Bounce (Bon Jovi Album) - Recording and Production

Recording and Production

The album produced by Luke Ebbin, represented a return to Bon Jovi's "roots" with Richie Sambora playing heavily distorted guitars, gravelly vocals by Jon Bon Jovi, keyboard effects and piano's by David Bryan and booming drums by Tico Torres.

Jon Bon Jovi states that:

Production on this record was somewhat simple in the approach that if it's not broke, don't fix it. We had a great relationship last time with Luke Ebbin, who is a young up-and-coming producer. He did a fine job on Crush and then we'd incorporate the talents of anybody and everybody that would come in the studio. Our managers always say, "There's no 'I' in team." It's a great collaborative effort in every aspect of this record. My ego's not big enough that I have to worry about that. I'm not vain enough to think that my - or even Richie and I's - ideas are the 'be all and end all'. It's not a "you can't look until it's finished process," it's "What do you think?" and then you step back from the canvas, and then when you move up to it again, you have a better perspective of what you're painting.

The lead single, "Everyday" was written as a response to how the band felt about how to move on after September 11. "Undivided" speaks more specifically of the aftermath of September 11. The song "Open All Night" was written in response to how Jon Bon Jovi felt about the ending of the TV series Ally McBeal. He portrayed the boyfriend of star Calista Flockhart in the final series, and was upset that his character was written out in the way it was. The producers of the show allegedly asked Jon to stay on for a few extra episodes, so that his character, Victor, could marry Ally. Jon Bon Jovi refused on the grounds that his wife was heavily pregnant with their son, Jake, and so Victor had to be written out quicker than was hoped. Jon Bon Jovi wrote "Open All Night" as his way of expressing how he wished the character had ended. The title track, "Bounce", was dedicated to NFL Head Coach Bill Belichick of the New England Patriots and close friend of Bon Jovi. The song alludes to the various hardships Belichick experienced before finally winning a Super Bowl. Alternatively, many also felt the song spoke of the nation's rebound following September 11.

Regarding the album's lyrical content, Jon Bon Jovi noted:

I think that an album has to be an encapsulized version of a time in my life, a period. And, in this case, it's a year since the last tour ended. So, from the end of July in 2001, to the year 2002, what happened? Well, other things, but 9/11 happened. You have cute romantic songs, you have fun rock songs, and you're gonna have the storytelling, more classic songs that are the makings of what is Bounce. Because you want a beginning, a middle and a end. I want it to be like a book or a movie, where we're taking somebody on a journey of what's gone on in my life in the last year. And though 9/11 played a part in it - a big part in it - a sobering part in it, that was just one aspect. And I didn't want it to be overly sentimental, overly patriotic, but certainly acknowledging what myself, the band and the country have been through.

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