Album
The Circle
The Circle is Bon Jovi's eleventh studio album, released on 10 November 2009 through Island. John Shanks produced it, and it arrived two years after Lost Highway, the record on which the band had made a brief detour into country music.
Here they head back towards the hard rock sound that made their name, with touches of pop rock in the mix. It went to number one in several countries, including the United States, where it sold 163,000 copies in its first week. If you've followed the band from Slippery When Wet through to Have a Nice Day, it's a return to familiar ground after an unusual left turn, and a good place to hear how they sounded as the decade closed.
The Circle: tracklist, credits and charts
12 tracks · 52:46Tracklist
- 1We Weren’t Born to FollowJon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora4:03
- 2When We Were BeautifulJovi, Falcon, Sambora5:18
- 3Work for the Working ManJovi, Brown, Sambora4:04
- 4Superman TonightJovi, Falcon, Sambora5:13
- 5BulletJon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora3:50
- 6Thorn in My SideJon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora4:07
- 7Live Before You DieJon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora4:18
- 8BrokenpromiselandJovi, Child, Sambora, Shanks4:57
- 9Love’s the Only RuleJovi, Falcon, Sambora4:38
- 10Fast CarsJovi, Child, Sambora3:17
- 11Happy NowJovi, Child, Sambora4:21
- 12Learn to LoveJovi, Child, Sambora4:40
- Produced by
- Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora, John Shanks, Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora
- Recorded at
- Henson (Hollywood, California), Sanctuary Sound II (New Jersey)
- Recorded
- 2008–09
- Mixed by
- Bob Clearmountain
- Mixed at
- Mix This!
- Engineered by
- Alex Gibson, Obie O’Brien, Mike Rew, Jeff Rothschild
- Mastered by
- George Marino
- Artwork
- Andy West
- Photography
- Kevin Westenberg
- Labels
- Island, Mercury
- Length
- 52:46
Line-up
- David Bryan · keyboard
- Richie Sambora · guitar, background vocals
- Tico Torres · percussion, drums (drum set), membranophone
- Jon Bon Jovi · lead vocals
Singles
- “We Weren't Born to Follow” · 31 August 2009
- “Superman Tonight” · 25 January 2010
- “When We Were Beautiful” · 20 May 2010
Peak chart positions
| Chart | Peak |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200 · 2009 | 1 |
| UK Albums Chart · 2009 | 2 |
| Canadian Albums (Billboard) · 2009 | 1 |
| German Albums · 2009 | 1 |
| Japanese Albums (Oricon) · 2009 | 1 |
| Scottish Albums · 2009 | 1 |
| Swiss Albums · 2009 | 1 |
| US Digital · 2009 | 1 |
| US Top Rock Albums · 2009 | 1 |
| Austrian Albums · 2009 | 2 |
All 30 charts
| European Albums (Billboard) · 2009 | 2 |
| Spanish Albums · 2009 | 3 |
| UKDigital · 2009 | 3 |
| US Tastemaker · 2009 | 3 |
| Australian Albums (ARIA) · 2009 | 4 |
| Dutch Albums · 2009 | 4 |
| Portuguese Albums · 2009 | 5 |
| Finnish Albums · 2009 | 6 |
| Irish Albums · 2009 | 7 |
| Swedish Albums · 2009 | 9 |
| Czech Albums · 2009 | 11 |
| Hungarian Albums · 2009 | 11 |
| Italian Albums · 2009 | 13 |
| Norwegian Albums · 2009 | 14 |
| Danish Albums · 2009 | 18 |
| New Zealand Albums · 2009 | 20 |
| Belgian Albums (Flanders) · 2009 | 31 |
| Mexican Albums · 2009 | 38 |
| Belgian Albums (Wallonia) · 2009 | 39 |
| French Albums · 2009 | 39 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification |
|---|---|
| Australia · 2009 | Gold |
| Canada · 2010 | Platinum |
| Germany | Gold |
| Japan · 2009 | Gold |
| Switzerland | Gold |
| United Kingdom · 2009 | Gold |
| United States · 2010 | Gold |
From MusicBrainz, Wikipedia and Wikidata. Only what the sources record is shown.
61.6
Popularity (0–100, vs the whole vault)
1.4k
ListenBrainz listeners
31k
Wikipedia views, last 12 months
14k
Deezer fans (all editions)
Released the same week
Also released on 10 November
Every year →
More from Bon Jovi
Full discography →
Bon Jovi
1984
7800° Fahrenheit
1985
Slippery When Wet
1986
New Jersey
1988
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
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 2009
All of 2009 →
21st Century Breakdown
Green Day · 2009
Invaders Must Die
The Prodigy · 2009
Liebe ist für alle da
Rammstein · 2009
Reckoning Spotify Sampler
R.E.M. · 2009
Backspacer
Pearl Jam · 2009
Black Gives Way to Blue
Alice in Chains · 2009
Save Me, San Francisco
Train · 2009
Raditude
Weezer · 2009
World Painted Blood
Slayer · 2009
Greatest Hits
Foo Fighters · 2009
Endgame
Megadeth · 2009
The Smashing Pumpkins 2008-12-07: Aragon Ballroom, Chicago, IL, USA 2009
2008-12-07: Aragon Ballroom, Chicago, IL, USA
The Smashing Pumpkins · 2009
More on Island
The label →
Pretty Hate Machine
Nine Inch Nails · 1989
All Killer No Filler
Sum 41 · 2001
Have a Nice Day
Bon Jovi · 2005
Among the Living
Anthrax · 1987
Forever
Bon Jovi · 2024
Screaming Bloody Murder
Sum 41 · 2011
Persistence of Time
Anthrax · 1990
This House Is Not for Sale
Bon Jovi · 2016
State of Euphoria
Anthrax · 1988
2020
Bon Jovi · 2020
Greatest Hits: The Ultimate Collection
Bon Jovi · 2010
100,000,000 Bon Jovi Fans Can't Be Wrong
Bon Jovi · 2004
Releases and pressings
How we know the release date wikipedia + wikidata; also seen: 2009-10-30 (musicbrainz)
| Source | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|
| MusicBrainz | 30 October 2009 | |
| Wikipedia infobox | 10 November 2009 | |
| Wikidata | 10 November 2009 | |
| US release | 10 November 2009 | earliest US date |
| UK / Europe release | 30 October 2009 | earliest UK or European date |
15 editions
| Date | Country | Label | Barcode | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | US | Island | other | |
| 2009 | XE | Island | 602527255156 | other |
| 2009 | CA | Universal Music Canada Inc. | 602527245607 | other |
| 30 October 2009 | XE | Island | 602527246949 | original |
| 2 November 2009 | DE | Island | 602527245607 | other |
| 2 November 2009 | GB | Mercury Records | other | |
| 4 November 2009 | JP | Island | 4988005579942 | other |
| 4 November 2009 | JP | Island | 4988005579966 | deluxe |
| 10 November 2009 | US | Island | 602527245591 | other |
| 10 November 2009 | US | Island | 602527245607 | other |
| 10 November 2009 | SG | Island | 602527246949 | other |
| 10 November 2009 | XW | Island | 00602527245607 | other |
| 2010 | XE | Island | 602527377056 | deluxe |
| 11 May 2010 | US | — | deluxe | |
| 23 June 2010 | JP | Island | 4988005610690 | deluxe |
Cover art sources
itunes · native: native 1500x1500
| Source | Size | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| itunes ✓ | 1500×1500 | native: native 1500x1500 |
| coverartarchive | 1200×1200 | upscaled |
| deezer | 1200×1200 | upscaled |
| fanarttv | 1000×1000 | upscaled |