A hit single, now what?
Jon Bon Jovi spent his time at The Power Station recording studio in New York City studying with the best. He learned that creating a hit song is so much more than simply a group of chords and lyrics, the song had to come alive on the tape. Hit songs are all production, maximizing their impact and bringing out every single nuance. The rules really haven't changed, a chorus needs to explode and project excitement within the song and to do that the vocal needs to sit in the middle allowing it to be surrounded by harmonies and each and every instrument needs to be heard. Understanding how things "Sit in the Mix," leads to a better understanding of the way a song needs to be arranged, what instruments are out front and which ones play a supporting role.
Jon learned to use the studio as an integral part of his song-writing process and developed an instinct for where he wanted the song to end up at for the final result, even before recording. A big part of the Bon Jovi dynamic includes punchy drums, multi-layered guitars and a clean yet powerful high-energy rock sound. This is one of the reasons why the Bon Jovi sound is so polished. If you listen to his first hit Runaway you'll notice very tight and polished instrumentation backing Jon's vocals. The guitars, bass, drums and keyboards are very locked into the groove rhythmically and the instrumental hooks are played with staccato-like precision.
Jon's first hit Runaway, utilized Power Station studio musicians for all the tracks. Now, that he had his first hit, he needed a band. The band formed in 1983 and the members included: Jon Bon Jovi on lead vocals, Richie Sambora on guitar and backing vocals, David Bryan on keyboards, Alec John Such on bass and Tico Torres on drums. Every member of the band contributed to the distinct sound of Bon Jovi and the first album (Bon Jovi) provides a great window into their developing sound, which exploded on their album Slippery When Wet. That album included super hits such as You Give Love a Bad Name, Livin' on a Prayer and Wanted Dead or Alive.
Seeing an artist work their way up from the bottom, certainly gives you a great appreciation for how hard it is to make it in music. Jon simply never gave up.