Keep The Faith - Release and Reception

Release and Reception

In the US, Keep The Faith debuted at number five on the Billboard 200 Top Albums on November 1992. It fell to number seven the following week. In January 1993, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) certified it platinum. The album was viewed as a commercial disappointment, despite surpassing the 1 million sales mark in two months. As Jon Bon Jovi said:

"When the record came out in America and it didn’t come in at number one, people were very quick to say it was over. Was I worried? Probably, yeah. But it was like, if it’s done, it’s been a pretty good ten years. It took two or three singles to get it up over two million in America - which isn’t too bad for a failure. So there were new rhythms, especially in the album's title track, along with a new kind of social concern, and, for the first time in the band's career, the fans didn't immediately respond. I hoped it was going to be wow, look at the chances the band took. But you knew when you played St.Louis and broke into the new songs and nobody moved, that wasn't what you'd been used to. I had to go out there and prove "Keep The Faith" was a good song."

The album was even more successful on the other side of the Atlantic, peaking at number one in the UK and reaching gold status in Germany in its first week. "Keep The Faith" had sold twice as good as "Slippery When Wet" and "New Jersey", selling over a million copies in Germany. It was the second best selling album of 1993 in Germany. In Canada, the album certified five times platinum by CRIA and nominated for best selling album of the year at the Juno Awards. By the end of 1993, Keep The Faith had sold 8 million copies worldwide. In October 1994, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) certified the album double platinum.

The singles success of Keep The Faith was more successful overseas than in Bon Jovi's native United States: in the UK alone, six of the singles from the album all reached the UK top twenty, the most for a Bon Jovi album there.

The album's first single, "Keep The Faith", was released on October 1992 a month before the album. On the US Billboard charts, the song topped the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart while reaching number twenty nine on the Billboard Hot 100. Elsewhere, reaching top ten on the singles charts in UK, Ireland, Canada, Switzerland, Germany, Sweden, Norway, The Netherlands and Australia.

"Bed of Roses" was released as the second single. On the US Billboard charts, the song reached number ten on the Hot 100. Elsewhere, it reached number two in Canada and number ten in Australia and Germany.

Three more commercial singles were released in 1993. "In These Arms", released in May, reaching number six in Canada, number nine in the UK, number ten in the Australia and Ireland. It also hit the Top 40 in the US Billboard Hot 100. "I'll Sleep When I'm Dead", released in August reached number seventeen in UK. I Believe" was released only in Europe and Australia. It reached number eleven on the UK Singles Chart in October. In April 1994, album's last single was released only in Europe and Australia. "Dry County" reached number nine on the UK Singles Chart.