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These Days
Studio album by Bon Jovi
Released	June 27, 1995
Genre	Hard rock
Length	63:53
Label	Mercury
Producer	Peter Collins, Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora
Bon Jovi chronology
Cross Road (1994) These Days (1995) Crush (2000)
Alternate cover
Special Edition Cover
Singles from These Days
"This Ain't a Love Song" Released: 1995 "Something for the Pain" Released: 1995 "Lie to Me" Released: 1995 "These Days" Released: 1996 "Hey God" Released: 1996

These Days is Bon Jovi's sixth studio album, and was released on June 27, 1995. This was the first album Bon Jovi released after the firing of bassist Alec John Such. Hugh McDonald unofficially replaced Such as bassist. At the time of release, the album was a huge commercial hit, particularly in Europe and Japan but failed to impress the audience in the United States. In the UK, the album was particularly notable for producing four Top 10 hit singles. The high sales of the album in Europe warranted a re-issue of the album under the name of These Days Special Edition a year after its original release.

Recording and production

The Keep the Faith tour, which saw the band perform around 200 concerts and promo gigs on multiple continents over 15 months, concluded in Red Bank, NJ in late December 1993. It would be the last gig bassist Alec Jon Such would ever play with the band and officially for the first time Hugh McDonald, whose history with the band goes back to the original recording of “Runaway”, would be officially credited as bass player.

In January 1994, Jon Bon Jovi went on vacation when the song “Something to Believe In” came to him. This would prove to be one of two songs Jon would write by himself for this record, but this revelatory epiphany would set the course that Jon and the other band members would embark on. Over the next nine-months, forty plus songs would be written and demoed. The album was originally slated to be released in the fourth quarter of 1994, but Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora were on such a creative roll writing, they asked for more time because they don't want to stop writing. They released Cross Road, their first greatest hits package as a stop gap release leading up to the release of These Days in the summer of 1995.

The band cut both new tracks for Cross Road (“Always” and “Someday I'll Be Saturday Night”) in two days in Nashville with producer Peter Collins. Because of the swift adeptness of this process, they opted to record this record in Nashville in the fall of 1994. However, after a month of recording during October and November 1994, only two pieces of music were deemed useable and for the next four months recording would shift between Jon Bon Jovi’s home studio (Sanctuary I), Woodstock, NY and three separate studios in Los Angeles (One On One Studios, Ocean Way Recording and A&M Studios). The reason for the numerous studios was for a variety of reasons; the band embarked on a mini tour of clubs in December 1994 (where they aired many of the new songs), they were continuing to promote Cross Road and Richie Sambora’s marriage to Heather Locklear. As a newlywed, Jon granted Sambora the time with his new wife whose television career kept her in LA. The forty-plus songs written were narrowed down to fourteen. The two extra songs (“All I Want Is Everything” and “Bitter Wine”) would appear on every release of the record, except in the US.

The album produced by Peter Collins, was regarded as a much maligned album full of subtle lyrics and deeper references with respect to life today. It was an overall darker album in contrast to the band's usual brand of feel good, inspiring rock songs and love ballads. Along with heightened lyrical development, the group's sound continues to evolve away from the usual pop-metal fare. Jon Bon Jovi occasionally drifts into a raspy voice, while David Bryan's keyboard playing veers from the lush orchestration of "Lie To Me" to a simpler harpsichord tone in "If That's What It Takes." Still, Bon Jovi remain a guitar-driven band, and Richie Sambora's muscular style has expanded to include some tasty electric-sitar playing.

Bon Jovi's characters on These Days weigh in with more mature and darker conflicts than those explored on previous albums. On "Hey God," a family man on the brink of homelessness cries out for spiritual guidance. The title track goes a step further, describing the sheer hopelessness that goes with not having a place to live. Other characters who've lost their way are either on quests of faith ("Something To Believe In") or have found other altars to worship at ("Something For The Pain").

Commercial reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[1]

These Days was a huge commercial success, especially in the Japanese and European markets. In the UK the album was highly anticipated. It replaced Michael Jackson's album HIStory at number one on the UK Albums Chart and spent four consecutive weeks at #1^[2]. The album spawned four Top 10 singles for Bon Jovi in the UK Singles Chart ("This Ain't a Love Song", "Something for the Pain", "Lie to Me", and "These Days") - the band's highest number of UK singles from one album. The album also topped the European Albums Chart for seven weeks and the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry certified "These Days" three times platinum, denoting three million shipments within the continent. In 1995, the album was ranked number 2 on Q magazine's list of the Top 50 albums of 1995.^[3](that list is alphabetical just so you know -_-) In 2006 the album featured in the Classic Rock & Metal Hammer's The 200 Greatest Albums Of The 90's.^[4].

In the United States, the album was met with a lukewarm reception. These Days managed only one hit single for the band in United States, with This Ain't A Love Song reaching the Top 20 of the Billboard Hot 100. The album debuted at #9 on the Billboard 200, but slipped down the charts very quickly; in all it sold just over one million copies in United States.

Awards

In 1995, Bon Jovi was voted 'Best Rock', at the MTV Europe Music Awards and at the BRIT Awards, the band was awarded for the 'Best International Band'.

Re-release

The album was re-released in Europe on June 1996 in a box package including two discs—the original album and an extra CD which included previously unreleased songs. The set was issued as These Days Special Edition. These Days Special Edition was not listed in the UK charts as a different album than the original These Days, and helped the album to jump from #129 to #11 during the band's European Tour at summer of 1996.

Track listing

French Bonus CD

1. "Always" (Live in Montreal) (Bon Jovi, Sambora) - 5:52
2. "Good Guys Don't Always Wear White" (Bon Jovi, Sambora) - 4:27
3. "Prostitute" (Bon Jovi, Sambora) - 4:28
4. "Lonely at the Top" (Bon Jovi, Sambora) - 4:14
5. "When She Comes" (Bon Jovi, Sambora) - 3:29
6. "The End" (Bon Jovi, Sambora, David Bryan) - 3:38

Australian Tour Edition Bonus CD

Mercury 528 874-2 Recorded live at Wembley Stadium, London

1. This Ain't A Love Song (Live)
2. I Don't Like Mondays (Live)
3. Livin' On A Prayer (Live)
4. You Give Love A Bad Name (Live)
5. Wild In The Streets (Live)

Japanese Limited Edition Bonus CD

1998 Nippon Phonogram PHCR90023/4

1. This Aint't A Love Song (Wembley 1995)
2. Hey God (Johannesburg 1995)
3. These Days (Johannesburg 1995)
4. Something For The Pain (Miami Arena 1995)
5. (It's Hard) Letting You Go (Johannesburg 1995)
6. Rocking In The Free World (Johannesburg 1995)
7. 634-5789 (Studio Outtake)
8. All I Want Is Everything
9. Bitter Wine

Personnel

• Jon Bon Jovi: lead vocals, acoustic guitar
• Richie Sambora: guitar, backing vocals
• Hugh McDonald: bass, backing vocals
• Tico Torres: drums, percussion
• David Bryan: keyboards, backing vocals

Additional musicians:

• Robbie Buchanan: keyboards, programming
• Jerry Cohen: keyboards
• Rory Dodd: background vocals
• Randy Jackson: bass guitar
• Suzie Katayama: cello
• Frank Marocco: accordion
• Richie LaBamba: trombone
• Ed Manion: baritone saxophone
• Mark Pender: trumpet
• Jerry Vivino: tenor saxophone

Charts

Album -

Certifications

References