| Forever | |
| Type: | studio |
| Artist: | Bon Jovi |
| Cover: | Bon Jovi - Forever.png |
| Alt: | Jon Bon Jovi on a city street with his back turned to the camera, wearing a jacket that has the band name and album title on it |
| Genre: | Rock |
| Length: | 48:41 |
| Label: | Island |
| Producer: |
|
| Prev Title: | 2020 |
| Prev Year: | 2020 |
Forever is the sixteenth studio album by American rock band Bon Jovi, released on June 7, 2024, through Island Records. It was preceded by the singles "Legendary" and "Living Proof". It is their first studio album recorded with longtime producer John Shanks on rhythm guitar and Everett Bradley on backing vocals as official member.
The album is Bon Jovi's first since Jon Bon Jovi had vocal cord surgery in 2022, which was part of the band's 2024 Hulu docuseries Thank You, Goodnight: The Bon Jovi Story,[1] released in conjunction with the band's 40th anniversary. After his recovery, Bon Jovi regained his joy and confidence, inspiring him to start writing music again.[2]
The album opens with the pop-rock song "Legendary", which reflects on the past while looking forward to the future. Bon Jovi explained: "I just feel that there's an opportunity for me to leave a legacy that was there to do some good and maybe just cause a little ripple in the sea."[3] "Living Proof" is the first Bon Jovi song in 14 years that features the use of the talk box, being last used in their 2010 song "This Is Love This Is Life."[4] This sound effect is famously known from their hits "It's My Life" and "Livin' on a Prayer".[5]
"Kiss the Bride" is a wedding song written by Bon Jovi for his daughter, Stephanie Bongiovi.[6] "Living in Paradise" is a collaboration song with British songwriter/singer Ed Sheeran. The song was composed during a weekend when Ed and his family were at Jon Bon Jovi's house. The composition began when Ed started asking for Jon's advice regarding his life experiences.[7] "My First Guitar" is a song composed by Bon Jovi using his very first guitar, which he managed to repurchase from the person he sold it to 45 years ago.[8]
In October 2023, MusiCares announced that Jon Bon Jovi had been selected as the 2024 Person of the Year.[9] During the gala event on February 2, 2024, the band performed "Legendary" for the first time.[10] On March 12, a video titled "Bon Jovi Forever" was uploaded to the band's YouTube channel, announcing the album title and the release of the lead single "Legendary" on March 14.[11] The video also included snippets of the songs "We Made It Look Easy", "Living Proof", and "Waves". On May 15, the band announced that the second single "Living Proof" would be released on May 17.[12] On May 20, the band began posting track-by-track commentary and snippets of each song's chorus on their social media.[13] The album was released on June 7.
Forever received a score of 61 out of 100 on review aggregator Metacritic based on five critics' reviews, indicating "generally favorable" reception. AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine wrote that "as the first record Bon Jovi has made since their singer's surgery, it also functions as an unveiling of a revived band" and "this sense of refinement suits a group who knows they're a bit older and a bit slower than they were 40 years ago but they're grateful to still be happy doing what they're doing all these decades later." Steve Beebee of Kerrang! called Forever "an album by an artist who has much to celebrate and nothing left to prove" and found that the music "has a kind of open-road joy about it. The songs are reflective, certainly, and often chime with Bon Jovi classics of the past." Bryan Rolli of Ultimate Classic Rock wrote that "the guitars are sterile, the lyrics are treacly and you can telegraph exactly where the band's going to drop out for Bon Jovi to utter the hook—yet despite your best efforts, these songs will lodge themselves in your brain, because that's what this band does best."[1]
Classic Rocks Philip Wilding wrote that unlike the "pretty much solo" 2020, "Forever sounds like a Bon Jovi album. Rock songs, power ballads, it's a big-sounding record designed to be played to big rooms." Carla Feric, reviewing the album for The Independent, concluded that "The album diverges from past material, but Jon Bon Jovi's powerful vocals have not faltered and the band's instrumentals keep the tracks catchy and fresh – making the listener want to keep this one on repeat."
All tracks are produced by Jon Bon Jovi and John Shanks, except "Living in Paradise", produced by Bon Jovi, Shanks and Joe Rubel
Bon Jovi
Additional musicians
Technical
| Peak position | ||
| Australian Albums (ARIA)[14] | 4 | |
|---|---|---|
| Croatian International Albums (HDU)[15] | 28 | |
| Hungarian Physical Albums (MAHASZ)[16] | 12 | |
| Italian Albums (FIMI)[17] | 25 | |
| Japanese Combined Albums (Oricon)[18] | 6 | |
| Japanese Hot Albums (Billboard Japan)[19] | 5 | |
| New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[20] | 28 | |
| Swedish Physical Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[21] | 3 | |
| US Top Rock & Alternative Albums (Billboard)[22] | 2 |
| Position | ||
| Japanese Albums (Oricon)[23] | 10 |
|---|