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#50 I’ll Be There For You
| life lessons in Bon Jovi songs

Welcome back, Jovi friends!
Life lessons in Bon Jovi songs continues with I’ll Be There For You

I’ll Be There For You is the tenth 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 to I’ll Be There For You here
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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”.
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video recorded Sunday 24 May 2026

Photobook behind me: The Decade That Rocked by Mark Weiss

In this video:

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

In 2026 we’re doing all songs written for Bon Jovi’s 1988 New Jersey album, including a ton of songs that never ended up on the album.

2. From overlooked to a staple song of the setlist 00:42
I’ll Be There For You holds a special place in the history of Bon Jovi, because its grew both in importance and as a performance, over the decades.
It would end up being a staple song at live concerts, over time.
But at the actual tour that followed the album, the New Jersey Syndicate Tour, it was rarely played.

3. The Love Story behind the song 03:05
At the time of writing the song, Jon Bon Jovi had not yet married his highschool girlfriend Dorothea Hurley, and their love had been rocky including long periods of separation.
To Jon, I’ll Be There For You, is about him realizing he had fallen short, and had not given her the proper relationship she deserved.
I’ll Be There For You is a statement that despite everything he failed to express, he loves her and he’ll be there when it will matter most.

On April 29, 1989 Jon Bon Jovi and Dorothea Hurley married in secret, in Las Vegas.

Behind me you see Jon Bon Jovi and Dorothea Hurley’s wedding photo from 1989.
The photo is taken in the garden of Jon Bon Jovi’s New Jersey home.

4. The Highlight of the Show 05:34
I’ll Be There For You, was not just a slow burner, taking it’s sweet time to make itself a home on the setlist; It managed to become the uncrowned star of every show.

Link to the best performance of 1989:
Bon Jovi | I’ll Be There For You | Epic Performance! | Soundboard | New Jersey 1989

And the legendary show it was from:
Bon Jovi | Legendary First Concert at Giants Stadium | 30th Anniversary | New Jersey 1989

5. “We did it!” 07:05
I’ll Be There For You was also the very first number one single, Riche Sambora and Jon Bon Jovi wrote without help of songwriter Desmond Child, with whom they had started collaborating on Slippery When Wet.
Although they would keep collaborating with him, they now knew they were also capable of writing number 1 singles themselves.

6. Life lessons in this song 08:45
The first life lesson is that secret Las Vegas weddings are pretty cool!
They married at the Graceland Wedding Chapel.

The second lesson is that with this song they proved they could write number 1 songs themselves. You could even argue working with Desmond Child had turned them into better songwriters.

The third life lesson is the song’s longevity.
From being almost overlooked, to becoming the star of the show.

Next stop:
99 in the Shade!

~Suzanne Beenackers

🇳🇱 Tikkie
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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
https://twostorytown.com/singles

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

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