“I’ll Be There for You” – Single by Bon Jovi from the album New Jersey
B-side “Homebound Train”
Released February 1989
Label Mercury
Songwriters Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora
Producer Bruce Fairbairn
Charted No.1 in US; No.18 in UK; No.2 in Canada; No.23 in Australia; No.67 in West Germany; no.6 in Ireland.
The title and sentiment are pretty generic, but in the hands of Bon Jovi, “I’ll Be There For You” drips with passion. Compare to the other famous song with that title, the Friends theme by The Rembrandts. In that one, you get the sense that they’ll hand you an umbrella if it’s raining and maybe give you a ride to the airport, but that’s about it. Bon Jovi will live and die for you; steal the sun from the sky for you; be the air for you. It’s unconditional.
The video for the song (directed by Wayne Isham) features the band performing on a dark stage with an almost monochromatic blue color due to the stage lighting, with close-ups of each member, most notably lead singer Jon Bon Jovi and lead guitarist Richie Sambora. However, it is persistent throughout the clip that Richie Sambora’s face is constantly in shadow through the entire video. The video footage then switches midway to black-and-white footage from a Bon Jovi concert at the old Wembley Arena in London, England.
