On Groundhog Day, to kick off Grammy weekend, Jason Isbell covered Bon Jovi’s “Wanted Dead Or Alive” (on a double-necked guitar!) at the MusiCares gala honoring Jon Bon Jovi. Turns out Isbell isn’t just a Bon Jovi admirer but a collaborator too. He helped out on “Waves,” a song from the Rock & Roll Hall Of Famers’ new album Forever, out today. Isbell cowrote “Waves” along with JBJ and the album’s co-producer John Shanks, and he sings backing vocals on the track. Check it out:
In a video message explaining “Waves,” Bon Jovi said the song is “about holding on to something maybe too long. The wave will come and push you in, it’ll pull you back out. You have to learn to let go. Hold on to the memories for as long as you can, but then move on. You know, the past is there to remind you of what you don’t want to do again? Let it go.”
While promoting the album this week, Bon Jovi told Stephen Colbert that, while working as an errand boy at his cousin Tony Bongiovi’s recording studio the Power Station, he witnessed Freddie Mercury and David Bowie singing “Under Pressure” together. The story defies belief a bit because Queen and Bowie recorded “Under Pressure” in Switzerland and only mixed it at the Power Station, but I guess it’s possible they did some singing during the mixing sessions? Who am I to call Jon Bon Jovi a liar?
If you’re curious about the rest of the new Bon Jovi album, here it is:
Forever is out now on Captain Kidd/Universal Music Group.