Backstage with Bon Jovi (40th Anniversary)

I was always of the impression that 18 and Life has so much Richie's blues vibe, similar to Stranger in This Town stuff, just more agressive. I know he's not co-signed, but just always got that vibe

https://backstage.bonjovi.com/artifact/0000337

some notes on the tracks

I see Jon's pseudo Springsteen lyrics all over it. Not a complaint, by the way. Either the rumor is true or the guys from Skid Row decided to write a Bon Jovi style song. They certainly wouldn't have been the only ones, and they did it to an excellent standard.

It's a really good song. It's possible also that Jon co-wrote it, if not even most probable that it was collective effort, but part of me thinks that Jon would "steal" if he senses a hit

On the other hand, Jon was not always the best hit predictor

New Jersey section can't be far away at all. Its been removed from the Artifact list all together.

Jon got publishing on the band's debut anyway AFAIR; that was part of the deal they signed.

If he actually did some uncredited co-writing (the riff is not very Jon at all, so I have little issue believing Snake and Rachel were very involved in the writing too), that might explain why the band (sans Baz) actually had little issue with that considering.

That’s my opinion also - hence why Jon mentions in the video this was done before Seb. Bach was in the band - maybe just to straighten out the accusations and issues that happened with the huge Seb Bach row about publishing etc after they were becoming big and opened for Bon Jovi ….. - Seb wasn’t in the band when all this happened so in reality was no witness to the events of what Jon did or didn’t do at that time …

One thing I'm certain of: Skid Row would not make it big without Jon (and the band). This does not mean they were not (very) talented, just that it was cut-throat business with very vertical hierarchy back then. So I don't agree with Skid Row's claims about unfair businessman Jon taking his cut; it's just petty and for principle, I would also take that money, even burn it before giving back as it is a necessary condition for their success. Did the Jon & co write those singles or not, I don't know, I seem to believe they did, but don't have a side really.

Having said so, I'm more interested in Jon's starting with Runaway. I know his story, and countdowns before the song (with years) on concerts is a good laughing point with my friends, but there are rumours he bought that song. Even so, how did it really go from "okay, here I am at DJ desk" to top40? I mean, top40 is really really big for independent/young artist without a band. Or did it hit top40 after forming Jovi?

(btw, one argument that goes against Jon buying Runaway, is his confessed and proven inability to recognize a hit)

I don't think they were angry about Jon taking a cut. I think it was more about how much of a cut and that they felt tricked into the contract. Regarding authorship of the songs. It is an interesting rumor but why would Jon and Richie give away hit songs without having any songwriting credit? It is clear at that time they both held all the cards over Skid Row, so why concede writing credits?

A lot of the NJ stuff pages don't exist now.
They are either updating the NJ section or its not meant to be up yet so taken down.

I think they need to let us know what they are doing with the site now.
Is it going behind a paywall? if so can we download the demos/live stuff? Will it be permanently free but only snippets like as of now? All seems a bit of a mess (says NJ coming soon yet the site is littered with NJ era stuff) at the moment with no updates.


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