Format CD single Genre Hard rock, rock Label Mercury | Recorded 1992 Length 6:33 | |
Released January 26, 1993 (1993-01-26) | ||
"Bed of Roses" is a song by American rock band Bon Jovi in late January 1993, from the album Keep the Faith. Jon Bon Jovi wrote the song in a hotel room while suffering from a hangover and the lyrics reflects his feelings at the time. The song contains drawn out guitar riffs and soft piano playing, along with emotive and high vocals by Jon Bon Jovi.
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The song's power ballad style made it a worldwide hit, and it demonstrated the band's new, more mature sound after their success as a glam metal band in the 1980s. Released as a successful single in 1993, it reached #10 on the Billboard Hot 100, #5 on the top 40 mainstream, #13 in the UK Top 40, and #10 in the German Top 100.
A Spanish version, Cama de Rosas, was also recorded.
Music video
The video for "Bed of Roses" begins with shots of Richie Sambora playing guitar high in the mountain tops, and then cuts to scenes of Jon alone in his hotel room, the band recording the song in the studio, and finally performing live on stage. Initially the video directors wanted Jon Bon Jovi to be on the mountain tops, but Jon said: "I was on top of a mountain in 'Blaze of Glory', send them" (Richie Sambora and David Bryan, who is seen playing the piano at the mountain top).
The live portions were filmed at Stabler Arena in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, on December 31, 1992 as part of a special 1993's New Year's Eve concert. In order to get the liveliest and largest crowd there for the video, the band made arrangements to have no floor seating, and to have one price, general admission tickets.
International release
- "Bed of Roses"
- "Lay Your Hands on Me (Live)"
- "Tokyo Road (Live)"
- "I'll Be There for You (Live)"
Legacy
"Bed of Roses" became a staple on Bon Jovi setlists for years to come, and was featured on the band's Cross Road greatest hits album, and in acoustic style on This Left Feels Right. A live performance can be viewed on the Crush Tour DVD. A version with lyrics in Spanish was also recorded, entitled "Cama De Rosas".
The song was also recorded by the hard rock band Hinder as a bonus track of the Wal-Mart re-release of their debut album, Extreme Behavior. Toše Proeski covered this song during his concerts and on his posthumous 2011 album S ljubavlju od Toseta. American country singer Cassadee Pope covered this song during her 2014 concert tour.