BON JOVI - BORN TO BE MY BABY

Released: November 1988

Chart Peak: US: #3  UK: #22 

Released in November 1988, “Born to Be My Baby” was the second single from Bon Jovi’s blockbuster album “New Jersey”. Written by Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora, and Desmond Child, the song built on the band’s signature blend of arena-ready hooks and heartfelt storytelling, peaking at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100, No. 2 on the Cash Box Top 100, and No. 7 on the Album Rock Tracks chart. Internationally, it cracked the Top 20 in Canada, Ireland, and New Zealand.

The song’s writing team reunited the powerhouse trio of Bon Jovi, Sambora, and hitmaker Desmond Child, who had already co-written “Livin’ on a Prayer”, “You Give Love a Bad Name”, and “Bad Medicine.” Child’s ability to pair melodic immediacy with emotional sincerity once again helped deliver a universal anthem rooted in everyday resilience. Like “Livin’ on a Prayer”, the song revisits the lives of young, working-class lovers struggling to make ends meet but bound together by faith and fate.

Originally, “Born to Be My Baby” was recorded as an acoustic track, reflecting its humble lyrical origins, but producer Bruce Fairbairn persuaded the band to re-record it in a more polished, hard rock style, aligning it with the big, radio-ready sound of “New Jersey”. Jon Bon Jovi later expressed some regret over this decision, suggesting that the acoustic version might have pushed the song all the way to No. 1.

Directed on a low budget and filmed in-studio, the music video, shot entirely in black and white, chronicles the band during the recording process, with candid scenes of camaraderie, laughter, and hard work. Unlike their more theatrical clips, this video showcases the group’s human side — gathered around microphones, joking between takes, and re-singing the chorus until it felt right. A particularly touching moment comes midway through the video, when Dorothea Hurley, Jon Bon Jovi’s longtime partner (and later wife), enters the studio to embrace him. The video concludes with the band celebrating upon learning that “New Jersey” had reached No. 1 in the United States — a real-life moment of triumph captured on film.

Following “Bad Medicine”, “Born to Be My Baby” kept Bon Jovi’s momentum roaring through late 1988, leading directly into their next chart-topping single, “I’ll Be There for You.”