Recording and Production
The album produced by Bruce Fairbairn like its predecessor and recorded at the Little Mountain Sound Studios in Vancouver, Canada. The album marked the final collaboration between Bon Jovi and producer Bruce Fairbairn.
When the Slippery When Wet Tour ended in October 1987 the band didn’t do anything for about three or four weeks. Then Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora demoed the first batch of songs. Seventeen in all. But they really started to feel the pressure then because they didn’t have the amazing song. Jon Bon Jovi said that "I really wanted to do it again, not for monetary reasons - I have plenty of money - but it was such an amazing feeling to have done what we’ve done. There was a real fear of not being able to write You Give Love A Bad Name again". Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora sat in the house and wrote the song called "Love Is War" but Jon Bon Jovi wanted to write You Give Love A Bad Name so much, it came out with exactly the same chord progression. Then they started on the second batch and they wrote "Born To Be My Baby" and "Bad Medicine" with Desmond Child. Born To Be My Baby was originally recorded acoustically, however the producer Bruce Fairbairn persuaded them to re-recorded it with electronic instruments in a harder rock style. Jon Bon Jovi has since said that he believed the song would have made #1 on the charts if it had been released in its original form. This song has similar theme to "Livin' On A Prayer," as its about a young working class couple struggling to make ends meet.
Although the glossy production and anthems from Slippery When Wet remained, band wanted to show that there was more on the new album. The album comes across as a lot more experimental with long atmosphere building intro of Lay Your Hands On Me, harmonica and organ duels of "Homebound Train" and flamenco guitar intro of "Wild Is The Wind". "Ride Cowboy Ride" sounds as if Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora are singing with their acoustic guitars in to an old tape recorder. It's a quick little song functioning as an introduction to "Stick To Your Guns". Part of the song's allure is the mono recording. The song is credited to Captain Kidd and King of Swing, the nicknames of Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora. "Love For Sale" was also recorded drunk during "one hell of a party" in a place called Chalet Sound in New Jersey.
Read more about this topic: New Jersey (album)
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