Album
New Jersey
New Jersey is Bon Jovi's fourth studio album, released on 19 September 1988 by Mercury Records. It followed Slippery When Wet and was produced by Bruce Fairbairn, who recorded it at Little Mountain Sound Studios in Vancouver. The title nods to the band's home state. It debuted at number eight on the Billboard 200 and climbed to number one in its second week, staying there for four weeks. In the UK it went straight in at the top, a first for the band.
The record spun off five Billboard Hot 100 top ten hits, more than any other hard rock album to date, with "Bad Medicine" and "I'll Be There for You" both reaching number one. It was certified 7× platinum in the US in 1996. It also became the first American album officially released in the USSR, through the state label Melodiya. A repackaged edition with bonus tracks marked the band's 30th anniversary in 2014.
New Jersey on Riffology
riffology.co →
New Jersey: tracklist, credits and charts
12 tracks · 57:36Tracklist
- 1Lay Your Hands on MeJon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora5:59
- 2Bad MedicineJovi, Child, Sambora5:17
- 3Born to Be My BabyJovi, Child, Sambora4:40
- 4Living in SinJon Bon Jovi4:39
- 5Blood on BloodJovi, Child, Sambora6:17
- 6Homebound TrainJon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora5:11
- 7Wild Is the WindJovi, Child, Sambora, Warren5:09
- 8Ride Cowboy RideJon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora1:25
- 9Stick to Your GunsJovi, Knight, Sambora4:45
- 10I’ll Be There for YouJon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora5:47
- 1199 in the ShadeJon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora4:30
- 12Love for SaleJon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora3:57
- Produced by
- Bruce Fairbairn
- Recorded at
- Little Mountain Sound, Chalet Sound, Little Mountain (Vancouver, Canada)
- Recorded
- 1 May – 31 July 1988
- Mixed by
- Bob Rock
- Mixed at
- Little Mountain Sound
- Engineered by
- Bob Rock, John Allen, Chris Cavallaro
- Mastered by
- George Marino
- Artwork
- Jon Bon Jovi, Hugh Syme
- Photography
- Timothy White, Cameron Wong
- Labels
- Mercury Records, Mercury (North America), Vertigo (worldwide)
- Length
- 57:36
Line-up
- Jon Bon Jovi · harmonica, acoustic guitar, background vocals, lead vocals
- David Bryan · keyboard, background vocals
- Gouin Morris · percussion
- Richie Sambora · acoustic guitar, electric guitar, mandolin, background vocals
- Alec John Such · bass guitar, background vocals
- Tico Torres · percussion, drums (drum set)
- Joanie Bye · background vocals · guest
- Lovena Fox · background vocals · guest
- Linda Hunt · background vocals · guest
- Cecille Larochelle · background vocals · guest
- Sue Leonard · background vocals · guest
- Joanie Taylor · background vocals · guest
- Scott Fairbairn · cello · guest
- Audrey Nordwell · cello · guest
Singles
- “Bad Medicine” · 12 September 1988
- “Born to Be My Baby” · November 1988
- “I'll Be There for You” · February 1989
- “Lay Your Hands on Me” · May 1989
- “Living in Sin” · September 1989
Peak chart positions
| Chart | Peak |
|---|---|
| UK Albums Chart · 1988–1989 | 1 |
| US Billboard 200 · 1988–1989 | 1 |
| Australian Albums (ARIA) · 1988–1989 | 1 |
| New Zealand Albums · 1988–1989 | 1 |
| Swedish Albums · 1988–1989 | 1 |
| Swiss Albums · 1988–1989 | 1 |
| Finnish Albums (The Official Finnish Charts) · 1988–1989 | 2 |
| Japanese Albums (Oricon) · 1988–1989 | 2 |
| Canadian Albums · 1988–1989 | 3 |
| German Albums · 1988–1989 | 4 |
All 20 charts
| Norwegian Albums · 1988–1989 | 4 |
| Austrian Albums · 1988–1989 | 5 |
| UK Rock & Metal Albums · 1995–1997 | 8 |
| Italian Albums (Musica e Dischi) · 1988–1989 | 10 |
| Spanish Albums (AFYVE) · 1988–1989 | 21 |
| Dutch Albums · 1988–1989 | 36 |
| Finnish Albums · 2014 | 36 |
| Scottish Albums · 2014 | 44 |
| Belgian Albums (Flanders) · 2014 | 128 |
| Belgian Albums (Wallonia) · 2014 | 150 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification |
|---|---|
| Australia | 2× Platinum |
| Austria · 1994 | Platinum |
| Canada | 5× Platinum |
| Finland · 1996 | Platinum |
| Germany | Platinum |
| Ireland · 1989 | Gold |
| Italy | Gold |
| Japan · 1989 | Gold |
| Mexico · 1989 | Gold |
| New Zealand | Platinum |
| Norway · 1989 | Gold |
| Spain · 1988 | Platinum |
| Sweden · 1988 | Gold |
| Switzerland · 1989 | Platinum |
| Switzerland · 1998 | Gold |
| United Kingdom | 2× Platinum |
| United States | 7× Platinum |
From MusicBrainz, Wikipedia and Wikidata. Only what the sources record is shown.
82.8
Popularity (0–100, vs the whole vault)
5.2k
ListenBrainz listeners
109k
Wikipedia views, last 12 months
35k
Deezer fans (all editions)
Released the same week
Also released on 19 September
Every year →
More from Bon Jovi
Full discography →
Bon Jovi
1984
7800° Fahrenheit
1985
Slippery When Wet
1986
Born to Be My Baby
1988
Hard & Hot
1991
Keep the Faith
1992
Bon Jovi Keep the Faith: An Evening With Bon Jovi 1993
Keep the Faith: An Evening With Bon Jovi
1993
Cross Road
1994
These Days
1995
Crush
2000
One Wild Night: Live 1985–2001
2001
Bounce
2002
This Left Feels Right
2003
100,000,000 Bon Jovi Fans Can't Be Wrong
2004
Have a Nice Day
2005
Live From the Have a Nice Day Tour
2006
Lost Highway
2007
Lost Highway: The Concert
2007
The Circle
2009
Greatest Hits: The Ultimate Collection
2010
Inside Out
2012
What About Now
2013
Burning Bridges
2015
This House Is Not for Sale
2016
This House Is Not for Sale: Live From the London Palladium
2016
2020
2020
Forever
2024
The best of 1988
All of 1988 →
…And Justice for All
Metallica · 1988
Surfer Rosa
Pixies · 1988
Seventh Son of a Seventh Son
Iron Maiden · 1988
G N’ R Lies
Guns N’ Roses · 1988
Green
R.E.M. · 1988
So Far, So Good… So What!
Megadeth · 1988
Blow Up Your Video
AC/DC · 1988
South of Heaven
Slayer · 1988
No Rest for the Wicked
Ozzy Osbourne · 1988
Delicate Sound of Thunder
Pink Floyd · 1988
EP
Guns N’ Roses · 1988
Operation: Mindcrime
Queensrÿche · 1988
More on Mercury Records
The label →Slippery When Wet
Bon Jovi · 1986
Hysteria
Def Leppard · 1987
The $5.98 E.P.: Garage Days Re‐Revisited
Metallica · 1987
Bon Jovi
Bon Jovi · 1984
These Days
Bon Jovi · 1995
Crush
Bon Jovi · 2000
Adrenalize
Def Leppard · 1992
Beyond Magnetic
Metallica · 2011
Bounce
Bon Jovi · 2002
7800° Fahrenheit
Bon Jovi · 1985
America’s Least Wanted
Ugly Kid Joe · 1992
Burning Bridges
Bon Jovi · 2015
Releases and pressings
How we know the release date wikipedia + musicbrainz; also seen: 1988-09-13 (wikidata)
| Source | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|
| MusicBrainz | 19 September 1988 | |
| Wikipedia infobox | 19 September 1988 | |
| Wikidata | 13 September 1988 | |
| US release | 1988 | earliest US date |
| UK / Europe release | 19 September 1988 | earliest UK or European date |
35 editions
| Date | Country | Label | Barcode | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | XE | Universal Music Group | 602537807611 | deluxe |
| — | XE | Jambco | 042283634527 | other |
| 1988 | GB | Mercury Records | 731453802421 | other |
| 1988 | CA | Mercury Records | 042283634527 | other |
| 1988 | CA | Columbia House | other | |
| 1988 | XE | Jambco | 042283634527 | other |
| 1988 | US | Mercury Records | 042283634527 | other |
| 1988 | XE | Vertigo | 042283634527 | other |
| 1988 | US | Mercury Records | 042283634527 | other |
| 1988 | US | Mercury Records | 042283634510 | other |
| 1988 | US | Jambco | other | |
| 1988 | GB | Vertigo | 042283634527 | other |
| 1988 | US | Mercury Records | 042283634527 | other |
| 1988 | US | Mercury Records | 731453802421 | other |
| September 1988 | US | PolyGram | 042283634527 | other |
| 19 September 1988 | JP | Mercury Records | 4988011312526 | original |
| 19 September 1988 | XE | Vertigo | 042283634510 | original |
| 1998 | US | — | other | |
| 11 November 1998 | JP | Mercury Records | 4988011360787 | other |
| 9 February 1999 | US | Mercury Records | 731453809024 | remaster |
| 7 March 2007 | JP | Mercury Records | 4988005442390 | other |
| 2010 | XE | Mercury Records | 602527366906 | other |
| 11 May 2010 | US | Mercury Records | 602527361659 | other |
| 23 June 2010 | JP | Universal International | 4988005611130 | other |
| 23 June 2010 | JP | Island | 4988005611130 | deluxe |
| 2014 | US | Island Def Jam | 602537864379 | deluxe |
| 1 July 2014 | US | Island Def Jam | 602537895861 | other |
| 1 July 2014 | US | Island Def Jam | 602537895854 | other |
| 8 July 2014 | XE | Mercury Records | 0602537891306 | remaster |
| 16 July 2014 | JP | Mercury Records | 4988005832771 | other |
| 16 July 2014 | JP | Mercury Records | 4988005832801 | deluxe |
| 18 July 2014 | XE | Mercury Records | 602537843282 | deluxe |
| 23 January 2024 | US | Island | 0602537911370 | other |
| April 2024 | XW | Mercury Records | other | |
| — | — | Island | 602537911387 | deluxe |
Cover art sources
itunes · native: native 1500x1500
| Source | Size | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| itunes ✓ | 1500×1500 | native: native 1500x1500 |
| coverartarchive | 1400×1390 | upscaled |
| deezer | 1200×1200 | upscaled |
| fanarttv | 1000×1000 | upscaled |