Emboldened by the success of Cross Road, Bon Jovi stepped confidently into a new era, shedding the remnants of a youthful 80s rock persona for a more mature, introspective sound. As the grunge wave washed many of their contemporaries off the charts, Bon Jovi remained, crafting an album that navigated the turbulence of the times with lyrical and musical freedom.

These Days

Chapters

Date

Album

1994

Tour

1995

Legacy

1995

Album —

These Days took eleven months to write...

– by Bon Jovi standards, a very long time. Originally titled "Strip," the album was meant to offer a musically stripped-down approach while showcasing the band's many influences across genres. Critics lauded These Days as another leap forward in Bon Jovi's maturity, songwriting, and musicianship. Rolling Stone's album review said simply, "The fact is, nobody does this better." Bon Jovi had turned nearly a year of soul-searching, rewriting, and musical freedom into an album that only a band seasoned by time and trials could deliver.

At this point, we have the creative freedom and we’re growing as writers. So we’re not worrying, we’re just DOING.

Jon Bon Jovi, 1995

I wrote it on the island of Mustique. It's probably the most introspective song on the record and it stretches us musically.

Jon Bon Jovi, 1995

"Something to Believe In" Lyrics

"This Ain't A Love Song" Early Lyrics

"Something For The Pain" Lyrics

"Lie to Me" Early Lyrics

"These Days" Early Lyrics

Jon's Liner Notes

We’re very optimistic songwriters… There’s such a sense of pessimism in the world today, and maybe it’s our upbringing, but it leads us back to optimism.

Jon Bon Jovi, 1995

"Hey God" Lyrics

Studio Demos

The greatest hits started to do so well, it gave us such a great feeling going into this record. In my opinion, These Days is probably the best Bon Jovi record to date. The writing is superior… the lyric writing is much more concise and mature. I hope everybody is going to like it.

Richie Sambora, 1995

These Days Song Notes

Outtakes from a These Days photoshoot. Photographer Mark Seliger traveled with the band to the Hotel California in Baja for most of the photos taken for These Days. Seliger also photographed the album art for Bon Jovi's 2024 release, Forever.

Photos: Mark Seliger

These Days Baja Outtakes

1:21

Selecting Album Art

The Singles

0:55

Making of "This Ain't A Love Song" Video

0:25

These Days Commercials

7:48

“Lie To Me” Video Edit

1:36

Making of “Lie To Me” Video

Tour —

It’s one of the highest highs you can get when you’re out there in front of 80,000 people and they all know your song.

Richie Sambora, Bon Jovi These Days: Welcome to Berlin, 1995

Beginning in Bombay, India, on April 26, 1995, and ending July 19, 1996, in Helsinki Finland, the These Days tour was Bon Jovi's biggest production to date.

Still, the band was determined to recreate the fun and close connection with the audience of their early shows in New Jersey. Easy solution - bring the bar to the stage. The tour's enormous crowds were treated to a hometown with a working bar on either side of the stage equipped with running taps and bartenders.

The fans weren't the only ones having a great time. The band made sure to reflect and soak up the spoils of their hard work at every tour stop. "All the milestones have been met and exceeded beyond our wildest expectations. Now the thinking is, go out there and have a blast. And when you’re walking away from the stage…take it in. It’s really about enjoying the ride for a change."