“This is the most self-indulgent song on the record [Crush – Ed] that we wrote about us – taking control of who we are, where we are, enjoying it. The great thing about it is the little references in there to the Jersey guys like Frank, Frank Sinatra, it’s just saying it’s my life and the great thing about it is that everybody else has made it their life too.”Jon Bon Jovi (50)

“This summer someone dumped a bunch of garbage in the Hudson river. All hypodermic needles and vials of blood with AIDS in it and that washed ashore so most of the Jersey shoreline was closed down this summer. It was a real drag because as kids we’d go there and get laid and hang out and that was a real big thrill but for the kids growing up there now, that’s gone. That song is kind of sad now but at the same time it’s an affectionate kind of photograph of those times.”Jon Bon Jovi (591)

“I’ve always been fascinated by cowboys. I’m Clint Eastwood’s biggest fan, as you know! There’s just something so free about the idea of roaming around wherever you want. It’s a lot like the life of a rock band. You wander into town, do what you have to do, play your show and move on to the next town.”Jon Bon Jovi (592)

“‘Hey God’ was Richie Sambora’s idea originally. I was riding in a limousine one winter day. We pulled up at a light and there was this homeless man on the pavement earlier that day. We had eye contact. It was a serious moment. I felt very guilty. He was sitting in this cardboard box and I was in the back of a limousine. I thought, What the fuck can this guy be thinking of me? I thought in his head he had to be writing letter to God. God, what the fuck happened to me?”Jon Bon Jovi (593)

“My collaborator on that song was Eric [‘One Of Us’] Bazilian, and his wife was very pregnant. It was she who said that she felt ugly. So we got together and took the way Sarah was feeling as tile nucleus of the song. I mean, he felt that she looked beautiful and/felt that she looked beautiful. I appreciate a pregnant woman in all her glory.”Jon Bon Jovi (594)

“That’s our President getting elected.”Jon Bon Jovi (595)

“That was about Jennifer Hudson’s family getting shot on that Sunday morning. The stories you read in the lyrics are all true. People are waiting to tear the president down – they built him up and now they want to tear him down.”Jon Bon Jovi (595)

“‘We Weren’t Born to Follow’ has a universal and timeless theme: we were asked to come to the anniversary of the Berlin Wall, the only band invited to it with all the world leaders. I was in Berlin when it came down, and 20 years later to be the only band asked to come and perform at the ceremony is an honor.”Jon Bon Jovi (595)