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Burning Bridges (Bon Jovi album)

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Burning Bridges
Studio album by
ReleasedAugust 21, 2015 (2015-08-21)
Length40:22
LabelMercury
Producer
Bon Jovi chronology
What About Now
(2013)
Burning Bridges
(2015)
This House Is Not for Sale
(2016)
Singles from Burning Bridges
  1. "We Don't Run"
    Released: July 31, 2015
  2. "Saturday Night Gave Me Sunday Morning"
    Released: July 31, 2015

Burning Bridges is the thirteenth studio album by American rock band Bon Jovi consisting of new songs, as well as formerly unreleased and unfinished songs. Released on August 21, 2015 by Mercury Records.[1][2] Produced by John Shanks, it was the first release since the departure of former guitarist Richie Sambora in 2013[3] (although he receives a co-writing credit on the single "Saturday Night Gave Me Sunday Morning"),[4] with Shanks handling the lead guitar parts. Burning Bridges is their last album to be released through Mercury, marking the end of their 32-year relationship with the label. According to Jon Bon Jovi, the album serves as a "fan record" to tie in with an accompanying international tour: "It's songs that weren't finished, that were finished, a couple of new ones like the one we released as a single 'We Don't Run'."[5] Burning Bridges was followed by This House Is Not for Sale, the band's fourteenth studio album released in 2016 which featured all new songs.[6]

Background

[edit]

On November 18, 2014, in an interview with Pierre Robert from WMMR, a leading rock station in Philadelphia, lead singer Jon Bon Jovi confirmed that he started writing songs for the upcoming Bon Jovi album and that album is going to be recorded in 2015 and released in 2016. He also confirmed that lead guitarist Richie Sambora left the band and said that the doors are wide open for him if he wants to return to the band, even though it is highly unlikely. Jon said: "I’d be hard-pressed to [allow him to return], so would David, so would Tico. It’d be a lot for us [to allow him back]. After a year and a half and you miss 80 shows … I don’t think that’s possible.”[7] By February 2015, Jon confirmed that he was still in an early stage of songwriting process with around 12 songs written and that inspiration for writing those songs came out of reading newspapers.[8]

Burning Bridges was conceived to fulfill Bon Jovi's commitment to Mercury Records, as the band and label could not agree on adjusted terms for the band's recording contract. "I've stayed at that label my entire life—32 years. I am the longest tenured artist on Mercury, or whatever they are called this week. But my deal was up, and that's that," said Jon Bon Jovi in an interview with Billboard.[9] The album's title track makes explicit reference to Bon Jovi's dissatisfaction with the label.[opinion] According to Bon Jovi, "This hits it right in the head and tells you what happened. Listen to the lyrics because it explains exactly what happened. And that's that."[10] Regarding the split, a representative for Mercury Records stated, "Jon is a rock 'n' roll icon, and we are so proud of his 30-year collaboration with Mercury, which brought extraordinary commercial and creative success. We wish Jon only the best."[9]

Additional information

[edit]

Burning Bridges is the first album without guitarist Richie Sambora who left the band in 2013. It is also the first album in 29 years to not feature a credit by Desmond Child, who has co-written or produced at least one song on every Bon Jovi album since 1986's Slippery When Wet.

Reception

[edit]
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[11]
Asbury Park PressPositive[12]
Milwaukee Journal SentinelMixed[13]
NewsdayB-[14]
The National[15]

Steven Thomas Erlewine from Allmusic gave the album 1.5 stars out of 5 by saying that "'fan album' not only sounds kinder, it also identifies precisely the audience that would be interested in this brief, power ballad-heavy collection".[11] Chris Jordan from Asbury Park Press gave a positive review stating that "the new album from Bon Jovi, features a spark of anger from frontman Jon Bon Jovi".[12] Jon M. Gilbertson from Milwaukee Journal Sentinel gave mixed review stating that "Artistically, it represents Bon Jovi's transformation from 1980s hair-metal act to 2015 adult-contemporary act. Sub-Springsteen working-class references, spiritually patriotic clichés and foursquare, bombastic riffs abound".[13] Glenn Gamboa from Newsday rated the album with B− stating that "'Burning Bridges' does sound a bit, well, burned-out".[14] Rob Garratt from The National gave the album 2 stars out of 5 by saying "new album offers little more than a fresh excuse to refill the coffers and add a few more set fillers to a multimillion-dollar touring juggernaut that is still dining out on 1980s anthems".[15]

The album debuted at No. 13 on Billboard,[16] and No. 3 on Rock Albums on its release,[17] selling 19,000 copies in the first week. The album has sold 67,000 copies in the United States as of August 2016.[18]

Promotion

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The album features twin lead singles, "We Don't Run" and "Saturday Night Gave Me Sunday Morning", both released on July 31, 2015. Saturday Night Gave Me Sunday Morning premiered on Hitradio Ö3 on July 17, 2015. at 9:45 a.m.[19] Originally written in The Circle sessions, it was finished for this album. Three days later, on July 20, 2015, Brazilian radio station "Radio Rock" premiered "We Don't Run".[20] Though not released as singles, the songs "Blind Love" and "A Teardrop to the Sea" were digitally released on August 7, 2015, followed by "I'm Your Man" on August 13, 2015. Lyrics videos for all the songs have been released on Bon Jovi's YouTube account.[21]

Track listing

[edit]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."A Teardrop to the Sea"Jon Bon Jovi, Billy Falcon5:08
2."We Don't Run"Jon Bon Jovi, John Shanks3:19
3."Saturday Night Gave Me Sunday Morning"Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora, John Shanks3:23
4."We All Fall Down"Jon Bon Jovi4:04
5."Blind Love"Jon Bon Jovi, John Shanks4:47
6."Who Would You Die For?"Jon Bon Jovi, Billy Falcon3:54
7."Fingerprints"Jon Bon Jovi, Billy Falcon5:59
8."Life Is Beautiful"Jon Bon Jovi, Billy Falcon, Chris DeStefano3:22
9."I'm Your Man"Jon Bon Jovi3:44
10."Burning Bridges"Jon Bon Jovi, John Shanks2:44
Total length:40:22
Japanese/Walmart deluxe edition[22][23]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
11."Take Back the Night"Jon Bon Jovi, John Shanks3:42
Total length:44:04

Personnel

[edit]
Bon Jovi[a]
Additional Personnel
  • Hugh McDonald – bass
  • John Shanks – guitars, backing vocals
  • Lorenza Ponce – string arrangements and viola/violin/cello (track 5)
  • Mike Rew – rhythm guitar, backing vocals (track 10)
Production
  • John Shanks, Jon Bon Jovi – Producers
  • Paul LaMalfa – Mixing and Recording
  • Phil Nicolo – Mastering
  • Nathan Odden – Recording Assistant
  • Dan Tatarowicz – Mastering Assistant
  • Avatar Studios, Henson Studios – Studio

Charts

[edit]

Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
Austria (IFPI Austria)[53] Gold 7,500*

* Sales figures based on certification alone.

Release history

[edit]
Region Date Format Label Ref.
Worldwide August 21, 2015 [54][55][56]

Footnotes

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  1. ^ Adapted from album liner notes on Bonjovi.com.[24]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Bon Jovi to release 'fan album' ahead of international tour". NJ.com. Retrieved 31 July 2015.
  2. ^ Angermiller, Michele Amabile (17 July 2015). "Bon Jovi to Release Special Fan Album Next Month". Billboard. Retrieved 31 July 2015.
  3. ^ "Richie Sambora explains Bon Jovi exit, says he can still return". NJ.com. 25 June 2014.
  4. ^ "Bon Jovi". Archived from the original on 2015-09-23. Retrieved 2015-08-28.
  5. ^ "Bon Jovi Riddled Us This: 'Burning Bridges' Is The Band's 'Latest Album, But Not The Next'". CBS Local Media. 24 July 2015. Retrieved 31 July 2015.
  6. ^ "Whaat's New UK ?". Archived from the original on 2015-09-30. Retrieved 2015-09-30.
  7. ^ "Jon Bon Jovi on Richie Sambora Returning: 'I Don't Think That's Possible'". ultimateclassicrock.com. 2014-11-25. Retrieved 2016-12-25.
  8. ^ "The Secret to Jon Bon Jovi's 25-Year Marriage". people.com. 2015-02-13. Retrieved 2016-12-25.
  9. ^ a b "Why Bon Jovi Bolted After 32 Years on Mercury Records -- 'Or Whatever They're Called This Week'". Billboard.
  10. ^ "Bon Jovi, Label Mercury Records Split Bon Jovi Severs Ties With Longtime Label - Billboard". Billboard.
  11. ^ a b Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Bon Jovi: Burning Bridges". Allmusic. Retrieved June 26, 2017.
  12. ^ a b Jordan, Chris. "Bon Jovi: Burning Bridges". Asbury Park Press. Retrieved June 26, 2017.
  13. ^ a b Gilbertson, Jon M. "Album Reviews: Carly Rae Jepsen, Bon Jovi, Kip Moore and more". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved June 26, 2017.
  14. ^ a b Gamboa, Glenn. "'Burning Bridges' review: Bon Jovi burns off one for the fans". Newsday. Retrieved June 26, 2017.
  15. ^ a b Garratt, Rob. "Album review: Burning Bridges – Bon Jovi". The National. Retrieved June 26, 2017.
  16. ^ "Billboard 200". Billboard. September 12, 2015.
  17. ^ "Rock Albums". Billboard. September 12, 2015.
  18. ^ "Upcoming Releases". Hits Daily Double. HITS Digital Ventures. Archived from the original on August 29, 2016.
  19. ^ "Bon Jovi: Mit neuer Single Richtung Wochenende". Hitradio Ö3. 2015-07-17. Retrieved 2016-12-25.
  20. ^ "Ouça "We Don´t Run", nova música do Bon Jovi - A RADIO ROCK - 89,1 FM - SP". RadioRock.com. 2015-07-20. Retrieved 2016-12-25.
  21. ^ "Bon Jovi To Release Burning Bridges August 21". Universal Music. 2015-08-31. Retrieved 2016-12-26.
  22. ^ "BON JOVI - ボン・ジョヴィ - バーニング・ブリッジズ - UNIVERSAL MUSIC JAPAN". Universal Music Japan.
  23. ^ "ボン・ジョヴィの「Burning Bridges」を iTunes で". iTunes. 21 August 2015.
  24. ^ [1] John Shanks – lead guitars, backing vocals7536327/burning-bridges#.VeA2in19mDP
  25. ^ "Bon Jovi – Burning Bridges". Argentine Albums. CAPIF. On Fecha, select {{{date}}} to see the correspondent chart. Retrieved September 29, 2015.
  26. ^ "Australiancharts.com – Bon Jovi – Burning Bridges". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 29, 2015.
  27. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Bon Jovi – Burning Bridges" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved September 3, 2015.
  28. ^ "Ultratop.be – Bon Jovi – Burning Bridges" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved August 28, 2015.
  29. ^ "Ultratop.be – Bon Jovi – Burning Bridges" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved August 28, 2015.
  30. ^ "Bon Jovi Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved September 1, 2015.
  31. ^ "Top Stranih [Top Foreign]" (in Croatian). Top Foreign Albums. Hrvatska diskografska udruga. Retrieved September 26, 2015.
  32. ^ "Czech Albums – Top 100". ČNS IFPI. Retrieved September 26, 2015.
  33. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Bon Jovi – Burning Bridges" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved August 28, 2015.
  34. ^ "Bon Jovi: Burning Bridges" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved September 1, 2015.
  35. ^ "Lescharts.com – Bon Jovi – Burning Bridges". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 3, 2015.
  36. ^ "Official IFPI Charts - Top-75 Albums Sales Chart - Week: 38/2015". IFPI Greece. Archived from the original on September 29, 2015. Retrieved September 29, 2015.
  37. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Bon Jovi – Burning Bridges" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved August 29, 2015.
  38. ^ "Album Top 40 slágerlista – {{{year}}}. {{{week}}}. hét" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ. Retrieved September 26, 2015.
  39. ^ "GFK Chart-Track Albums: Week 35, 2015". Chart-Track. IRMA. Retrieved August 28, 2015.
  40. ^ "Italiancharts.com – Bon Jovi – Burning Bridges". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 28, 2015.
  41. ^ "Charts.nz – Bon Jovi – Burning Bridges". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 28, 2015.
  42. ^ "Portuguesecharts.com – Bon Jovi – Burning Bridges". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 1, 2015.
  43. ^ "South Korea Circle Album Chart". On the page, select "{{{date}}}" to obtain the corresponding chart. Circle Chart Retrieved September 26, 2015.
  44. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 28, 2021.
  45. ^ "Spanishcharts.com – Bon Jovi – Burning Bridges". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 26, 2015.
  46. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Bon Jovi – Burning Bridges". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 1, 2015.
  47. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Bon Jovi – Burning Bridges". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 2, 2015.
  48. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 28, 2021.
  49. ^ "Bon Jovi Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved September 1, 2015.
  50. ^ "Bon Jovi Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved September 1, 2015.
  51. ^ "Ö3 Austria Top 40 - Album Charts 2015".
  52. ^ "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 2015".
  53. ^ "Austrian album certifications – Bon Jovi – Burning Bridges" (in German). IFPI Austria. Retrieved July 15, 2017.
  54. ^ "Bon Jovi Burning Bridges on WOW HD NZ". Archived from the original on 2016-06-03. Retrieved 2015-08-19.
  55. ^ "Burning Bridges". iTunes. 21 August 2015.
  56. ^ "Burning Bridges". iTunes. 21 August 2015.