When the movie Young Guns II was in production in 1990, actor Emilio Estevez asked Jon Bon Jovi to license “Wanted Dead or Alive” for the soundtrack. Rather than recycle an old hit, Bon Jovi wrote something new — scribbling the words to Blaze of Glory on a napkin in a diner while on set in New Mexico. Emilio Estevez later framed that napkin, and it still hangs on his wall today.
“Blaze of Glory” became Bon Jovi’s debut solo single, written from the perspective of an outlaw facing his fate, mirroring the film’s story of Billy the Kid. It gave him space to explore a darker, cinematic style apart from his band, while still keeping his signature rock power.
Released in August 1990, the track soared to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, the only solo single in Bon Jovi’s career to top the U.S. charts. It also won the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song and earned an Academy Award nomination.
The Wayne Isham-directed music video, filmed in the Utah desert, underscored the song’s western imagery with stark landscapes and fiery visuals. Musically, it was bolstered by Jeff Beck’s searing slide guitar work, with Little Richard and Elton John also contributing to the album. Completed in just weeks, the Blaze of Glory album went double platinum in the U.S.
Decades later, Blaze of Glory stands as one of Jon Bon Jovi’s defining moments — a cinematic anthem that bridged Hollywood storytelling with arena-ready rock, keeping its flame alive on stage and screen.
