How “Always” Was Created
Released Sep 20, 1994 • Album: Cross Road
“Always” was originally written by Jon Bon Jovi for the 1993 film Romeo Is Bleeding. However, after watching the film, Jon felt it wasn’t strong enough to be associated with the song, so he pulled it from the soundtrack. Instead of releasing it at that time, the song was left forgotten in a drawer.
Sometime later, a friend found the demo and reminded Jon of its potential. Recognizing its power, he decided to release it as part of Cross Road, Bon Jovi’s first greatest hits album.
How “Jump” Was Created
Released Dec 21, 1983 • Album: 1984
“Jump” was a major departure from Van Halen’s signature hard rock sound, as it prominently featured a synthesizer rather than just Eddie Van Halen’s iconic guitar riffs. The song’s main synth riff was actually written by Eddie years before its release, but it was initially rejected by the band, particularly by lead singer David Lee Roth, who preferred Van Halen’s traditional guitar-driven sound.
Despite the resistance, Eddie continued experimenting with the idea and recorded a demo of the synth riff in his home studio in 1981. By the time the band started working on their sixth studio album, 1984, Eddie had built his own 5150 Studio, giving him more creative control. He finally convinced the band to record “Jump” with the now-famous Oberheim OB-Xa synthesizer.
