Bon Jovi – I’ll Be There For You

About The Song

“I’ll Be There for You” is a song by American rock band Bon Jovi, released as the third single from their 1988 album, New Jersey. The power ballad was written by Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora. The single reached number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number five on the Album Rock Tracks chart.

Originally released on the 1988 album New Jersey, “I’ll Be There for You” is a glam metal and arena rock power ballad. It became Bon Jovi’s third single from the album when it was released as a single in 1989. As the band (and glam metal) was at its peak popularity at this time, the song quickly climbed to the number one position on both the Cash Box Top 100 and Billboard Hot 100, becoming their fourth number-one single. Cash Box ranked it as the number-two pop single of 1989.

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.

“Homebound Train”, the B-side to “I’ll Be There for You”, is notable for being one of the band’s heaviest songs, and also for the brief back-and-forth keyboard and harmonica solos leading up to the guitar solo. When played during The Circle Tour, it was sung by lead guitarist Richie Sambora.

Video

Lyrics

I guess this time you’re really leaving
I heard your suitcase say goodbye
Well, as my broken heart lies bleeding
You say true love, it’s suicide
You say you’ve cried a thousand rivers
And now you’re swimming for the shore
You left me drowning in my tears
And you won’t save me anymore
I’m praying to God you’ll give me one more chance, girl
I’ll be there for you
These five words I swear to you
When you breathe, I wanna be the air for you
I’ll be there for you
I’d live and I’d die for you
I’d steal the sun from the sky for you
Words can’t say what love can do
I’ll be there for you
I know you know we’ve had some good times
Now they have their own hiding place
Well, I can promise you tomorrow
But I can’t buy back yesterday
Yeah, baby, you know my hands are dirty
(Oh, woman, you know my hands are dirty)
But I wanted to be your Valentine
I’ll be the water when you get thirsty, baby
When you get drunk, I’ll be the wine, oh
I’ll be there for you
These five words I swear to you
When you breathe, I wanna be the air for you
I’ll be there for you
I’d live and I’d die for you
I’d steal the sun from the sky for you
Words can’t say what love can do
I’ll be there for you
I wasn’t there when you were happy
(I wasn’t there to make you happy)
And I wasn’t there when you were down, down
Didn’t mean to miss your birthday, baby
I wish I’d seen you blow those candles out
Oh
I’ll be there for you
These five words I swear to you
When you breathe, I wanna be the air for you
I’ll be there for you
I’d live and I’d die for you
I’d steal the sun from the sky for you
Words can’t say what love can do
I’ll be there for
I’ll be there for you
These five words I swear to you
When you breathe, I wanna be the air for you
I’ll be there for you
I’d live and I’d die for you
I’d steal the sun from the sky for you
Words can’t say what love can do
I’ll be there for you
Whoa
Whoa
Whoa
Whoa
Whoa