Just yesterday we celebrated with "New Jersey" and today we are already celebrating "Have a Nice Day", the ninth album of "Bon Jovi" Released on September 20, 2005.
The album was written and recorded with Richie Sambora and Jon Bon Jovi as the main writers, with producer John Shanks working contributing to the writing process.
Work on the album began in 2004 alongside the work on the "100,000,000 Bon Jovi Fans Can't Be Wrong" compilation box.
In the first part, Richie Sambora and Jon Bon Jovi recorded almost the entire album with Richie recording the guitar work, John the vocals and the drums are recorded electronically, without the bass. In the second part, all the other members of the band joined in and recorded their parts according to what Richie and John had guided them. After a short break, they all reunited in 2005 and recorded a number of additional songs and even changed some of the songs recorded in 2004.
Many argue that in this album Jon Bon Jovi stepped out of his comfort zone in terms of lyrics and incorporated heavier and more substantive themes like politics, social responsibility, and more. This is not something ordinary for John but the combination of the different and "new" lyrics with the guitars and harmony so identified with the band create a very beautiful, a bit rough, and totally enjoyable record.
And here are some interesting facts about the album:
1. The theme song "Have a Nice Day" was written by John and Richie along with producer John Shanks. It was the first single released from the album and was written following the 2004 US presidential campaign that George W. Bush won, even though John supported his opponent John Kerry's campaign.
2. The second single, "Who Says You Can't Go Home," was written about the roots of the band, the state of New Jersey. It even became a kind of national anthem of the state. Jon noted that the song is a kind of thank you letter to the band's fans who have been with them in fire and water for 25 years.
3. There are two versions of the song on the album. The second that seals the album is a country version featuring Jennifer Nettles from the band "Sugarland".
4. Bon Jovi told that when writing the song "Welcome to Wherever You Are", the third single released from the album, he thought it was going to be a song that would symbolize global unity.
5. The album sold 202,000 units in the first week of its release in the US and became the first Bon Jovi album to sell such an amount in one week.
6. The album was ready for release as early as December 2004 and the initial intention was to release it for Christmas that year, but then the band decided to record 4 new songs that were added to the album which led to a postponement of its release date.
Listen to the album on: Spotify, Apple Music