Maps of Music

The Circle (2009)

Where the lyrics of The Circle take you, and where it was really made.

The title means both a never-ending circle and the band's inner circle, and this was the first Bon Jovi album since 1988 with no bonus tracks.

Key places

Henson Recording Studios, Hollywood (2009)

Recording site A&M Recording Studios — The album page lists Henson Recording Studios in Hollywood, California as a recording site for the album. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• The Circle: eleventh studio album by American rock band Bon Jovi
• Released November 10, 2009; produced by John Shanks
• Debuted at number 1 in several countries, including the U.S.
• Sold 163,000 copies in its first week in the U.S.
• Marks the band's return to a hard rock sound after a brief country venture on Lost Highway

Background

• Previous album Lost Highway was a brief venture into country music
• Jon Bon Jovi says the title has multiple meanings
• A circle is never ending
• The title also refers to the band's inner circle, which Jon describes as very difficult to get into and even more difficult to get out of
• Lead single 'We Weren't Born to Follow' is about the tough times of the economic crisis
• Second single 'Superman Tonight', third single 'When We Were Beautiful'; all three had music videos
• Promo single 'Work For The Working Man' was written about a DHL plant that closed in Ohio

Recording

• Richie Sambora told Rolling Stone the album is a return to rock and roll
• Sambora said the band experimented with many new sounds
• Worked with John Shanks, who is also a guitar player, on guitar sounds
• The album is the first since 1988's New Jersey without bonus tracks
• Jon Bon Jovi said one or two songs left off could have been bonus tracks but he wanted to keep them for the Greatest Hits album
• Recorded at Henson Recording Studios in Hollywood, California, as listed on the album page

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Disc 1

Disc 2

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• Bon Jovi is an American rock band formed in Sayreville, New Jersey in 1983.
• Jon Bon Jovi began performing live in 1975 at age 13 with his first band, Raze.
• The band was named Bon Jovi on the suggestion of Pamela Maher, following the model of two-word bands such as Van Halen.
• Its debut album Bon Jovi was released on January 21, 1984, with the single "Runaway" reaching the Billboard Hot 100 top forty.

Members

• The current lineup is Jon Bon Jovi, David Bryan, Tico Torres, John Shanks, Phil X, Everett Bradley, and Hugh McDonald.
• Original bassist Alec John Such left in 1994; he died in 2022.
• Guitarist and co-songwriter Richie Sambora left in 2013.

Career

• Slippery When Wet (1986) brought global success, with "You Give Love a Bad Name" and "Livin' on a Prayer" reaching No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.
• New Jersey (1988) produced five Billboard Hot 100 top-ten singles, a record for a hard rock album.
• Keep the Faith (1992) marked a shift to a more mature sound.
• "Always" (1994) became the band's biggest-selling and longest-charting single.
• Crush (2000) and "It's My Life" introduced the band to a younger audience.
• "Who Says You Can't Go Home" (2006) won a Grammy and became the first rock band single to top the Billboard country chart.
• The band has sold more than 130 million records worldwide and was inducted into the US Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2018.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Critics gave mixed reviews
• Metacritic average: 52 out of 100, based on 10 reviews
• AllMusic (Stephen Thomas Erlewine): 2 out of 5 stars
• Billboard (Gary Graff): 4 out of 5 stars
• Entertainment Weekly (Whitney Pastorek): C grade, saying the album just feels tired
• Los Angeles Times (Mikael Wood): 1.5 out of 4 stars
• Rolling Stone (Christian Hoard): 3 out of 5 stars
• The Boston Globe (Scott McLennan): mixed review, citing slick production and beer-ad bombast

Records

• Debuted at number 1 on the Billboard 200, then fell to number 19 the next week
• Debuted at number 1 on the Japanese Oricon weekly album chart with about 67,000 copies sold
• Became the band's fifth number-one album on the Japanese chart
• Tied the Oricon record for five number-one albums by a Western artist, held by Mariah Carey and Simon & Garfunkel

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• The title has a double meaning: a never-ending circle and the band's inner circle.
• Before the album's release, David Axelrod, Obama's chief adviser, had the lyrics to 'Work for the Working Man' framed and hung in his White House office.
• Bon Jovi tied the Oricon record for five number-one albums by a Western artist with the Oricon debut of this album.
• Richie Sambora and John Shanks worked together on the guitar sounds, with both playing guitar on the record's sound design.
• The album is the first Bon Jovi record since 1988's New Jersey without bonus tracks.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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