BON JOVI – IT’S MY LIFE

Publicació: 8 de maig de 2000

Posicions a les llistes: EUA: #33  Regne Unit: #3

Com a single principal del seu setè àlbum d’estudi, “Crush”, publicat el 8 de maig del 2000, “It’s My Life” va significat el gran retorn triomfal de Bon Jovi després de cinc anys de silenci discogràfic. Escrita per Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora i el productor pop Max Martin, i coproduïda per Luke Ebbin, la cançó es va convertir en un èxit internacional, encapçalant llistes arreu d’Europa i arribant al Top 10 en nombrosos països. Als Estats Units, va assolir el número 33 del Billboard Hot 100.

“It’s My Life” va ser el primer gran llançament de Bon Jovi des de “These Days”(1995), i va arribar en un moment en què molts dubtaven que una banda de rock d’estadi clàssic pogués seguir triomfant en el panorama post-grunge i dominat pel pop de principis dels 2000. La resposta va ser un sí rotund.

La lletra combina convicció personal amb referències intel·ligents al passat del grup i a la cultura popular. La frase “For Tommy and Gina, who never backed down” (Per Tommy i Gina, que mai no van fer marxa enrere) recupera la parella obrera de “Livin’ On a Prayer”. I l’altra, “Like Frankie said, I did it my way” (Com va dir Frankie, ho vaig fer a la meva manera), ret homenatge a un altre mite de Nova Jersey: Frank Sinatra, el qual, amb “My Way”, havia inspirat generacions a viure segons les pròpies regles. Junts, aquests detalls arrelen “It’s My Life” tant en la mitologia de Bon Jovi com en el somni americà més ampli.

El guitarrista Richie Sambora va tornar a utilitzar el seu famosíssim talkbox, un dispositiu d’efectes que fa passar el so de la guitarra a través d’un tub fins a la boca del músic, creant un to vocal robòtic. Aquest so ja s’havia convertit en una marca distintiva del grup amb èxits com “Livin’ On a Prayer” i “Wanted Dead or Alive”. Per aquesta cançó, Sambora va comptar amb la col·laboració del mateix Peter Frampton, que va fabricar personalment tots els seus talkboxes.

El videoclip, dirigit per Wayne Isham, va donar vida a l’esperit d’urgència i rebel·lia de la cançó. Hi apareixen Will Estes i Shiri Appleby interpretant Tommy i Gina, els herois quotidians de l’univers Bon Jovi. El vídeo comença amb Tommy veient un concert del grup per internet abans de rebre una trucada de Gina, que li diu que corri cap al concert. El que segueix és una frenètica cursa pels carrers de Los Angeles, inspirada en el film alemany “Run Lola Run” (1998): Tommy esquiva embussos, gossos, imitadors d’Elvis i travessa a corre-cuita el mític túnel del carrer 2n abans d’arribar al concert. Jon Bon Jovi mateix va triar Estes per al paper després de conèixer-lo durant el rodatge de U-571, on tots dos havien treballat.

Més de dues dècades després de la seva publicació, “It’s My Life” ha transcendit la seva època per convertir-se en un dels himnes més emblemàtics de Bon Jovi. Durant la resistència ucraïnesa contra Rússia, es van fer virals vídeos de ciutadans ucraïnesos cantant la cançó mentre es preparaven per defensar les seves ciutats. El 2023, l’exgovernador de Nova Jersey Chris Christie va lliurar al president ucraïnès Volodímir Zelenski una còpia manuscrita de la lletra, signada pel mateix Jon Bon Jovi.

BON JOVI - IT’S MY LIFE

Released: May 8, 2000

Chart Peak: US: #33   UK: #3 

Serving as the lead single from their seventh studio album “Crush”, and released on May 8, 2000, “It’s My Life” marked a triumphant return for Bon Jovi after a five-year hiatus. Written by Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora, and pop hitmaker Max Martin, and co-produced by Luke Ebbin, the song became an international success — topping charts across Europe and reaching the Top 10 in multiple countries. In the United States, it peaked at No. 33 on the Billboard Hot 100.

“It’s My Life” was Bon Jovi’s first major release since 1995’s “These Days”, and it arrived at a moment when many wondered whether a classic arena rock band could still thrive in the post-grunge, pop-driven landscape of the early 2000s. The answer was a resounding yes. 

The lyrics blend personal conviction with clever callbacks to Bon Jovi’s past and to pop culture icons. The line “For Tommy and Gina, who never backed down” revives the blue-collar couple from “Livin’ On a Prayer”. Another line, “Like Frankie said, I did it my way,” pays homage to fellow New Jersey legend Frank Sinatra, whose classic “My Way” inspired generations to live boldly and on their own terms. Together, these references anchor “It’s My Life” in both Bon Jovi’s mythology and the broader American dream.

Guitarist Richie Sambora once again employed his signature talkbox, an effects device that channels the guitar sound through a tube into the performer’s mouth, producing a robotic vocal tone. The talkbox had already become a Bon Jovi trademark through hits like “Livin’ On a Prayer” and “Wanted Dead or Alive.” For “It’s My Life,” Sambora collaborated with Peter Frampton, who personally built all his talkboxes.

The music video, directed by Wayne Isham, brought the song’s spirit of urgency and rebellion to life. It stars Will Estes and Shiri Appleby as Tommy and Gina, the everyday heroes of the Bon Jovi universe. The video opens with Tommy watching a Bon Jovi concert online before receiving a call from Gina, urging him to rush to the show. What follows is a cinematic sprint through the streets of Los Angeles — a wild dash inspired by the 1998 German film “Run Lola Run”. Tommy races past traffic jams, dodges dogs, encounters Elvis impersonators, and dives through the city’s iconic 2nd Street Tunnel before finally reaching the concert. Jon Bon Jovi personally cast Estes after meeting him on the set of U-571, where both appeared.

Two decades after its release, “It’s My Life” has transcended its era to become one of Bon Jovi’s defining anthems. During the Ukrainian resistance against Russia, videos circulated of Ukrainians singing the song while preparing to defend their cities. In 2023, former New Jersey governor Chris Christie presented Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky with a handwritten copy of the song’s lyrics by Jon Bon Jovi himself.

GO-GO’S - HEAD OVER HEELS

Released: February 21, 1984

Charts:  US: #11 

In 1984, The Go-Go’s released “Head Over Heels,” a sparkling burst of pop perfection that would become one of their defining songs—and their last major hit before the band imploded. Written by Charlotte Caffey and Kathy Valentine and produced by Martin Rushent (best known for his work with The Human League), the track served as the lead single from their third studio album, “Talk Show”. It reached No. 11 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Caffey and Valentine crafted “Head Over Heels” during a period of mounting tension within the band. Their first album, “Beauty and the Beat”, had made history as the first LP by an all-female band to top the US charts. The follow-up, “Vacation” fared respectably but hinted at creative strain. By “Talk Show”, those pressures—fame, exhaustion, money disputes, and artistic friction—were bubbling to the surface.

Yet from that turmoil came one of their most finely tuned songs. The effervescent melody, powered by Caffey’s newly introduced piano hook, belied lyrics that were deeply introspective. “This is one where I had a lot of phrases I’d written down,” Valentine recalled. “They started connecting—things like ‘One hand is reaching out, and one’s just hanging on.’ It was about self-reflection and realizing that certain areas of life were getting out of control.”

Caffey remembered the song’s creation as a moment of musical exploration. “I played piano and had never really used it in The Go-Go’s,” she said. “I thought, maybe it’d be cool to try something with a different tonality. I came up with the hooky part in the beginning and asked Kathy to help me finish it.”

The result was a polished, emotionally complex pop gem that felt both joyous and weary—an unintentional reflection of the band’s own state. Lead singer Belinda Carlisle later told The New York Times that “Head Over Heels” symbolized the end of an era: “That was the beginning of the end, that album. We were run ragged and didn’t know how to say no. The song has an upbeat melody, but lyrically it really captures the darker side of fame and fortune.”

The accompanying music video, featuring the band performing amid surreal cutaway shots—including Wiedlin reading a book and a USair Boeing 727 taxiing in the background—played in heavy rotation on MTV, capturing the group’s signature mix of cheeky humor and unshakable cool.

Years later, “Head Over Heels” would find new life as the title of a Broadway jukebox musical inspired by The Go-Go’s catalog. Director Michael Mayer described the song as “the perfect expression of love turning you upside down,” echoing the same dizzy emotional rush that made it a pop treasure in the first place.

BELINDA CARLISLE - MAD ABOUT YOU

Released: May 5, 1986

Charts:  UK: #67  US: #3 

When Belinda Carlisle stepped out on her own in 1986, few doubted that she would make a splash—but her debut solo single, “Mad About You,” proved she could shine without The Go-Go’s. Written by Paula Jean Brown, James Whelan, and Mitchel Young Evans, and produced by Michael Lloyd, the song introduced Carlisle’s signature mix of California warmth, glossy pop production, and unabashed romanticism. It soared to No. 3 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and claimed the top spot in Canada.

The song had its roots in The Go-Go’s final chapter. Guitarist Jane Wiedlin had recently left the group and was replaced by Paula Jean Brown, who co-wrote “Mad About You” while the band was still together in 1985. The group performed at the Rock in Rio festival that year and began work on what would have been their fourth album—but creative tensions led to their breakup. Carlisle, still under contract with I.R.S. Records, began recording her first solo project, with the support of her former bandmates Wiedlin, Brown, and Charlotte Caffey, who all contributed to the album Belinda.

At its heart, “Mad About You” is a straightforward and joyful love song—an exuberant confession of being hopelessly enamored. It perfectly captured Carlisle’s effervescent persona and helped establish her as a formidable solo artist. The title would later find renewed cultural attention when NBC launched the hit sitcom Mad About You in 1992, though the show and the song were unrelated.

Carlisle’s solo debut marked a striking shift in both sound and image. Gone were the punky thrift-shop aesthetics of The Go-Go’s era; in their place came a sleeker, more glamorous presence suited to the glossy pop landscape of the mid-’80s. Director Leslie Libman’s music video reflected this transformation, featuring shimmering beachside scenes filmed around Palisades Park in Santa Monica, California. The video also featured Andy Taylor of Duran Duran and Carlisle’s husband, Morgan Mason. Even when surrounded by sun and surf, Carlisle exuded an effortless elegance—her new look polished but still approachable.

Behind the scenes, Carlisle’s success was buoyed by a circle of talented collaborators. While she wasn’t known as a songwriter, her powerful voice and magnetic charisma made her the ideal interpreter of pop songs crafted by top-tier writers and producers. The formula worked: after “Mad About You,” she continued her rise with “Heaven Is a Place on Earth”—a global No. 1 that would launch her status as an international star.

Meanwhile, her former Go-Go’s bandmates each pursued their own creative paths. Jane Wiedlin embarked on a solo career and dabbled in acting, while Charlotte Caffey co-wrote for Carlisle’s early solo records and later formed The Graces with Meredith Brooks. Though that group dissolved after one album, Caffey remained an active and respected songwriter.

“Mad About You” was the perfect bridge between The Go-Go’s spirited pop-rock and Carlisle’s more mature solo sound.

GO-GO’S - THE WHOLE WORLD LOST ITS HEAD

Released: November 1994

Charts:  UK: #29 

Released in 1994 as one of three new tracks on “Return to the Valley of The Go-Go’s”, “The Whole World Lost Its Head” marked a witty and sharp-edged comeback for the pioneering all-female band. Written by Jane Wiedlin and Kathy Valentine, the song channeled the group’s signature buoyant pop-rock sound while pairing it with tongue-in-cheek social commentary on the absurdities of modern life. The music video, directed by Roger Avary (best known for his work on Pulp Fiction and Killing Zoe), was filmed in the fall of 1994 with cinematography by Tom Richmond and editing by Sloane Klevin. 

Although the single stalled just outside the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at No. 8 on the Bubbling Under chart, it became the band’s first and only Top 40 hit in the UK, reaching No. 29—a curious feat for a group that had once dominated the American new wave scene of the early 1980s.

The Go-Go’s had disbanded in 1985 after releasing three acclaimed albums, but their chemistry proved too strong to stay dormant for long. Nearly a decade later, they reunited to record several new songs for their two-disc retrospective compilation, “Return to the Valley of The Go-Go’s”, which celebrated both their punk roots and pop triumphs. 

Jane Wiedlin recalled the song’s origins: “We were sitting around just sort of musing about how nutty the world has become, and I think Kathy said, ‘Well, what about this line for a title: The Whole World Lost Its Head.’ I was actually kind of unsure about it as a title—it didn’t roll off the tongue—but we just started, for fun, writing all these silly lyrics—silly but true, and topical. Before we knew it, the song had taken shape. We ended up cutting some of the silliest lines—sometimes I regret that. One was about plastic surgeons giving everyone Spock ears, which still cracks me up.”

The song’s bright melodies and jangling guitars belie its lyrical edge. It’s a sardonic reflection on vanity, consumerism, and chaos—a playful take on a world that seems to have spun off its axis. Wiedlin and Valentine’s collaborative spark is evident, balancing humor with bite, much like The Go-Go’s themselves.

Decades later, The Go-Go’s continued to keep the song alive in concert, updating the lyrics for live performances in 2018 and 2025 to reflect the ever-changing absurdities of modern culture.

JANE WIEDLIN - RUSH HOUR

Released: May 1988

Charts:  UK: #12    US: #9 

Released in 1988 as the lead single from her second solo album “Fur”, “Rush Hour” became Jane Wiedlin’s biggest solo hit, peaking at No. 9 on the US Billboard Hot 100, No. 12 in the UK, and No. 8 in Ireland. Backed with the album track “End of Love”, the song remains a bright, infectious slice of late-’80s pop — combining buoyant melodies with Wiedlin’s distinctive voice and quirky charm.

A founding member and guitarist of the pioneering all-female band The Go-Go’s, Wiedlin had already helped define early ’80s new wave. But with “Rush Hour,” she give pure, joyful pop sensibility, stepping into her own as a solo artist. The track was co-written and produced with Peter Rafelson, a longtime collaborator.

Reflecting on its creation, Wiedlin explained: “Peter and I had a great chemistry for writing. We’d write songs really quickly — definitely under an hour — which I always think is the mark of a good song, when it just flows out of you. I’d been driving around L.A. and getting stuck in traffic, thinking how the phrase ‘rush hour’ sounds like it should mean the opposite of what it does. It sounds exciting, but really, it’s a drag. So I played around with the idea that it could make a fun song title. I took it to Peter, and we just whipped that puppy out.” 

Wiedlin’s love for classic pop craftsmanship shines through in “Rush Hour.” She has often cited 1960s bubblegum pop — artists like The Archies and Tommy James & The Shondells — as major influences, and this single captures that same breezy spirit and irresistible hook-driven appeal.

The music video offers a playful twist on the song’s title. Rather than depicting literal traffic, it features Wiedlin performing intercut with serene, whimsical footage of her swimming with dolphins — a lighthearted visual that mirrors the song’s joyful tone and oceanic sense of freedom.

ALL-4-ONE - I SWEAR

Publicat: 22 d’abril de 1994

Llistes: Regne Unit: #2 · EUA: #1 (11 setmanes)

Quan All-4-One van publicar la seva versió d’“I Swear” l’abril de 1994, van transformar una balada country en una de les cançons pop/R&B d’amor més grans de la dècada. Originalment enregistrada per John Michael Montgomery —la seva versió havia arribat al número 1 de la llista Country durant quatre setmanes aquell mateix any—, la cançó va ser reimaginada amb harmonies exuberants i una producció elegant a càrrec de David Foster. La versió d’All-4-One va pujar ràpidament al número 1 del Billboard Hot 100, on s’hi va mantenir durant onze setmanes consecutives, convertint-se en un dels èxits més grans dels anys noranta.

La balada havia estat escrita el 1987 per Gary Baker i Frank J. Myers, col·laboradors habituals que inicialment havien intentat oferir la cançó a diversos artistes de Nashville sense èxit. Va romandre inèdita durant anys fins que Montgomery la va gravar el 1993, donant-li la seva primera vida com a èxit country. En reconèixer-ne el potencial per al mercat pop, Atlantic Records va encarregar a All-4-One —un grup vocal recentment format a Califòrnia— que en fessin una versió pop. Mentre la versió de Montgomery encara triomfava a les llistes country, la d’All-4-One arribava a la ràdio pop pocs mesos després, explotant com un fenomen global.

La lletra, un jurament d’amor romàntic incondicional, tenia un atractiu universal. La versió d’All-4-One hi va fer un petit però significatiu canvi: en la segona estrofa, Montgomery cantava “And when there’s silver in your hair” (“I quan hi hagi plata als teus cabells”) —una frase típica de la narrativa country—, mentre que el grup d’R&B la va substituir per “And when just the two of us are there” (“I quan només hi siguem tu i jo”), fent que el missatge fos més accessible. El videoclip, dirigit per Marcus Nispel, tenia l’estètica d’una fantasia nupcial brillant i romàntica.

Als Estats Units, “I Swear” es va convertir en una de les balades més representatives de 1994, només rivalitzada per “I’ll Make Love to You” de Boyz II Men. Al Regne Unit, es va mantenir al número 2 durant set setmanes consecutives, bloquejada per “Love Is All Around” de Wet Wet Wet, un altre èxit imparable. Tot i això, el single d’All-4-One va passar un total de 18 setmanes a les llistes i es va convertir en un èxit mundial, liderant els rànquings d’Europa i Oceania. Als Premis Grammy de 1995, la cançó va guanyar el guardó a Millor interpretació pop d’un duo o grup amb veu.

ALL-4-ONE - I SWEAR

Released : April 22, 1994

Charts:  UK: #2   US: #1 (11 weeks)

When All-4-One released their cover of “I Swear” in April 1994, it transformed a country ballad into one of the biggest pop/R&B love songs of the decade. Originally recorded by John Michael Montgomery, whose version had topped the Country chart for four weeks earlier that year, the song was reimagined with lush harmonies and sleek production by David Foster. All-4-One’s rendition quickly rose to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, where it stayed for 11 consecutive weeks, making it one of the longest-running chart-toppers of the ’90s.

The ballad was written back in 1987 by Gary Baker and Frank J. Myers, longtime collaborators who first pitched the song around Nashville but couldn’t find a taker. It sat dormant for years until Montgomery cut it in 1993, giving it its first life as a country hit. Recognizing the song’s crossover potential, Atlantic Records commissioned All-4-One—then a brand-new vocal group from California—to record a pop version. With Montgomery’s version still climbing the country charts, All-4-One’s interpretation hit pop radio just months later, exploding into a global phenomenon.

The song’s lyric, a vow of unwavering romantic devotion, carried universal appeal. All-4-One’s version made one small but notable change: in the second verse, Montgomery had sung “And when there’s silver in your hair”—a line fit for country storytelling—but the R&B group replaced it with “And when just the two of us are there,” keeping the sentiment timeless and accessible to a wider audience. The accompanying Marcus Nispel–directed music video played like a glossy wedding fantasy.

In the US, “I Swear” became one of the defining ballads of 1994, only rivaled by Boyz II Men’s “I’ll Make Love to You.” In the UK, it stalled at #2 for seven consecutive weeks, blocked by Wet Wet Wet’s “Love Is All Around,” itself an unstoppable smash. Still, All-4-One’s single spent a total of 18 weeks on the chart and became a global hit, topping charts across Europe and Oceania. At the 1995 Grammy Awards, the song won Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals.