"Only Lonely" by Bon Jovi

Song#:  2288
Date:  04/20/1985
Debut:   88
Peak:  54
Weeks:  8
Genre:  Rock



Pop Bits:  The New Jersey band's self-titled debut sold well thanks in part to the #5 Rock track (#39 Pop) "Runaway." After that solid introduction, the band set out to record their second album. They retained producer Lance Quinn, who had work on some tracks from the debut album, and came up with 7800° Fahrenheit. This first single introduced the new LP and it got a lukewarm reception at Rock (#28). It didn't do much better at Pop getting locked out of the top half of the chart. Yet despite the lack of a real hit, the album sold and by the end of the year the band was awarded their first gold album. Later on after the band hit it big, both this album and their debut would be platinum sellers.

ReduxReview:  Apparently, Bon Jovi later distanced themselves from this album. They were rushed to get it out and that prevented them from taking some time to focus and find their sound. Instead, they just relied on the producer to run the show and get the album out. They knew the results were not what they wanted, but it just had to happen. Despite the band's lack of enthusiasm for the LP, fans liked it well enough to make it go gold. This song is a typical entry from the album. A good, hooky track with a lean towards mainstream commercial rock. It's not bad, but it doesn't have much personality to it. Any solid rock band could have put this tune out. So I can understand how Bon Jovi felt after this album was pushed out. They would certainly find their voice for their next album and it would pay off in a big way.

ReduxRating:  5/10

Trivia:  The album's title is a specific temperature, so why did they choose it? Supposedly, rock (not sure exactly what type) has a melting point of 7800° Fahrenheit. And while most of the world uses Celsius for temperature measurement, Fahrenheit is mainly used in the US. Therefore, those two things combined made a reference to "hot American rock". It seemed appropriate for the up-n-comin' band. However, rock melts at a far lower temp, so why they picked 7800° is not known. It's also been said that the title is a tip o' the hat to the classic Ray Bradbury novel Fahrenheit 451. That title temp was the point where book paper catches fire and burns.

_________________________________________________________________________________