Jon Bon Jovi Reflects on 'Horrible' Early MVs of Band Bon Jovi

Jon Bon Jovi
Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for SiriusXM

Jon Bon Jovi said he is not a fan of his band's early music videos.

Decades after Bon Jovi was formed in New Jersey, the band rose to become one of the best-selling rock bands in the world. Its early recordings also immediately entered worldwide charts, but the accompanying music videos did not impress the vocalist.

Jon Bon Jovi Says Early Bon Jovi's Music Videos Are Horrible

Speaking in a new interview with SiriusXM's Andy Cohen, Bon Jovi's frontman talked about the band's videos from their first two albums: "Bon Jovi" and "7800 Degrees Fahrenheit." Per Jon, he regretted having such music videos, especially in the 1984 debut single, "Runaway."

He recalled working at a recording studio and riding the bus in an out of Manhattan. He noted that "Runaway" was inspired by his experience seeing others working at the bus station and walking the streets.


After he composed the song's lyrics, he had to deal with another tough job when he was asked to record the music video. He questioned why he had to act like a filmmaker when he did not know anything about it.

"I fell for it hook, line and sinker, and the stupid record company with the stupid video director who says Fahrenheit 451 or whatever with his niece starring in the video, it's like Jesus God," he recounted. "You want to embarrass me? Tie me to a chair and make me watch videos from my first two albums."

Despite the horrible music videos, those eventually helped the band to realize what would work best for them. The frontman recalled making the third album, saying that they began promoting the live show with a video.

From there, Jon Bon Jovi started releasing performance videos instead. The band's hit songs, including "You Give Love a Bad Name," "Wanted Dead or Alive," and "Livin' on a Prayer," did not have unrelated music videos.

Jon Bon Jovi Approves Son Jake Bongiovi's Engagement

Outside the music industry, Jon still plays his role as a father. Elsewhere in the interview, the musician was asked about his son's engagement to Millie Bobby Brown.

He defended Jake and said age does not matter if one finds the right partner. In fact, Jon and his wife, Dorothea, have been together since high school; thus, it does not concern him to see his children get engaged.

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