Rock Star Writer

new story on YouTube:
click here to see it->
https://youtu.be/iD2Q61k6jS8

#47 Wild is the Wind
| life lessons in Bon Jovi songs

Welcome back, Jovi friends!
Life lessons in Bon Jovi songs continues with Wild is the Wind

Wild is the Wind is the seventh song on Bon Jovi’s fourth album;
New Jersey (1988).
Which was the one released after their biggie, Slippery When Wet. Bon Jovi were now the biggest rock stars on the planet, and the band had to deliver. And they did.

Unfamiliar with the song?
🎶🎧 watch and listen to Wild is the Wind here
—
context: DOUBLE NEW JERSEY

New Jersey would (and definitely “should”!) have been a double album, if it had been up to the band.
The record company blocked it, on grounds that they didn’t think fans would be able to pay for the higher price.
You can listen to all unreleased Bon Jovi outtakes here:
Rolling List of Hidden Bon Jovi Gems 1985 – current day
The extra songs from New Jersey start at “Love is War” all the way to Bon Jovi’s secret gem “Let’s Make It Baby”.
—
video recorded Tuesday 7 April 2026

Photobook behind me: Bon Jovi Forever (2024)

In this video:

1. Welcome to another episode 00:00
Of Life lessons in Bon Jovi songs
And we’re at the 1988 New Jersey album, which is according to some people, including me, their best album.

Which makes this is the best place to include one of the source articles for this series: “All Bon Jovi songs ranked” by Tony Kuzminski.

Because his favorite album is These Days (1995).

If you would ask all Bon Jovi fans, I think you would find these two albums covering close to a hundred percent.
With half of the fans preferring New Jersey, and the other half These Days.

With Wild is the Wind, we’re at the second song of side B of New Jersey, if you have it on vinyl.

2. Why New Jersey/ this song, turned out so good 01:44
The reason New Jersey really crushed it, was because this album was distilled from all the songs originally created to make a double album or, which was plan B, to release two separate albums over the course of a year.
However, seeing their options limited, they settled for one album and hit it with everything they got.

So a song like Wild is the Wind, is really the result of a refinement process based on the idea of: “If we only get one shot, one album, then what’s on it?”

Which explains why Wild is the Wind, a practically unknown Bon Jovi song, could ends up on number 10 on all Bon Jovi songs ranked.
New Jersey was their one shot, best we’ve got, album.

3. The Cowboy section 06:37
Wild is the Wind opens a three song combo that is the cowboy-themed section of the album.
Wild is the Wind – Ride Cowboy Ride – Stick to your Guns
You could even argue Homebound Train, the previous song, was already “on the same track”.

4. 2x Wild is the Wind worth the watch 08.47
4-1 Shortcircuit in my brain
This fan made video definitely got a strong reaction out of me! 😅
by The Only Rule
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nnWiq17mV8I
Bon Jovi – Wild Is The Wind (The Notebook)
It’s Ryan Gosling but combined with Wild is the Wind.

4-2 Best live performance Wild is the Wind 10:25
by hAnD90
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8SJKPWU788
Bon Jovi | Wild Is The Wind | Best Performance | Osaka 1991

Two YouTube channels labeled this performance as the best one, and it was from a series of unique concerts.

5. Concerts December 1990 – Jan 1991 11:15
These were completely off-tour!
Dates 1990/ 1991 are included at the very bottom of this page:
https://www.bonjoviclubitalia.com/date-tour/1988-1991-the-jersey-syndicate-never-ending-tour/

6. Life lessons 15:20
Just like the 1991 concerts, sometimes the universe twists your arm into doing something;
And you end up creating your best work.

And another life lesson is that this song will always be a relatively unknown.
Which in itself, gives extra beauty to this song.

Next stop:
Ride Cowboy Ride!

~Suzanne Beenackers

🇳🇱 Tikkie
☕️ Buy me a coffee
🌎 Paypal

THIS SERIES
All videos, of Life lessons in Bon Jovi songs (playlist):
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLiGoDE3C06SeCKg4jvR2EoVHBOfXzHm_R

SOURCES for this series:

1. OUTTAKES
Handmade list with rare Bon Jovi songs
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLiGoDE3C06SfkAr0Ll4wz-GlGnZJNZDYh
Rolling List of Hidden Bon Jovi Gems 1985 – current day

2. RANKED
My favorite Bon Jovi article and indispensable for this series:
https://ultimateclassicrock.com/bon-jovi-songs-ranked/
By Tony Kuzminski.
List also covers any outtakes from the 2004 box set.

3. QUOTES
https://twostorytown.com/new-jersey-quotes
full page of quotes EVERYTHING anybody ever said about the 4th Bon Jovi album

4. BJ TOURS
https://bjtours.jimdofree.com/the-albums/1988-new-jersey/

—
You can follow all content on:
Twitter, Facebook, and I am new on Instagram.

new story on YouTube:
click here to see it->
https://youtu.be/XkC5If3zl8I

#46 Homebound Train
| life lessons in Bon Jovi songs

Welcome back, Jovi friends!
Life lessons in Bon Jovi songs continues with Homebound Train

Homebound Train is the sixth song on Bon Jovi’s fourth album;
New Jersey (1988).
Which was the one released after their biggie, Slippery When Wet.
Bon Jovi were now the biggest rock stars on the planet, and the band had to deliver.
And they did.

Unfamiliar with the song?
🎶🎧watch and listen to Homebound Train here

—
context: DOUBLE NEW JERSEY

New Jersey would (and definitely “should”!) have been a double album, if it had been up to the band.
The record company blocked it, on grounds that they didn’t think fans would be able to pay for the higher price.
You can listen to all unreleased Bon Jovi outtakes here:
Rolling List of Hidden Bon Jovi Gems 1985 – current day
The extra songs from New Jersey start at “Love is War” all the way to Bon Jovi’s secret gem “Let’s Make It Baby”.
—

video recorded Sunday 22 March 2026

Photobook behind me: Bon Jovi Forever (2024)

In this video:

1. Welcome to another episode 00:00
Of Life lessons in Bon Jovi songs
We’re at the first song of side B, if you have it on vinyl, and it’s called Home Bound Train.

First off a little reminder that we’re talking about Bon Jovi’s New Jersey album, from 1988.
Which was according to many their best 80s record.
Yet their previous album Slippery When Wet, which had been released two years prior, would end up being the biggest selling rock album the 80s.
In a way, Bon Jovi had created its own competition for this album New Jersey, to forever remain in the shadow of its predecessor.

2. Homebound Train 01:20
I didn’t have a lot to go by, to come up with a life lesson.
I do have one for you, and it’s a good one, but just in case you wonder:
“Why on earth did you come up with something so farfetched?”
It was because I was unable to find an obvious one!
I had to come up with a lesson myself.

3. Musical Background 02:20
The only paragraph I really had to go by, with regard to this song, was written by Tony Kuzminski in the article “All Bon Jovi songs ranked”

Placed at number 93, he describes the song’s musical background:
“Shoe-horning all of their classic rock influences (Jeff Beck, Aerosmith, Led Zeppelin, Southside Johnny) into one song is a tall order, but Bon Jovi pulls it off – creating their ultimate jam anthem.”

4. Lyrics of the song 03:51
Homebound Train is about having had your fun on the road, and now returning home to the Mrs.
Kind of like Driving Home for Christmas but without Chris Rea and without Christmas, and with a train instead of a car.

5. The one sentence I’m going to build my entire case on 04:40

“There is a woman I know
Said don’t take no plane
Better take a train
‘Cause I like it real slow”

6. The 5D Woo-woo Life lesson from this sentence 05::55
The man being the active participant, coming towards her, can be seen as an illustration of a principle where the masculine and the feminine, both have different strengths.

With the masculine energy being dominant in the 3D, by coming towards her.
And a woman/ feminine is more powerful in the spiritual realms.

By forcing him to take it slow, she elevates his actions, and thereby elevates him, into the realms of the spiritual.
She gives meaning to his actions, which is her gift to him.

This also ties in to a story about a reading where “I” was told
(I = we, because it was a free collective reading! Not a personal one, specifically for me) that I needed to get my head out of the clouds of the 5D;
And learn how to be human again.

The masculine can get stuck in meaningless “doing” and hustle;
But the feminine living entirely from the 5D can be just as unsatisfying.

7. Was this a life lesson or a SPIRIT lesson?! 16:47
I don’t know! 😅
But I trust that next time we’ll be safely back on Earth 🤗

Next stop:
Wild is the Wind!

~Suzanne Beenackers

🇳🇱 Tikkie
☕️ Buy me a coffee
🌎 Paypal

THIS SERIES
All videos, of Life lessons in Bon Jovi songs (playlist):
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLiGoDE3C06SeCKg4jvR2EoVHBOfXzHm_R

SOURCES for this series:

1. OUTTAKES
Handmade list with rare Bon Jovi songs
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLiGoDE3C06SfkAr0Ll4wz-GlGnZJNZDYh
Rolling List of Hidden Bon Jovi Gems 1985 – current day

2. RANKED
My favorite Bon Jovi article and indispensable for this series:
https://ultimateclassicrock.com/bon-jovi-songs-ranked/
By Tony Kuzminski.
List also covers any outtakes from the 2004 box set.

3. QUOTES
https://twostorytown.com/new-jersey-quotes
full page of quotes EVERYTHING anybody ever said about the 4th Bon Jovi album

4. BJ TOURS
https://bjtours.jimdofree.com/the-albums/1988-new-jersey/

—
You can follow all content on:
Twitter, Facebook, and I am new on Instagram.

new story on YouTube:
click here to see it->
https://youtu.be/I0DxwjpR6sY

#45 Blood on Blood
| life lessons in Bon Jovi songs

Welcome back, Jovi friends!
Life lessons in Bon Jovi songs continues with Blood on Blood

Blood on Blood is the fifth song on Bon Jovi’s fourth album;
New Jersey (1988).
Which was the one released after their biggie, Slippery When Wet.
Bon Jovi were now the biggest rock stars on the planet, and the band had to deliver.
And they did.

Unfamiliar with the song?
🎶🎧watch and listen to Blood on Blood here

—
context: DOUBLE NEW JERSEY

New Jersey would (and definitely “should”!) have been a double album, if it had been up to the band.
The record company blocked it, on grounds that they didn’t think fans would be able to pay for the higher price.
You can listen to all unreleased Bon Jovi outtakes here:
Rolling List of Hidden Bon Jovi Gems 1985 – current day
The extra songs from New Jersey start at “Love is War” all the way to Bon Jovi’s secret gem “Let’s Make It Baby”.
—
video recorded Monday 9 March 2026

In this video:

1. Welcome to another episode 00:00
With probably the easiest song in this entire series, because the life lesson in this song is obvious.

2. About Blood on Blood 00:35
It is the fifth song on the album New Jersey (1988). And if you have it on vinyl then it’s the final song on side A, so it’s also a bit of a closer.
It was a staple on the tour that followed the album, and has been a regular to be played live ever since.

3. Meaning of the song 01:22
Blood on Blood is about youth, friendships, youth in general and about when you go through it you don’t really appreciate it as much.
Jon Bon Jovi included the names from his real friends in the song, and painted the picture each going their different ways, with him becoming the rock star.
“And me, I’m just a singer, in a longhaired rock n roll band.”

4. Looking back at 26 years old 02:44
Jon Bon Jovi was the youngest member of the band Bon Jovi.
In 1988, when he wrote this song, he was still only 26 old.
This meant that the connection to his teenage years was still relatively strong.
He had risen to fame and had been on the road since 1984 (not 1985 as I say in the video).
And had also become a superstar.

The years Blood on Blood looks back on represent not just his youth, but also the final moment when things had still been normal, and he was a regular guy.

Although the theme of Blood on Blood is a universal one, it had more weight for Jon Bon Jovi because he had chosen an unconventional path and had succeeded at it.

5. The Extended Runtime Live 05:24
It was one of those songs that became twice as long as on the album, when performed live during the Tour.
The 1989 Rotterdam concert has been labeled by YouTube channel @hAnD90 as being the best live performance of Blood on Blood:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_b0-z1F0ZE

6. The Friends Named In The Song 07:45
Bobby, Danny, and Steve who did not quite make it to the story;
These were all real people.
Contrary to Tommy and Gina from the song Livin’ on a Prayer, who were characters which were created for the song.

7. Richie Sambora and Jon Bon Jovi 09:56
During this song, the theme of friendship within the band was also pushed.
Richie Sambora left the band, giving this song and the performances a bit of an edge, in retrospect.
Which could lead us to a final lesson in this song;

Maybe being 26, you’re still innocent just for believing the friendships will survive.

Twenty years down the road, and the phase where you looked back on your teenage years so convinced the friendships would last, then becomes its own reason to look back on.
That your twenties are marked by an optimism, that would ultimately disappear.

Next stop:
Homebound Train!

~Suzanne Beenackers
🇳🇱 Tikkie
☕️ Buy me a coffee
🌎 Paypal

THIS SERIES
All videos, of Life lessons in Bon Jovi songs (playlist):
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLiGoDE3C06SeCKg4jvR2EoVHBOfXzHm_R

SOURCES for this series:

1. OUTTAKES
Handmade list with rare Bon Jovi songs
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLiGoDE3C06SfkAr0Ll4wz-GlGnZJNZDYh
Rolling List of Hidden Bon Jovi Gems 1985 – current day

2. RANKED
My favorite Bon Jovi article and indispensable for this series:
https://ultimateclassicrock.com/bon-jovi-songs-ranked/
By Tony Kuzminski.
List also covers any outtakes from the 2004 box set.

3. QUOTES
https://twostorytown.com/new-jersey-quotes
full page of quotes EVERYTHING anybody ever said about the 4th Bon Jovi album

4. BJ TOURS
https://bjtours.jimdofree.com/the-albums/1988-new-jersey/

—
You can follow all content on:
Twitter, Facebook, and I am new on Instagram.

new story on YouTube:
click here to see it->
https://youtu.be/qYXDgYu45Y0

#44 Living in Sin
| life lessons in Bon Jovi songs

Welcome back, Jovi friends!
Life lessons in Bon Jovi songs continues with Living in Sin

Living in Sin is the fourth song on Bon Jovi’s fourth album;
New Jersey (1988).
Which was the one released after their biggie, Slippery When Wet.
Bon Jovi were now the biggest rock stars on the planet, and the band had to deliver.
And they did.

Unfamiliar with the song?
🎶🎧watch and listen to Living in Sin here

—
context: DOUBLE NEW JERSEY

New Jersey would (and definitely “should”!) have been a double album, if it had been up to the band.
The record company blocked it, on grounds that they didn’t think fans would be able to pay for the higher price.
You can listen to all unreleased Bon Jovi outtakes here:
Rolling List of Hidden Bon Jovi Gems 1985 – current day
The extra songs from New Jersey start at “Love is War” all the way to Bon Jovi’s secret gem “Let’s Make It Baby”.
—
video recorded Saturday 21 February 2026

In this video:

1. Welcome to another episode 00:00
Of Life lessons in Bon Jovi songs
We’re at their 4th album New Jersey, which was the successor of their 1986 breakthrough album Slippery When Wet.
Although it never managed to surpass its predecessor;
It is well regarded and considered even better than their previous one.

Living in Sin is one of the many musically more mature songs on this album, which the band would not have been able to make before.

2. The evolution of Living in Sin 01:23
The band started touring late October 1988, shortly after the album had dropped.
So just like every other song on the New Jersey album, Living in Sin had not been taken for a spin yet because these were all brand new songs.

But what happened over the course over this tour, which would last 14 months until early 1990, was that Living in Sin took on a life of its own.
It grew into being an emotionally charged masterpiece.

“There’s always something we have to do for them. But this is one thing, we have to do for us.”

The performance labeled as the best one, is from 1989, from Niagara Falls.
You can watch it here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-pL5m6oyfA
Bon Jovi – Living In Sin (Niagara Falls 1989) Best Performance

Ironically, the photo from 1989 I had selected to be our background decor today, was almost certainly taken at that show.
Because on this undated photo (other than 1989) Jon wears a Marilyn Monroe t-shirt identical to the one he wears at the Niagara Falls show, 6 July 1989.
It is a tribute to Marilyn Monroe and the movie Niagara Falls.

The t-shirt doesn’t show well on the video with just Living in Sin, but is clearly visible on footage from the whole show in Niagara Falls:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dxoZ87DF3vo&t=3s
Bon Jovi | Live at Niagara Falls Convention and Civic Center | Niagara Falls 1989

3. The Final Single of the album 04:53
Living in Sin was released as the fifth and final single of the album New Jersey.
It was not as big a hit as the other songs, but still got into the top 10!

This meant that with New Jersey had delivered five Top 10 songs.
A record for a rock album.
(source: https://ultimateclassicrock.com/bon-jovi-songs-ranked/)

4. Controversy Living in Sin 05:46
The theme of the song is Catholic because it’s about two young people who want to be together but are not allowed to.

mentioned:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Me4FkWpfCu0
Bon Jovi – Living In Sin (Unedited Version)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VI2-ASiNCac
Bon Jovi – Living in Sin (official video + album version)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=krwVnxt2wVA
Bon Jovi | Living In Sin | Rare Demo Version 1988

The photo from Jon Bon Jovi with the rose crown is from 1992, by Mark Seliger.

5. Life lesson 15:37
Intro video Living in Sin:

“There’s always something we have to do for them.
But this is one thing, we have to do for us.”
~Jon Bon Jovi

Next stop:
Blood on Blood!

~Suzanne Beenackers
🇳🇱 Tikkie
☕️ Buy me a coffee
🌎 Paypal

THIS SERIES
All videos, of Life lessons in Bon Jovi songs (playlist):
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLiGoDE3C06SeCKg4jvR2EoVHBOfXzHm_R

SOURCES for this series:

1. OUTTAKES
Handmade list with rare Bon Jovi songs
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLiGoDE3C06SfkAr0Ll4wz-GlGnZJNZDYh
Rolling List of Hidden Bon Jovi Gems 1985 – current day

2. RANKED
My favorite Bon Jovi article and indispensable for this series:
https://ultimateclassicrock.com/bon-jovi-songs-ranked/
By Tony Kuzminski.
List also covers any outtakes from the 2004 box set.

3. QUOTES
https://twostorytown.com/new-jersey-quotes
full page of quotes EVERYTHING anybody ever said about the 4th Bon Jovi album

4. BJ TOURS
https://bjtours.jimdofree.com/the-albums/1988-new-jersey/

—
You can follow all content on:
Twitter, Facebook, and I am new on Instagram.

new story on YouTube:
click here to see it->
https://youtu.be/mK3c8c9AG70

#43 Born to be my Baby
| life lessons in Bon Jovi songs

Welcome back, Jovi friends!
Life lessons in Bon Jovi songs continues with Born to be my Baby

Born to be my Baby is the third song on Bon Jovi’s fourth album;
New Jersey (1988).
Which was the one released after their biggie, Slippery When Wet.
Bon Jovi were now the biggest rock stars on the planet, and the band had to deliver.
And they did.

Unfamiliar with the song?
🎶🎧listen Born to be my Baby here

—
context: DOUBLE NEW JERSEY

New Jersey would (and definitely “should”!) have been a double album, if it had been up to the band.
The record company blocked it, on grounds that they didn’t think fans would be able to pay for the higher price.
You can listen to all unreleased Bon Jovi outtakes here:
Rolling List of Hidden Bon Jovi Gems 1985 – current day
The extra songs from New Jersey start at “Love is War” all the way to Bon Jovi’s secret gem “Let’s Make It Baby”.
—
video recorded Wednesday 4 February 2026

In this video:

A Dutch sunset in 18 minutes flat! 😬
And yes, a new light is on the way, fingers crossed🤓

1. Welcome to another episode 00:00
Of Life lessons in Bon Jovi songs
We’re at the 4th album New Jersey, the successor of their biggie Slippery When Wet.
They were hellbent to prove themselves, also because the press never gave them the light of day.

Resulting in an album that was so good, a lot of fans consider it their best!

2. Recap of the first 2 songs of New Jersey 03:13
To understand Born To Be My Baby, we first need to revisit the first two songs of this album, Lay Your Hands On Me and Bad Medicine.
Both of those songs were engineered to serve a specific purpose.

Born To Be My Baby lacked the clear direction, the first two songs did have.
Resulting in many variations of this song.

3. Five versions of Born To Be My Baby 05:12
In chronological order.

The first “version” of the song was Judgement Day, a demo that contains the “Na-na, Na-na-na na na” that would become the hallmark Born To Be My Baby.

1st version:
Judgement Day – Bon Jovi

2. Demo:
The demo, pretty much the song as we know it, but with different lyrics:
Bon Jovi | Born To Be My Baby | Rare Demo Version | Vancouver 1988

3. Album
Then there is the album version:
Bon Jovi – Born To Be My Baby – HQ

4. Video version
Bon Jovi – Born To Be My Baby (official video)

5. Acoustic version
Born To Be My Baby (Acoustic Version)

The acoustic version was a fan favorite, and fitted perfectly in the era, where Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora invented the whole Unplugged genre, with an acoustic performance at the MTV Video Music Awards.
Bruce Fairbairn the producer also leaned towards preferring Born to be my Baby as a ballad or slower song, instead of the uptempo one it is now.

4. Born to be my Baby is at number 18 10:58
Of “All Bon Jovi Songs Ranked” my favorite Bon Jovi article and indispensable for this series: https://ultimateclassicrock.com/bon-jovi-songs-ranked/
By Tony Kuzminski.

After the song briefly disappeared from the setlist, it returned in 2000 and became a staple on the setlist for the concerts.

5. Harmonica added in live performances 12:15
There was a sixth version of Born to be my Baby! Because the live performance contained a harmonica.

timestamped on the harmonica
Bon Jovi – Born To Be My Baby (Rotterdam 1989) The Best Performance

Jon Bon Jovi had wanted to include the harmonica on the record too, but it was vetoed by the other bandmembers.

6. Life lesson 13:31
Cherish your clear visions, no matter how intimidating they seem!
BTBMB was a great song, but it could not compete with the first two songs of the album, which were created with a clear vision.

Next stop:
Living in Sin!

~Suzanne Beenackers
🇳🇱 Tikkie
☕️ Buy me a coffee
🌎 Paypal

THIS SERIES
All videos, of Life lessons in Bon Jovi songs (playlist):
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLiGoDE3C06SeCKg4jvR2EoVHBOfXzHm_R

SOURCES for this series:

1. OUTTAKES
Handmade list with rare Bon Jovi songs
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLiGoDE3C06SfkAr0Ll4wz-GlGnZJNZDYh
Rolling List of Hidden Bon Jovi Gems 1985 – current day

2. RANKED
My favorite Bon Jovi article and indispensable for this series:
https://ultimateclassicrock.com/bon-jovi-songs-ranked/
By Tony Kuzminski.
List also covers any outtakes from the 2004 box set.

3. QUOTES
https://twostorytown.com/new-jersey-quotes
full page of quotes EVERYTHING anybody ever said about the 4th Bon Jovi album

4. BJ TOURS
https://bjtours.jimdofree.com/the-albums/1988-new-jersey/

—
You can follow all content on:
Twitter, Facebook, and I am new on Instagram.

new story on YouTube:
click here to see it->
https://youtu.be/gBvsyk1-RxI

#42 Bad Medicine
| life lessons in Bon Jovi songs

Welcome back, Jovi friends!
Life lessons in Bon Jovi songs continues with Bad Medicine

Bad Medicine was the first single of Bon Jovi’s fourth album New Jersey (1988).
Which was the one released after their biggie, Slippery When Wet.
Bon Jovi were now the biggest rock stars on the planet, and the band had to deliver.
And they did.

Unfamiliar with the song or want to see the official 1988 fan made video (more on that later)?
🎶🎧listen and watch Bad Medicine here

—
context: DOUBLE NEW JERSEY

New Jersey would (and definitely “should”!) have been a double album, if it had been up to the band.
The record company blocked it, on grounds that they didn’t think fans would be able to pay for the higher price.
You can listen to all unreleased Bon Jovi outtakes here:
Rolling List of Hidden Bon Jovi Gems 1985 – current day
The extra songs from New Jersey start at “Love is War” all the way to Bon Jovi’s secret gem “Let’s Make It Baby”.
—
video recorded Friday 23 January 2026

In this video:

A Dutch sunset in 18 minutes flat! 😬
And yes, a new light is on the way, fingers crossed🤓

1. Welcome to another episode 00:00
Of Life lessons in Bon Jovi songs.
By naming their album New Jersey, an album title that does not return as a song title, this album fits in the tradition of the albums that came before.
All 80s Bon Jovi albums have titles that are not song titles.

The first single Bad Medicine, is therefore unrelated to the album title.
Making it difficult especially for new fans, to get an idea about which albums and which songs go together.

2. Bad Medicine, (not a) “Bad Name” 02:28
Bad Medicine, the first single from this new album, is similar to the first single from their previous album “You Give Love A Bad Name.”
And in more ways than one, and it seems to have been a strategic choice.
It worked out really well, because the name rung a bell and also because Bad Medicine’s sound was still familiar to the Slippery When Wet album

3. Not my favorite, but a brilliant move.
Personally, I rarely fall for the songs that do best in the charts. So that’s no surprise then.
However, pushing this song as the first single was a brilliant move.

I already mentioned Bad Medicine was musically related to their previous album. It was a smooth transition, it said: “We’re still your Bon Jovi.”
Despite the tone of the rest of the album, being sharper than anything they had done before.

Also worth mentioning is that they worked Bad Medicine into a terrific set closer, for decades to come.

When performed live, they worked multiple cover songs into Bad Medicine, and it also contained a whole theater-like act.
You can check out a performance here, timestamped to start at the twist into the covers:
https://youtu.be/VhscCfN6rPE?si=ep_4JV5uWSSYClGL&t=317

4. Origin of the song 07:13
The first idea was from Richie Sambora and came into being on the set of a Fuji commercial. It was immediately taken on as something they would develop further, and even songwriter Desmond Child added a line, sealing the deal.

5. A History Of Wanting to Hide 07:52
The photo on the album sleeve tells an interesting story, about wanting to hide.
Throughout the 80s, tension between authenticity and needing protection, had been a frequent theme.

6. The perfect bridge 12:20
With its familiar setup Bad Medicine offered a smooth transition for the fans, and also a nice way for the band to introduce their new album, without immediately having to share the more personal songs.

7. The famous video 13:37
Known for its unique process, this single wrote video history because fans shot it.
Mentioned in video:
Jon’s feet, video is time stamped:
https://youtu.be/QvT0tg252v0?si=sn3PfBP6RndX9CeX&t=176

8. Life lesson 16:29
About controlled authenticity.

Next stop:
Born to be my baby!

~Suzanne Beenackers
🇳🇱 Tikkie
☕️ Buy me a coffee
🌎 Paypal

THIS SERIES
All videos, of Life lessons in Bon Jovi songs (playlist):
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLiGoDE3C06SeCKg4jvR2EoVHBOfXzHm_R

SOURCES for this series:

1. OUTTAKES
Handmade list with rare Bon Jovi songs
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLiGoDE3C06SfkAr0Ll4wz-GlGnZJNZDYh
Rolling List of Hidden Bon Jovi Gems 1985 – current day

2. RANKED
My favorite Bon Jovi article and indispensable for this series:
https://ultimateclassicrock.com/bon-jovi-songs-ranked/
By Tony Kuzminski.
List also covers any outtakes from the 2004 box set.

3. QUOTES
https://twostorytown.com/new-jersey-quotes
full page of quotes EVERYTHING anybody ever said about the 4th Bon Jovi album

4. BJ TOURS
https://bjtours.jimdofree.com/the-albums/1988-new-jersey/

—
You can follow all content on:
Twitter, Facebook, and I am new on Instagram.

new story on YouTube:
click here to see it->
https://youtu.be/Ru3NGPKKfFU

#41 Lay Your Hands On Me
| life lessons in Bon Jovi songs

Welcome back, Jovi friends!
Life lessons in Bon Jovi songs continues with Lay Your Hands On Me

Lay Your Hands On Me is the first song on Bon Jovi’s fourth album New Jersey (1988).

Unfamiliar with the song or want to see the legendary video (more on that later)?
🎶🎧listen and watch Lay Your Hands On Me here

video recorded Saturday 10 January 2026

In this video:

First song on what will forever and always be my favorite Bon Jovi album:
New Jersey (1988)

About the album New Jersey

In 1988 Bon Jovi were the biggest rock stars on the planet, and the band had to deliver.
And they did.

New Jersey would (and definitely “should”!) have been a double album, if it had been up to the band. But the record company blocked it, on grounds that they didn’t think fans would be able to pay for the higher price.
In 2014 a Deluxe version of the album was released.
You can listen to the playlist of this Deluxe version here:
Bon Jovi: New Jersey (Deluxe Edition)
by Dennis Snider
With the second cd starting at “Love is War” it gives an impression how it would have sounded.

New Jersey was released in September 1988.
“Lay Your Hands On Me” is the first song of the album.

🎶🎧 Listen here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EhjSzibOIH4
Bon Jovi- Lay Your Hands On Me (official video)

Behind me on the couch:
the vinyl Bon Jovi – New Jersey (1988)
And on the right:
Chuck Klosterman – The Nineties (2022)

video recorded Saturday 10 January 2026

In this video:

1. Welcome to another episode 00:00
Of Life lessons in Bon Jovi songs.
It’s been a while!
And the reason is, that this is a series that runs every two weeks (not every week), and there was a two week holiday break.

2. My Other YouTube channel 00:51
Is ⁨@TheNewRockStarChannel⁩
And its main series “Rock Star Take On” is basically Life lessons, but without the Bon Jovi songs 😇
So check it out!
{ Dutch channel ⁨@suzannebeenackersschrijver⁩ }

3. New Year, New Jersey 01:27
This album will last us throughout 2026 because it was intended to be a double album. This means this album has more outtakes (unused songs) than any other.
In 2026, this series will cover the 12 songs on the album, as well as all the songs that were never released but created in this same era.

4. A song designed for greatness 03:33
Lay Your Hands On Me was designed right out of the gate, to be not just a great opener for the record, but also a concert opener.
It is unapologetic in its desire for greatness!
And there are no demos of Lay Your Hands On Me, it was created in the studio, largely by the production team.

5. Previous Concert Openers 05:10
The trick of designing a song with the concert setting in mind, was definitely not new.
In fact, their previous album Slippery When Wet had two songs for big arenas (Let It Rock and Raise Your Hands)

6. Jonny’s Church of Rock n Roll 06:12
Over the years, Lay Your Hands On Me not just stayed on the setlist;
It also evolved into an almost religious experience, where the visuals behind the stage showed stained-glass windows, turning the stage into a cathedral.

7. The legendary video 08:11
Half the world does not remember seeing 😅
Lay Your Hands On Me was only released as a single in a few countries, among which the USA.
Where its video is hailed for conveying Bon Jovi’s seductive chemistry between the band and the audience.

Chuck Klosterman’s book (not the one behind me) Fargo Rock City, details this process of how even the most reluctant music fan would be persuaded to buy a concert ticket after seeing their infectious videos.

You can watch this legendary video here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EhjSzibOIH4
Bon Jovi- Lay Your Hands On Me (official video)

8. Life lessons in this song 13:13
The 90s turned being ambitious into a serious offense. It was supercool to be uninterested. ( Source: Chuck Klosterman – The Nineties, a book. )
It was this culture of the 90s that made Bon Jovi review Lay Your Hands On Me, so harshly.

Bon Jovi set out to create a banger;
Yet instead, they wrote a masterpiece.

And the value in Bon Jovi’s 80s once unpopular drive to push for maximum commercial impact, is also far better understood, today.

Next stop;
Bad Medicine!

~Suzanne Beenackers
🇳🇱 Tikkie
☕️ Buy me a coffee
🌎 Paypal

THIS SERIES
All videos, of Life lessons in Bon Jovi songs (playlist):
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLiGoDE3C06SeCKg4jvR2EoVHBOfXzHm_R

SOURCES for this series:

1. OUTTAKES
Handmade list with rare Bon Jovi songs
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLiGoDE3C06SfkAr0Ll4wz-GlGnZJNZDYh
Rolling List of Hidden Bon Jovi Gems 1985 – current day

2. RANKED
My favorite Bon Jovi article and indispensable for this series:
https://ultimateclassicrock.com/bon-jovi-songs-ranked/
By Tony Kuzminski.
List also covers any outtakes from the 2004 box set.

3. QUOTES
https://twostorytown.com/slippery-when-wet-quotes
full page of quotes EVERYTHING anybody ever said about the 3rd Bon Jovi album:

4. BJ TOURS
https://bjtours.jimdofree.com/the-albums/1986-slippery-when-wet/

—
You can follow all content on:
Twitter, Facebook, and I am new on Instagram.

new story on YouTube:
click here to see it->
https://youtu.be/SEXGdQOnWLA

#40 Take Me Home
| life lessons in Bon Jovi songs

Welcome back, Jovi friends!
Life lessons in Bon Jovi songs continues with Take Me Home

This is the eleventh “outtake”;
A song that was never included on the album.

Take Me home was written for Bon Jovi’s third album Slippery When Wet (1986).

Unfamiliar with the song?
🎶🎧listen here to Take Me Home

video recorded Thursday 18 December 2025

In this video:

1. Welcome to another episode 00:00
Of Life lessons in Bon Jovi songs.
With an era coming to an end!
Take Me Home is the final outtake, wrapping up the first three Bon Jovi albums, here in this final video from 2025.
It is possible I will discover new outtakes at a future date, belonging to these albums as well. And if I do, I will make an additional outtake video.

Curious about the list of rare outtakes?
Here’s the playlist:
Rolling List of Hidden Bon Jovi Gems 1985 – current day

2. The Bottom of the Barrel 02:00
I sometimes unceremoniously refer to these rare outtakes as the “bottom of the barrel”.
But whether you agree or not:
It is a fact that you can get zero context on them!

There are no backstories about this song at all.
When I Google it, I get my own blogpost from the previous video as the top search result, solely because it mentions the title ()
And there are search results for the lyrics:
https://www.letras.com/bon-jovi/297452/

3. The Ending of Everything 03:30
The wrapping up of the third album, the ending of all the outtakes, the ending of the year, and it’s definitely the ending of me!
My energy and inspiration are just flat, I have nothing more to give.

4. The 29th degree in astrology 03:58
In astrology to have a planet in the 29th degree of a sign means it’s at the final end of that sign.
It’s called the anaretic degree, and if you have that you are wrapping up your karma there.

Mentioned in this video:
How generations can be appointed based on where Pluto was.
Here is the article where you can find more on this:
Pluto and the power of generations by Chani Nicholas

Generation X gets two Pluto placements here: Virgo and Libra
I am in the first bracket and was born when Pluto was in the final degree (29th degree) of Virgo.

LESSON
Bon Jovi’s song Take Me Home, symbolizes the things in life where we’re at the final degree;
We wish so very hard to already be at the fresh beginning of something new.

But it’s karmic wrap up time, Baby.

Next stop, the album opener for New Jersey (1988);
Lay Your Hands On Me!

~Suzanne Beenackers
🇳🇱 Tikkie
☕️ Buy me a coffee
🌎 Paypal

THIS SERIES
All videos, of Life lessons in Bon Jovi songs (playlist):
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLiGoDE3C06SeCKg4jvR2EoVHBOfXzHm_R

SOURCES for this series:

1. OUTTAKES
Handmade list with rare Bon Jovi songs
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLiGoDE3C06SfkAr0Ll4wz-GlGnZJNZDYh
Rolling List of Hidden Bon Jovi Gems 1985 – current day

2. RANKED
My favorite Bon Jovi article and indispensable for this series:
https://ultimateclassicrock.com/bon-jovi-songs-ranked/
By Tony Kuzminski.
List also covers any outtakes from the 2004 box set.

3. QUOTES
https://twostorytown.com/slippery-when-wet-quotes
full page of quotes EVERYTHING anybody ever said about the 3rd Bon Jovi album:

4. BJ TOURS
https://bjtours.jimdofree.com/the-albums/1986-slippery-when-wet/

—
You can follow all content on:
Twitter, Facebook, and I am new on Instagram.

new story on YouTube:
click here to see it->
https://youtu.be/23GXfMVX2gY

#39 Lonely Is The Night 
| life lessons in Bon Jovi songs

Welcome back, Jovi friends!
Life lessons in Bon Jovi songs continues with Lonely is the Night

This is the tenth “outtake”;
A song that was never included on the album.

Lonely is the Night was written for Bon Jovi’s third album Slippery When Wet (1986).

Unfamiliar with the song?
🎶🎧listen here to Lonely is the Night

video recorded Wednesday 26 November 2025

In this video:

1. Welcome to another episode 00:00
Of Life lessons in Bon Jovi songs.

We’re at the outtakes, songs that were never released on a studio album.
But there’s different levels of outtakes!
There are the ones who did eventually end up on “The Box Set” (100.000.000 Bon Jovi Fans Can’t Be Wrong, 2004), although that barely has 80s songs;
Or they ended up on the unofficial 80s bootleg We Are Not Unused;
And then there are the few who did not get released anywhere, like Lonely Is The Night.
—
My other channels are @TheNewRockStarChannel (basically it’s The Lessons, without the Bon Jovi songs😅) and @suzannebeenackersschrijver (Dutch)
—

2. New Year, New Jersey?! 03:16
I really feared being stuck in the deepest layers of Bon Jovi outtakes, at the end of the year. But I removed a song from the list, and now we’re almost there.

The song that was removed from the list with all rare Bon Jovi songs, was a demo I had filed under both names:
Too Much Too Soon (Life lesson video already available) as well as Never Enough.
With this song removed our next Life lesson is also the final outtake from this album.
We can now wrap up these Slippery When Wet outtakes within this year.

And in 2026 we’ll start with the regular songs from a new Bon Jovi album, New Jersey.

3. Lonely Is The Night 05:08
It reminds me of two other songs

1. the riff
Reminds me of the beginning of
AC/DC – Highway to Hell (Official Video)

2. And the combination of singing with electric guitar
Reminds me of 
Denis Leary – Asshole (Uncensored Version)

4. The Meaning of The Song 08:28

It is a sad song, about someone waiting for their lover to return:
Lyrics:
https://genius.com/Bon-jovi-lonely-is-the-night-lyrics

5. Contrast to the Leary song 09:10
Where Lonely Is The Night is very passive, I’m An Asshole sets an example of the power in being angry.

6. The life lesson 11:11
If we combine these two songs (Bon Jovi and Denis Leary) the lesson is about how stepping into anger can really be the first step out of feeling powerless.
The first step to feeling better.
There is actually a theory that explains why you get so much energy if you switch from feeling like a victim into anger.

That was it!
Looking on the list
Rolling List of Hidden Bon Jovi Gems 1985 – current day
we can see we only have one song left from the Slippery When Wet album.

Next stop, the 11th outtake;
Take Me Home!

~Suzanne Beenackers
🇳🇱 Tikkie
☕️ Buy me a coffee
🌎 Paypal

THIS SERIES
All videos, of Life lessons in Bon Jovi songs (playlist):
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLiGoDE3C06SeCKg4jvR2EoVHBOfXzHm_R

SOURCES for this series:

1. OUTTAKES
Handmade list with rare Bon Jovi songs
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLiGoDE3C06SfkAr0Ll4wz-GlGnZJNZDYh
Rolling List of Hidden Bon Jovi Gems 1985 – current day

2. RANKED
My favorite Bon Jovi article and indispensable for this series:
https://ultimateclassicrock.com/bon-jovi-songs-ranked/
By Tony Kuzminski.
List also covers any outtakes from the 2004 box set.

3. QUOTES
https://twostorytown.com/slippery-when-wet-quotes
full page of quotes EVERYTHING anybody ever said about the 3rd Bon Jovi album:

4. BJ TOURS
https://bjtours.jimdofree.com/the-albums/1986-slippery-when-wet/

—
You can follow all content on:
Twitter, Facebook, and I am new on Instagram.

new story on YouTube:
click here to see it->
https://youtu.be/4VtjBWZ4gg8

#38 The Promise
| life lessons in Bon Jovi songs

Welcome back, Jovi friends!
Life lessons in Bon Jovi songs continues with The Promise

This is the ninth “outtake”;
A song that was never included on the album.

The Promise was written for Bon Jovi’s third album Slippery When Wet (1986).

Unfamiliar with the song?
🎶🎧 listen here to The Promise

video recorded Monday 17 November 2025

In this video:

1. Welcome to another episode 00:00
Of Life lessons in Bon Jovi songs.
We’re at the outtakes, songs that were never released on a studio album.
But there’s different levels of outtakes!
There are the ones who did eventually end up on “The Box Set” (100.000.000 Bon Jovi Fans Can’t Be Wrong, 2004) and well – those that didn’t😅

The number of rare Bon Jovi songs is so large, that I created a list, collecting them all:
Rolling List of Hidden Bon Jovi Gems 1985 – current day

And we’re definitely in the deepest trenches of the outtakes!
Of songs even AI had never heard of.
And we’ll probably be here (looking for the rarest of songs of record number 3, Slippery When Wet) until well into January 2026.
But alas!
This is where we are.
—
I briefly mention my other channels.
They’re @TheNewRockStarChannel (basically it’s The Lessons, without the Bon Jovi songs😅)and @suzannebeenackersschrijver (Dutch)
—

2. The Promise 03:02
It’s an acoustic song, about a romance between two young people. The song has a very melancholic, past tense vibe to it, which begs the question:
“Who is Jon singing about?”

You can read the lyrics of the song here:
https://www.letras.com/bon-jovi/297461/

I’m gonna go with The Promise being about Diane Lane, whom he dated in 1985.

3. Diane Lane 05:52
Although it was presumably only a 5 month relationship between her and Jon Bon Jovi, and one in which he felt betrayed by her;
She ended up being instrumental to the band’s success!

I also refer to a meta I wrote, about their romance.
You can find it here:
A Meta on JBJ and Diane Lane
| Secret Dreams by Bon Jovi (Fahrenheit album, 1985)
| blog post { pre-work for YouTube video }

4. Life lesson 07:17
If indeed, both the fiery You Give Love A Bad Name as well as the melancholic The Promise are about Diane Lane, then what does that teach us?
I’ll give you my two cents on it, but basically, that life is complex 🧐

And that it’s not uncommon for the extraverted and the visible, to have a secret, hidden, counterpart.

Next stop, the 10th outtake;
Lonely Is The Night!

~Suzanne Beenackers
🇳🇱 Tikkie
☕️ Buy me a coffee
🌎 Paypal

THIS SERIES
All videos, of Life lessons in Bon Jovi songs (playlist):
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLiGoDE3C06SeCKg4jvR2EoVHBOfXzHm_R

SOURCES for this series:

1. OUTTAKES
Handmade list with rare Bon Jovi songs
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLiGoDE3C06SfkAr0Ll4wz-GlGnZJNZDYh
Rolling List of Hidden Bon Jovi Gems 1985 – current day

2. RANKED
My favorite Bon Jovi article and indispensable for this series:
https://ultimateclassicrock.com/bon-jovi-songs-ranked/
By Tony Kuzminski.
List also covers any outtakes from the 2004 box set.

3. QUOTES
https://twostorytown.com/slippery-when-wet-quotes
full page of quotes EVERYTHING anybody ever said about the 3rd Bon Jovi album:

4. BJ TOURS
https://bjtours.jimdofree.com/the-albums/1986-slippery-when-wet/

—
You can follow all content on:
Twitter, Facebook, and I am new on Instagram.