One of those demos, ‘Runaway,’ became a hit on local New Jersey radio and lead to the formation of Bon Jovi the band. Runaway spurred a major-label bidding war leading to a contract with Polygram/Mercury in 1983. Bon Jovi released their eponymous debut album in 1984, generating a Top 40 hit with the original version of ‘Runaway.’ The following year, 7800 ã Fahrenheit was released and went gold, all serving as a prelude to the band’s 1986 breakthrough, Slippery When Wet. Supported by several appealing, straightforward videos that received heavy rotation on MTV, the record took off on the strength of You Give Love a Bad Name, followed quickly by Livin’ on a Prayer and Wanted Dead or Alive. Those three Top Ten Hits helped propel Slippery When Wet to sales of nine million in the U.S. alone. Their fame was not limited to the U.S., though, as the album also turned into a significant hit in Europe, Canada, Japan, and Australia. Bon Jovi built upon Slippery When Wet’s formula with 1988’s New Jersey, which shot to number one upon its release. New Jersey was only slightly less successful than its predecessor, selling five million copies and generating two number one singles, ‘Bad Medicine’ and ‘I’ll Be There for You,’ as well as the Top Ten hits ‘Born to Be My Baby,’ ‘Lay Your Hands on Me,’ and ‘Living in Sin.’ Following the completion of an 18-month international tour, the band went on hiatus. During the time off, Jon Bon Jovi wrote the soundtrack for Young Guns II, which was released in 1990 as the Blaze of Glory album. The record produced two hit singles — the number one title track and the number 12 ‘Miracle’ — and earned several Grammy and Oscar nominations. The following year, Bon Jovi reunited to record their fifth album, Keep the Faith, which was released in the fall of 1992. It did produce a hit with ‘Bed of Roses,’ an adult contemporary-styled ballad that helped sustain the band’s popularity. A greatest-hits album called Cross Road appeared in 1994 and yielded another Top Ten ballad, ‘Always.’. Released in the fall of 1995, These Days turned into another U.S. Top Ten. The all-new Have a Nice Day — the first of several albums produced by John Shanks. That album’s success was aided in part by the single Who Says You Can’t Go Home, featuring guest vocals from Sugarland’s Jennifer Nettles, which eventually won the Grammy Award for Best Country Collaboration with Vocals — as well as topping the charts in Japan, Australia, Europe, and Canada. The band spent the following year in the studio, putting the finishing touches on a collection of pop-infused heartland country anthems. The resulting Lost Highway, which featured duets with LeAnn Rimes and Big & Rich, arrived in the summer of 2007 and grabbed the band a healthy new country music fan base in the process. Lost Highway’s cross-genre formula proved to be quite potent, securing the band its third number one album in the U.S. Bon Jovi returned to rock shortly thereafter, though, with the release of the somber, searching The Circle in 2009. One year later, Greatest Hits: The Ultimate Collection offered plenty of hits along with two new tracks, No Apologies and What Do You Got?’
