subsequently, for decades, it’s been the greatest and biggest rock song of all time for me. After having heard just this one song, back in January 1987, my friends told me that the band has this one song that is even better than Bad Name. So after a few days I got to hear Prayer as well and I was a bit disappointed to be honest. I thought it was a bit boring and I felt it sort of lacked the energy and the melodic power Bad Name had. I didn’t understand at all the praise the song was getting. Since those days, I’ve heard the song at least a few thousand times and witnessed it live tour after tour, yet it’s never even been in my Bon Jovi all time top 25. I was amazed that one of their weakest songs had become their biggest hit, a song that even those who despise Bon Jovi clearly seemed to respect.

As I’ve gotten older, as years and decades have passed, it has all changed for me.

I’ve grown to love Prayer and respect it like no other song. It took me decades to understand it’s real power. It just may be the greatest song ever written. And to think of it, guys in their 20’s wrote it! How on earth were they able to understand life so well at such an early age? I mean, nothing can be more uplifting. The song is so full of hope. No matter how many times I listen to it, it gets me every time and leaves me speechless. And it ages like the finest wine, JB is right about that. Prayer never feels outdated.

I still get sentimental by it and I am not ashamed of that at all. The line in the second verse, ‘baby it’s okay, someday’ gives me the chills every time. A few years ago, I even got the song tattooed on my shoulder.

JB said that writing songs that mark memories and touch people’s lives is the closest thing one can get to immortality. I have no argue about that.


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