Bounce (Bon Jovi album)
| Company type | Studio album |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | October 8, 2002 |
| Founder | Bon Jovi |
| Headquarters | New Jersey , United States |
| Products | Music album |
Bounce represents the eighth studio release by the American rock group Bon Jovi, launched on October 8, 2002, via Island Records. The album was produced by Luke Ebbin, Jon Bon Jovi, and Richie Sambora and recorded at Sanctuary II Studio located in New Jersey.
The album’s title, "Bounce," symbolizes the resilience of New York City and the United States in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks, events that heavily influenced the work due to Jon Bon Jovi’s close ties to New York. The cover displays a stylized photograph of a radio telescope dish at the Very Large Array, captured by Kevin Westenberg and designed by Kevin Reagan.
Upon release, Bounce entered the Billboard 200 chart at number two, marking the band's highest-ever debut position at that time. Despite this strong opening, it was Bon Jovi’s first album not to reach Platinum certification in the United States.
Background
In July 2001, during the final phase of the One Wild Night Tour, Jon Bon Jovi revealed to Billboard that he had started composing new material intended for a follow-up to their 2000 album Crush, with recording scheduled to begin in January 2002. Additionally, the band planned to issue a box set in 2003 commemorating their 20th anniversary. Between June and October 2001, they wrote a total of 25 songs and created demos for 12, including tracks inspired by the September 11 attacks like "Standing" and "Another Reason to Believe."
After wrapping up the Crush world tour with two sold-out concerts at Giants Stadium, the band paused for three weeks before Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora resumed writing sessions in Los Angeles and New Jersey. New material was demoed in November 2001. During Jon’s acting stint on Ally McBeal, songwriting and demo production continued at producer Luke Ebbin’s residence. This phase extended until March 2002, followed by recording sessions from March through June. By early July, mixing was complete and mastering was finalized later that month.
Over approximately one year, Bon Jovi composed around 40 songs, selecting a dozen for inclusion on the album while releasing several demos as B-sides. Some compositions written as an emotional response to September 11 were left unrecorded due to their somber nature.
Lyrics and music
Longtime collaborator Desmond Child returned after a one-album hiatus to co-author four tracks on this album. The song "Undivided" draws inspiration from the September 11 attacks, conveying that "no man is an island" and emphasizing collective human strength. Similarly, "Everyday" encourages embracing life fully despite adversity, promoting perseverance. "The Distance" adopts a cinematic narrative style to depict relentless pursuit of a goal. "Joey," influenced by Elton John’s Levon, narrates a tale about a friendship with a simple-minded youth.
"Misunderstood" deals with themes of personal responsibility and was written after Jon Bon Jovi acknowledged neglecting aspects of his private life. Another track influenced by September 11, "All About Lovin' You," focuses on valuing love as a fundamental force. "Hook Me Up" tells a story inspired by a Palestinian man attempting contact through ham radio amid conflict, illustrating a yearning for connection. "Right Side of Wrong" portrays well-intentioned individuals caught up with questionable influences.
"Love Me Back to Life" expresses feelings of weariness with the world alongside a desire for rejuvenation. Inspired by the film Jerry Maguire, "You Had Me from Hello" explores recognizing ongoing beauty within a committed partnership. The title track "Bounce," initially conceived with sports themes in mind, evolved into an anthem of strength and defiance following September 11, symbolizing resilience shared by New York City, America, and the band’s own endurance over two decades.
"Open All Night" presents an exchange between characters from Ally McBeal, featuring Jon Bon Jovi’s role as Victor Morrison. The romantic subplot between Ally McBeal and Victor mirrors Bon Jovi’s personal reflections on relationships.
Critical reception
Bounce garnered a variety of responses, achieving a score of 61 out of 100 on Metacritic, which reflects generally positive reviews from a total of eight critics. Stephen Thomas Erlewine from AllMusic gave the album a 2 out of 5 rating, expressing disappointment in its absence of the distinctive character and memorable melodies that characterized Bon Jovi’s previous albums, particularly after the success of Crush. David Browne at Entertainment Weekly assigned it a grade of C, commenting that the topical nature of the songs came across as sonically harsh, diminishing the emotional resonance of post-9/11 themes into something resembling arena chants. Natalie Nichols from the Los Angeles Times rated it 2 out of 4 stars, noting the album's greater emphasis on strings and piano rather than Richie Sambora’s guitar work, which she linked to Jon Bon Jovi’s growing involvement in film and television ventures. Gavin Edwards at Rolling Stone offered a 3 out of 5 score, interpreting the album as a comforting message that life goes on after 9/11, despite lacking lyrical subtlety. A more favorable review came from Sputnikmusic, which awarded it 3.5 out of 5 stars and described it as Bon Jovi’s strongest release of the new millennium era, propelled by heartfelt themes. Steven Poole from The Guardian gave it a 2 out of 5 rating, criticizing the prevalence of overly sweet ballads and likening Jon Bon Jovi's singing style to that of Elvis Costello and Elton John amid piano-driven arrangements that led to grandiose but ultimately empty choruses.
Personnel
Bon Jovi
- Jon Bon Jovi – lead vocals, backing vocals, producer
- Richie Sambora – guitar, talk box on selected tracks, backing vocals, producer
- David Bryan – keyboards
- Tico Torres – drums and percussion
Additional musicians
- Hugh McDonald – bass guitar
- Jerry Cohen – musical contributions
- Andreas Carlsson – musical contributions, co-producer
- Samuel Waermo – musical contributions, programming, engineering
- David Campbell – orchestral arrangements
- Luke Ebbin – orchestral arrangements, producer, programming
Recording personnel
- Desmond Child – co-producer
- Obie O'Brien – engineering
- Mike Rew – assistant engineer
- Gary Tole – Pro-Tools technician, additional engineering
- Graham Hawthorne – Pro-Tools editor
- Efrain "ET" Torres – additional Pro-Tools engineering
- Marc Jameson – programming ("You Had Me from Hello")
- Bob "Clear-Fuckin'" Mountain – mixing engineer
- Kevin Harp – mixing assistant
- Tim Holland – technical support
- Chris "Lumpy" Hofschneider – technical support
- George Marino – mastering (tracks 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 10 & 11)
- Stephen Marcussen – mastering (tracks 4, 6, 8, 9 & 12)
Artwork
- Kevin Westenberg – photography
- Kevin Reagan – art direction and design
- Bret Healey – design
Weekly charts
Template:Album chartTemplate:Album chartTemplate:Album chartTemplate:Album chartTemplate:Album chartTemplate:Album chartTemplate:Album chartTemplate:Album chartTemplate:Album chartTemplate:Album chartTemplate:Album chartTemplate:Album chartTemplate:Album chart| Chart (2002) | Highest position |
|---|---|
| Argentine Albums (CAPIF) | 4 |
| European Albums (Billboard) | 1 |
| Japanese Albums (Oricon) | 3 |
|- !scope="row"|Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)
|2 |-
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Year-end rankings
| Chart (2002) | Rank |
|---|---|
| Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria) | 28 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders) | 51 |
| Canadian Albums (Nielsen SoundScan) | 93 |
| Canadian Metal Albums (Nielsen SoundScan) | 13 |
| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) | 62 |
| Europe (European Top 100 Albums) | 45 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) | 31 |
| Japanese Albums (Oricon) | 69 |
| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) | 26 |
| UK Albums (OCC) | 113 |
| Worldwide Albums (IFPI) | 31 |