This House Is Not for Sale

This House Is Not for Sale
Studio album by Bon Jovi
Publication (s)	4th November 2016
admission	2015-2016
Label (s)	Iceland
Genre (s)	Rock , hard rock
Title (number)	12 tracks (standard) 17 tracks (deluxe)
running time	49:08 (standard) 70:28 (deluxe)
production	John Shanks , Jon Bon Jovi
Studio (s)	Avatar Studios, New York Ananda Entertainment Studios, Hollywood, California Germano Studios, New York
chronology Burning Bridges (2015) This House Is Not for Sale Bon Jovi 2020 (2020)
Single releases August 12, 2016 This House Is Not for Sale September 9, 2016 knockout 23rd September 2016 Labor of Love October 7, 2016 Born Again Tomorrow February 23, 2018 When We Were Us February 23, 2018 Walls

This House Is Not for Sale is the 13th studio album by the American rock band Bon Jovi , which was released on November 4, 2016 by the record company Island Records and re-released on February 23, 2018 with two new songs .

background

On August 21, 2015, Bon Jovi released their album Burning Bridges , which the band itself referred to as a fan album. It contains six songs that were created while recording for previous albums and five new songs. As Jon Bon Jovi explained the day after it was released, it was released to fulfill his expiring record deal with Mercury Records or its successor Island Records, with whom the singer had worked for 32 years. The title track of the album is about the fact that this is the last song "they" could sell. Among the new songs was Who Would You Die For , who was just working on the follow-up album by Burning Bridges , which Bon Jovi announced in the same interview along with a tour for spring 2016. He stated that a lot had happened since the last album and that it gave him a lot to write about. As an example, Bon Jovi cited, besides the problems with the label, his attempt to buy the football team Buffalo Bills together with a group of investors from Toronto in 2014 . Jon Bon Jovi, who had already owned the AFL team Philadelphia Soul in the past , had, however, left the bidding group prematurely, whose offer was later just as unsuccessful as that of co-bidder Donald Trump . Another influence was the "sudden departure" of guitarist and founding member Richie Sambora , who left the band in 2013 during the Because We Can tour . The announced album would be the band's first regular studio album that Sambora was not involved in. On Burning Bridges he is listed as co-author of the song Saturday Night Gave Me Sunday Morning , written for The Circle (2009) .

Apart from nine concerts in Asia and the Middle East, Burning Bridges did not tour. At a press conference in the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur on September 30, 2015, the band mentioned the album title This House Is Not for Sale and announced a release in March 2016. Jon Bon Jovi said that with the album they would go back to their roots, meaning the Avatar Studios in Manhattan, where some of the songs were recorded and which were called The Power Station until 1996 . Jon Bon Jovi's career began here in 1980 when his cousin Tony Bongiovi not only offered him a kind of janitorial job, but also got the chance to make free demo recordings . In addition, the band had recorded their debut album Bon Jovi there. While the musicians had made their recordings at different times or in different studio rooms before this album, this is no longer the case. The album describes the integrity of the band and integrity is important. The band was at a stage in their career where they had nothing to prove; the musicians felt comfortable and had confidence in their work.

Jon Bon Jovi answered questions from the audience during several performances as part of an acoustic solo tour in March and April 2016. He said, This House Is Not for sale would only mixed and should be released in September. The pre-single God Bless This Mess should celebrate its radio premiere in July. He also announced a US tour for February 2017.

On May 25, 2016, the rock band announced online that the album was ready. Billboard wrote that the album will be released on Island Records, marking the return of Jon Bon Jovi to Universal's subsidiary and Mercury Records. Jon Bon Jovi wears a Mercury T-shirt in a photo from the studio that the band posted with the message about the finished work. In addition to the two Bon Jovi founding members Tico Torres (drums) and David Bryan (keyboards), you can see producer John Shanks , guitarist Phil X and bassist Hugh McDonald . In contrast to previous albums, on which the two musicians could also be heard in part, they are listed as official band members for the first time on This House Is Not for Sale . They can also be seen for the first time on official promotional photos for the album. The two can also be seen in the music video, which was released as the first single along with the title track on August 12th. With the release of the single, the band announced the album for October 21, 2016.

In October, the band promoted the album with four gigs on which it was played from start to finish:

• On the 1st at the Count Basie Theater in Red Bank, New Jersey ,
• on the 10th at the London Palladium Theater ,
• on 17th at the Queen Elizabeth Theater of Toronto as well
• on October 20, 2016 at the Barrymore Theater in New York City

In between, Bon Jovi appeared on the Ellen DeGeneres Show on October 5, 2016 , where the front man again announced that a two-month US tour of the album would begin from February 8 to March 22, 2017 ^[obsolete] and every ticket a physical one Would contain a copy of the album. During this broadcast, the actual release date was given as November 4th. The fourth and final show at New York's Barrymore Theater was the band's first appearance on Broadway . The performance was broadcast live by the music streaming service Tidal , with which Bon Jovi worked during all four performances. Videos for the remaining songs on the album were also released in collaboration with Tidal. The performance at the London Palladium Theater was released on December 16, 2016 under the title This House Is Not For Sale - Live from The London Palladium as CD and download.

The album was released on February 23, 2018 with two new songs - When We Were Us and Walls - added.

Music genre

The album was created in a phase of upheaval within the band. The departure of long-time guitarist Richie Sambora is noticeable on the album both musically and lyrically. Phil X 'is an accomplished guitarist, but he still has to get used to the band. In fact, a large part of the usual guitar parts have been replaced by synthesizer and keyboard sounds , so that the album as a whole is a bit more pop-oriented than its direct predecessors. Nevertheless, it is written in the typical Bon Jovi style, which is due not least to the smooth production by John Shanks, who has been working with the band since the 2005 album Have a Nice Day . The typical power ballads are also represented on the album. The departure of Sambora is also noticeable in the text. So the album turned out a little darker and the lyrics sound a bit bitter in some places.

Cover artwork

The photomontage that can be seen on the album cover of the album was made in 1982 by photographer Jerry Uelsmann . The picture shows a house with broken panes standing on a tree root. Both photos were enlarged as silver gelatin suits and aligned by Uelsmann based on a drawing on the back of an old 11 × 14 inch print. The photomontage was previously used in the opening sequence of the television series Outer Limits - The Unknown Dimension (1995-2002).

reception

success

In the American homeland of the band, the album went straight to number 1 on the Billboard charts. If Burning Bridges is not considered a regular album, this was the fourth Bon Jovi album in a row to achieve this. At the same time it was the fourth regular album produced by John Shanks.

Reviews

AllMusic
The Guardian
Rolling Stone
The Independent
Laut.de

The reviews for the album were mixed and were in the lower midfield, only a few reviewers were positive about the album. One of the positive votes is Günter Schneidewind from SWR1 , who describes the album as “an all-round successful Bon Jovi album with all the virtues of the band”. "Nothing really new, but well and professionally recorded with many autobiographical references from the life of the band and Jon Bon Jovis himself." Kristina Bischoff also draws a positive balance for NDR.de :

“No doubt about it: Bon Jovi continue where they didn't want to stop before. A blessing for the fans. And anyone who gets ear bleeding from their music just doesn't need to listen. "

- Kristina Bischoff : NDR.de

Stephen Thomas Erlewine awarded 3.5 out of 5 stars on Allmusic . The album is strongly influenced by Sambora's departure and lacks happiness. Instead, parts of the album are malicious and one has the impression that Jon Bon Jovi, who despite all his success still feels like an underdog , is trying to process the separation from his old companion with this album. Dave Simpson also only gave 3 out of 5 stars in The Guardian . He lacks the stadium rock of past albums. Sambora's characteristic guitar work, which often formed the basis of Bon Jovi's songs, has been partially replaced by synthesizer and keyboard passages, which unfortunately are not as effective as one would expect from the band. Still, the album has its strengths. He especially highlights the country- influenced Scars on My Guitar and Labor of Love , which reminds him of Chris Isaak's Wicked Game . In her review for the German edition of Rolling Stone, Birgit Fuß came to the conclusion that it was a typical Bon Jovi album without any major surprises.

“Bon Jovi have only been painting by numbers for a long time, but they can do that better than any other mainstream band. Difficult not to sing along. "

- Birgit Fuß : Rolling Stone

Andy Gill from The Independent , however, wrote a slap and gave it 2 out of 5 points. For him, Phil X 's guitar playing doesn't come close to Sambora's and the band would be largely without ideas on the album. He compares the album with Donald Trump : "Seeking attention without becoming too specific". A similar conclusion Patrick Binder comes on Laut.de . He puts his review under the heading "Irrelevant radio rock, as always".

"This House Is Not For Sale" babbles to itself. Here and there subtle strings and keyboards, now and then the well-known "ooohs" and ironed-out guitar riffs, in between a cuddly rock ballad like "Labor Of Love" and "Scars On This Guitar". At the over 40s party in the village disco, songs like "Living With The Ghost" and "The Devil's In The Temple" might ignite, but this has nothing to do with musical ingenuity. (…) The only bright spot left is to highlight the halfway successful artwork that adorns a black and white photo by Jerry Uelsmann . At least that gives the impression that you are holding an album with substance in your hands. "

- Patrick Binder : Laut.de

Bon Jovi biographer Bryan Reesman said in an interview with Forbes about the album that it would like the presence of Richie Sambora because of its emotionality ( soulfulness ).

Track list

Chart positions Explanation of the data

Albums

This House Is Not for Sale   DE 3 11/11/2016 (12 weeks)   AT 1 11/18/2016 (9 weeks)   CH 2 11/13/2016 (13 weeks)   UK 5 11/17/2016 (8 weeks)   US 1 11/26/2016 (9 weeks)

Singles

This House Is Not for Sale   DE 85 08/19/2016 (1 week)   AT 43 08/26/2016 (1 week)

default

#	title	Songwriter
1.	This House Is Not for Sale	Jon Bon Jovi • John Shanks • Billy Falcon	3:36
2.	Living with the Ghost	Bon Jovi	4:44
3.	knockout	Bon Jovi • Shanks	3:29
4th	Labor of Love	Bon Jovi • Shanks • Falcon	5:03
5.	Born Again Tomorrow	Bon Jovi • Shanks • Falcon	3:33
6th	Roller coaster	Bon Jovi • Chris DeStefano • Ashley Gorley	3:40
7th	New Year's Day	Bon Jovi • Falcon	4:27
8th.	The Devil's in the Temple	Bon Jovi • Falcon	3:19
9.	Scars on This Guitar	Bon Jovi • Brett James • Falcon	5:05
10.	God Bless This Mess	Bon Jovi	3:23
11.	Reunion	Bon Jovi	4:14
12.	Come on up to our house	Bon Jovi • Shanks	4:12

Deluxe

#	title	Songwriter
13.	Real love	Bon Jovi • Falcon	4:34
14th	All Hail the King	Bon Jovi • DeStefano • Gorley	4:54
15th	We don't run	Bon Jovi • Shanks	3:17
16.	I will drive you home	Bon Jovi • Falcon • Luke Laird	4:42
17th	Goodnight New York	Bon Jovi • Shanks • Falcon	3:53

Information on individual songs

• For This House Is Not for Sale , Jon Bon Jovi was inspired when he accidentally spotted the photomontage that later became the album cover while leafing through a magazine while trying to focus on songwriting for the album:

"But when I saw this picture, this proud, old house, with these deep roots that was in disrepair, it hit me all at once. I said, 'I got it.' Now, I did have a house for sale so subliminally the title just came to me. But, the storyline, I equated it to where the band is or was at that time. And the first line of the song says, 'These four walls have got us a story to tell.' And that sets the tone, and it was the foundation for everything I was going to say. "

- Jon Bon Jovi

• Living With The Ghost is about loss. Critics such as Chris Jordan of Asbury Park Press and Andrew Purcell of the Sydney Morning Herald see the departure of Richie Sambora as a possible subject for the song.

• Jon Bon Jovi wrote Knockout from the perspective of his "inner 18-year-old". There were many doubters who wondered what he would do with this album and what the future of the band would bring. He countered these no-sayers with this energetic ballad, in which he thought back to his youth and announced to them that a blast was about to follow: “Here comes the boom, boom, boom. Here comes the knock out. "

• Roller Coaster is one of two songs on the album that are about relationships. Jon Bon Jovi says he received a lot of support from his wife and family. Still, it's never perfect. Living together with the erotic singer in a rock band is not easy for anyone, especially not for his wife. Therefore, life is not a carousel , but a roller coaster ("Life ain't a merry go round. It's a roller coaster.").

• Scars on This Guitar is about the difficult relationship between Jon Bon Jovi and his guitar in recent years. After a traumatic year in 2013, which the band had mostly spent on tour, the guitar was largely unused in the corner in 2014. In 2015 he started to look at her again and nod to her, but she showed him the finger . He then gave her a kiss, greeted her and hugged her. Then they talked.

• New Year's Day is about new beginnings. Jon Bon Jovi had written it as a waltz after being inspired by Sting's musical The Last Ship . When he brought the piece to a rehearsal, Tico Torres called him Popeye , told him it wouldn't work that way, and started a different rhythm, which David Bryan, Hugh McDonald and John Shanks immediately joined.

• Reunion (English: class reunion ) came about after Jon Bon Jovi received his honorary doctorate from Rutgers University in Camden, New Jersey . He had thought about what he could give the graduates on the way if he had to give a speech in front of them. The result was the song, after which he returned to Camden with the band and made a documentary about the song, which has become more than a music video. The film is about the phoenix rising from Camden and the hope, not just of the graduates, but of the residents, of what the city is to become.

• The bonus track We Don't Run was written for Burning Bridges and already released on it. It had already been released as a double single on July 31, 2015 together with Saturday Night Gave Me Sunday Morning . According to Jon Bon Jovi, the song should point to the future direction of the band. The guitar solo is by John Shanks.

• The songs When We Were Us and Walls were added to the album on February 23, 2018, after which it was re-released.

Individual evidence

1. ^ ^{A b c} Cody Williams: Despite All The Burning Bridges, Bon Jovi Don't Run. In: theodysseyonline.com. August 9, 2016. Retrieved February 18, 2017 . 
2. ^ ^{A b c d} Shawn Setaro: Inside The Business Of Bon Jovi With Bryan Reesman. In: forbes.com. October 26, 2016. Retrieved February 18, 2017 . 
3. ↑ ^{a b} Michele Amabile Angermiller: Bon Jovi, Label Mercury Records Split Bon Jovi Severs Ties With Longtime Label. In: billboard.com. August 22, 2015. Retrieved February 18, 2017 . 
4. ↑ Josh Kosman, Lois Weiss: Bon Jovi out of group bidding for Bills. In: nypost.com. New York Post, August 29, 2014, accessed February 18, 2017 . 
5. ↑ Chris Jordan: The NFL Bon Jovi factor of Donald Trump's campaign. In: app.com. February 20, 2016, accessed February 18, 2017 . 
6. ↑ ^{a b} Christine Chin: Bon Jovi goes back to basics for new album. star2.com, September 30, 2015, accessed February 18, 2016 . 
7. ↑ Alex Gernandt: Bon Jovi: Always and Forever. Goldmann Verlag, Munich 2001, ISBN 3-442-42851-3 , pp. 36-53.
8. ↑ Bon Jovi's “This House Is Not For Sale” Scheduled For Release In September. In: musicdiaries.wordpress.com. The Music Diaries, April 30, 2016, accessed February 18, 2017 . 
9. ↑ Michele Amabile Angermiller, Ray Waddell: Bon Jovi Completes New Album, Returns to Universal Music Group. In: billboard.com. May 25, 2016. Retrieved February 18, 2017 . 
10. ↑ Chris Payne: Bon Jovi Shares 'This House Is Not For Sale' Video, New Album Details. In: billboard.com. August 12, 2016. Retrieved February 18, 2017 . 
11. ↑ Michele Amabile Angermiller: Bon Jovi Brings 'This House Is Not for Sale' to Broadway. In: billboard.com. October 21, 2016. Retrieved February 19, 2017 . 
12. ↑ Michele Amabile Angermiller: Bon Jovi Talks 'Tumultuous' 3 Years, Announces Tour on Ellen. In: billboard.com. May 10, 2016. Retrieved February 18, 2017 . 
13. ↑ September 16, 2016: TIDAL Presents TIDAL X: Bon Jovi, An Intimate Tour For New Album This House Is Not For Sale. In: bonjovi.com. Retrieved February 19, 2017 . 
14. ↑ Bon Jovi. In: tidal.com. Retrieved February 19, 2017 . 
15. ↑ Live From The London Palladium - Out December 16. In: bonjovi.com. November 22, 2016. Retrieved February 19, 2017 . 
16. ↑ ^{a b c} This House Is Not For Sale at AllMusic
17. ↑ ^{a b c} This House Is Not For Sale at The Guardian (English)
18. ↑ ^{a b c} This House Is Not For Sale at The Independent (English)
19. ↑ ^{a b c d} Patrick Binder: "This House Is Not For Sale" by Bon Jovi. In: laut.de. Retrieved February 19, 2017 . 
20. ↑ ^{a b c} Birgit Fuß : Painting by numbers, but still pretty good mainstream rock. In: Rolling Stone . November 8, 2016. Retrieved February 19, 2017 . 
21. ↑ Jerry Uelsmann: Works. In: uelsmann.net. Retrieved February 18, 2017 . 
22. ^ Mark Edward Harris: An Interview With Jerry Uelsmann. In: digitalphotopro.com. April 25, 2016. Retrieved February 18, 2017 . 
23. ↑ Keith Caulfield: Bon Jovi Earns Sixth No. 1 album on Billboard 200 Chart. In: billboard.com. November 13, 2016. Retrieved February 19, 2017 . 
24. ↑ Günter Schneidewind: New album by Bon Jovi: "This House Is Not For Sale" Reliable, well-made mainstream rock. SWR1 , November 4, 2016, accessed on February 19, 2017 . 
25. ↑ Kristina Bischoff: Bon Jovi: Back with full steam. NDR.de , November 4, 2016, accessed on February 19, 2017 . 
26. ↑ Charts DE Charts AT Charts CH Charts UK Charts US
27. ↑ ^{a b c d e} Interview: Bon Jovi on 'This House Is Not For Sale' Song Meanings. (No longer available online.) In: iheart.com. April 11, 2016, archived from the original on February 19, 2017 ; accessed on February 18, 2017 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
28. ↑ Chris Jordan: Album Review: Bon Jovi's undivided 'House'. In: app.com. November 3, 2016. Retrieved February 19, 2017 . 
29. ^ ^{A b} Andrew Purcell: Jon Bon Jovi on his new album and the split with old friend Richie Sambora. In: smh.com.au. November 2, 2016. Retrieved February 19, 2017 .