The Circle (Bon Jovi album)

2009 studio album by Bon Jovi

The Circle

Studio album by

Bon Jovi

Released| November 10, 2009 (2009-11-10)
Recorded| 2008–09
Studio|

* Henson (Hollywood, California)
* Sanctuary Sound II (New Jersey)

Genre|

* Hard rock
* pop rock

Length| 52:49
Label|

* Island
* Mercury

Producer|

* John Shanks
* Jon Bon Jovi
* Richie Sambora

Bon Jovi chronology
| Lost Highway
(2007)  | The Circle
(2009)  | Greatest Hits
(2010)

|
|

Singles from  The Circle

1. "We Weren't Born to Follow"
Released: August 31, 2009
2. "Superman Tonight"
Released: January 25, 2010
3. "When We Were Beautiful"
Released: May 20, 2010

The Circle is the eleventh studio album by American rock band Bon Jovi. Released on November 10, 2009, the album was produced by John Shanks.[1] The album debuted at number 1 in several countries, including the U.S., where it sold 163,000 copies in its first week.[2]

The Circle marks the band's return to their hard rock sound after a brief venture into country music with their previous album Lost Highway.

## Recording and production

[edit]

In an interview given to Rolling Stone, former Bon Jovi guitarist Richie Sambora says the album is a return to "rock and roll" and said "There’s going to be some big choruses on there. It sounds like Bon Jovi, but it sounds fresh. We experimented with a lot of new sounds and had a really good time working with John Shanks, who is also a really good guitar player, so he and I did a lot of ‘weaseling’ with the guitar sounds. There are a lot of really good guitar sounds and new kind atmospheres on the new Bon Jovi record, that I think makes it really modern. I think people are going to dig it, man. And it rocks hard."[3]

In an interview on UK radio station Absolute Radio, Jon Bon Jovi stated the album title has multiple meanings. It stands for the fact that a circle is never ending, and that it also refers to Bon Jovi's inner circle – stating that "in this organization, the circle is very difficult to get into, and even more difficult to get out of."[4]

The lead single, "We Weren't Born to Follow" is about the tough times we are experiencing in this economic crisis. "Superman Tonight" was released as the second single followed by "When We Were Beautiful" as the third single, all of which featuring music videos. Work For The Working Man which was released as a promo single was also written about the DHL plant that closed in Ohio. Before the official release of the album, U.S. President Barack Obama's chief adviser David Axelrod had the lyrics to "Work for the Working Man" framed and hung in his White House office.[5]

The album is the first record since 1988's New Jersey not to feature bonus tracks (all the subsequent albums from 1992's Keep the Faith through to 2007's Lost Highway have included songs not available in the United States). Lead singer Jon Bon Jovi has stated that there were one or two songs that he left off the album that could have been bonus tracks which he wanted to keep for the Greatest Hits album.[citation needed]

## Release and reception

[edit]

Professional ratingsAggregate scores

Source| Rating
Metacritic| 52/100[6]
Review scores
Source| Rating
AllMusic| [7]
Billboard| [8]
Entertainment Weekly| C[9]
Los Angeles Times| [10]
Rolling Stone| [11]
The Boston Globe| (mixed)[12]

The Circle received mixed reviews from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album has an average score of 52 out of 100, which indicates "mixed or average reviews" based on 10 reviews.[6] Stephen Thomas Erlewine from AllMusic gave the album 2 stars out of 5 stating that "A knack for oversized choruses remains hardwired in Bon Jovi, but in this gloomy context, they act as reminders that they once sounded like they were a working band for working men instead of rich men fretting about a world they've long left behind".[7] Gary Graff from Billboard gave the album 4 out of 5 stars saying that "The New Jersey group gets back to the business of rocking on its 11th studio album, The Circle".[8] Whitney Pastorek from Entertainment Weekly gave the album C grade by saying "Between cliches and Jon's strained voice, The Circle just feels tired".[9] Mikael Wood from Los Angeles Times gave the album 1.5 stars out of 4 stating that "The Circle shows off Bon Jovi's still-sharp knack for wedding blandly optimistic sentiments to predictably soaring choruses. Unfortunately, it's getting pretty hard to tell one song from the next".[10] Christian Hoard from Rolling Stone gave the album 3 stars out of 5 by saying "It does rock--if your idea of rock is Aerosmith doing Diane Warren songs".[11] Scott McLennan from The Boston Globe made a mixed review about the album stating that "Slick production and beer-ad bombast grease these 12 tracks. Lead singer Jon Bon Jovi has yet to meet a cliche he can’t work into a song".[12]

The album topped the Billboard 200 chart when it debuted, but by the next week, it suddenly dropped to number 19.

The Circle debuted at the number-one position with sales of around 67,000 copies on the Japanese Oricon weekly album charts, becoming their fifth number-one album on the Japanese chart. Because of the album's number-one debut, Bon Jovi tied the Oricon charts' record for having five number-one albums as a Western artist, which was held by Mariah Carey and Simon & Garfunkel.[13]

## Track listing

[edit]

No.| Title| Writer(s)| Length

|
|
|

1.| "We Weren't Born to Follow"|

* Jon Bon Jovi
* Richie Sambora

| 4:03
2.| "When We Were Beautiful"|

* Bon Jovi
* Sambora
* Billy Falcon

| 5:18
3.| "Work for the Working Man"|

* Bon Jovi
* Sambora
* Darrell Brown

| 4:04
4.| "Superman Tonight"|

* Bon Jovi
* Sambora
* Falcon

| 5:12
5.| "Bullet"|

* Bon Jovi
* Sambora

| 3:50
6.| "Thorn in My Side"|

* Bon Jovi
* Sambora

| 4:05
7.| "Live Before You Die"|

* Bon Jovi
* Sambora

| 4:17
8.| "Brokenpromiseland"|

* Bon Jovi
* Sambora
* John Shanks
* Desmond Child

| 4:57
9.| "Love's the Only Rule"|

* Bon Jovi
* Sambora
* Falcon

| 4:38
10.| "Fast Cars"|

* Bon Jovi
* Sambora
* Child

| 3:16
11.| "Happy Now"|

* Bon Jovi
* Sambora
* Child

| 4:21
12.| "Learn to Love"|

* Bon Jovi
* Sambora
* Child

| 4:39
Total length:| 52:47

iTunes bonus trackNo.| Title| Writer(s)| Length

|
|
|

13.| "We Weren't Born to Follow" (Jason Nevins Remix)|

* Bon Jovi
* Sambora

| 4:03

2010 Special Edition bonus tracks (International only)No.| Title| Writer(s)| Length

|
|
|

13.| "We Weren't Born to Follow" (Live)|

* Bon Jovi
* Sambora

| 4:02
14.| "When We Were Beautiful" (Live)|

* Bon Jovi
* Sambora
* Falcon

| 5:21
15.| "Superman Tonight" (Live)|

* Bon Jovi
* Sambora
* Falcon

| 5:24
16.| "Love's the Only Rule" (Live)|

* Bon Jovi
* Sambora
* Falcon

| 8:59

## Personnel

[edit]

Bon Jovi

* Jon Bon Jovi – lead vocals[14]
* Richie Sambora – guitars, backing vocals[14]
* David Bryan – keyboards[14]
* Tico Torres – drums, percussion[14]

Additional musicians

* Charlie Judge – additional keyboards and strings[14]
* Hugh McDonald – bass guitar[14]

Technical personnel

* John Shanks – producer[14]
* Jon Bon Jovi – co-producer[14]
* Richie Sambora – co-producer[14]
* Jeff Rothschild – engineer[14]
* Mike Rew – additional engineer[14]
* Obie O'Brien – additional engineer[14]
* Alex Gibson – additional engineer[14]
* Lars Fox – Pro Tools editing[14]
* Bob Clearmountain – mixing[14]
* Brandon Duncan – mixing assistant[14]
* George Marino – mastering[14]
* Kevin Westenberg – band photography[14]
* Kirk Edwards Photography – additional photography[14]
* Andy West Design – art direction and design[14]
* Lynne Bugai – album title and design[14]
* Carol Corless – package producer[14]

## Charts

[edit]

### Weekly charts

[edit]

| Chart (2009)  | Peak
position

|

Australian Albums (ARIA)[15] | 4
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[16] | 2
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[17] | 31
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[18] | 39
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[19] | 1
Czech Albums (ČNS IFPI)[20] | 11
Danish Albums (Hitlisten)[21] | 18
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[22] | 4
European Albums (Billboard)[23] | 2
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[24] | 6
French Albums (SNEP)[25] | 39
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[26] | 1
Hungarian Albums (MAHASZ)[27] | 11
Irish Albums (IRMA)[28] | 7
Italian Albums (FIMI)[29] | 13
Japanese Albums (Oricon)[30] | 1
Mexican Albums (Top 100 Mexico)[31] | 38
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[32] | 20
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[33] | 14
Portuguese Albums (AFP)[34] | 5
Scottish Albums (OCC)[35] | 1
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[36] | 1
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[37] | 9
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[38] | 3
UK Albums (OCC)[39] | 2
UK Album Downloads (OCC)[40] | 3
US Billboard 200[41] | 1
US Digital Albums (Billboard)[42] | 1
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[43] | 1
US Top Tastemaker Albums (Billboard)[44] | 3

### Year-end charts

[edit]

| Chart (2009)  | Position

|

Australian Albums (ARIA)[45] | 86
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[46] | 35
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[47] | 62
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[48] | 49
UK Albums (OCC)[49] | 79
US Billboard 200[50] | 189
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[51] | 44
Chart (2010)  | Position

|

Canadian Albums (Billboard)[52] | 35
US Billboard 200[53] | 88
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[54] | 21

## Certifications

[edit]

Region  | Certification | Certified units/sales

|
|

Australia (ARIA)[55] | Gold  | 35,000^
Canada (Music Canada)[56] | Platinum  | 80,000^
Germany (BVMI)[57] | Gold  | 100,000^
Japan (RIAJ)[58] | Gold  | 100,000^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[59] | Gold  | 15,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[60] | Gold  | 100,000^
United States (RIAA)[61] | Gold  | 500,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

## Release history

[edit]

Region  | Date  | Label  | Format  | Catalog

|
|
|
|

Japan | November 4, 2009  | Island | CD | UICL-1092[62]
March 20, 2013  | Universal Music International | SHM-CD  | UICY-20458[63]
November 18, 2016  | Island | double LP | 470-3095[64]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Daniel Kreps. "Bon Jovi Return to Rock With "The Circle" On November 10 : Rolling Stone : Rock and Roll Daily". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on August 22, 2009. Retrieved October 18, 2009.
2. ^ Caulfield, Keith. "Bon Jovi Comes Full 'Circle' at No. 1 on Billboard 200". billboard.com. November 18, 2009.
3. ^ Greg Prato. "Bon Jovi Get "Back to Rock & Roll" On November Album : Rolling Stone : Rock and Roll Daily". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on August 21, 2009. Retrieved October 18, 2009.
4. ^ Jon Bon Jovi Interview with Ben Jones, Absolute Radio, September 22, 2009
5. ^ Savage, Mark (November 6, 2009). "Bon Jovi: 'We're not supposed to be here'". BBC News. Retrieved May 15, 2010.
6. ^ a b "The Circle – Bon Jovi". Metacritic. Retrieved 2017-01-07.
7. ^ a b Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Bon Jovi: The Circle". Allmusic. Retrieved January 7, 2017.
8. ^ a b Graff, Gary. "Bon Jovi, "The Circle"". Billboard. Retrieved January 7, 2017.
9. ^ a b Pastorek, Whitney. "The Circle - EW.com". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved January 8, 2017.
10. ^ a b Wood, Mikael. "Album Review: Bon Jovi's 'The Circle'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 8, 2017.
11. ^ a b Hoard, Christian (11 November 2009). "Bon Jovi: The Circle". Rolling Stone. Retrieved January 7, 2017.
12. ^ a b McLennan, Scott. "Bon Jovi, 'The Circle' - The Boston Globe". Boston.com. The Boston Globe. Retrieved January 8, 2017.
13. ^ ボン・ジョヴィ洋楽史上最多5作目首位「日本のファンに感謝」. Oricon Style (in Japanese). Oricon. November 10, 2009. Retrieved November 10, 2009.
14. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v The Circle (Album). Bon Jovi. New York City: Island. 2009. p. 10\. 602527245607.`{{cite AV media notes}}`: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
15. ^ "Australiancharts.com – Bon Jovi – The Circle". Hung Medien.
16. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Bon Jovi – The Circle" (in German). Hung Medien.
17. ^ "Ultratop.be – Bon Jovi – The Circle" (in Dutch). Hung Medien.
18. ^ "Ultratop.be – Bon Jovi – The Circle" (in French). Hung Medien.
19. ^ "Bon Jovi Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard.
20. ^ "Czech Albums – Top 100". ČNS IFPI. Note: On the chart page, select 46.Týden 2009 on the field besides the words "CZ – ALBUMS – TOP 100" to retrieve the correct chart.
21. ^ "Danishcharts.dk – Bon Jovi – The Circle". Hung Medien.
22. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Bon Jovi – The Circle" (in Dutch). Hung Medien.
23. ^ "Hits of the World - European Albums". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. November 21, 2009. p. 47. Retrieved January 22, 2017.
24. ^ "Bon Jovi: The Circle" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland.
25. ^ "Lescharts.com – Bon Jovi – The Circle". Hung Medien.
26. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Bon Jovi – The Circle" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
27. ^ "Album Top 40 slágerlista – 2009. 46. hét" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ.
28. ^ "GFK Chart-Track Albums: Week 45, 2009". Chart-Track. IRMA.
29. ^ "Italiancharts.com – Bon Jovi – The Circle". Hung Medien.
30. ^ "Oricon Top 50 Albums: 2009-11-11" (in Japanese). Oricon.
31. ^ "Mexicancharts.com – Bon Jovi – The Circle". Hung Medien.
32. ^ "Charts.nz – Bon Jovi – The Circle". Hung Medien.
33. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Bon Jovi – The Circle". Hung Medien.
34. ^ "Portuguesecharts.com – Bon Jovi – The Circle". Hung Medien.
35. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
36. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Bon Jovi – The Circle". Hung Medien.
37. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Bon Jovi – The Circle". Hung Medien.
38. ^ "Spanishcharts.com – Bon Jovi – The Circle". Hung Medien.
39. ^ "Bon Jovi | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart.
40. ^ "Official Album Downloads Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
41. ^ "Bon Jovi Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard.
42. ^ "Bon Jovi Chart History (Digital Albums)".[dead link‍] Billboard.
43. ^ "Bon Jovi Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard.
44. ^ "Bon Jovi Chart History (Top Tastemaker Albums)". Billboard.
45. ^ "ARIA End of Year Albums Chart 2009". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved September 7, 2020.
46. ^ "Jahreshitparade Alben 2009". austriancharts.at. Retrieved September 7, 2020.
47. ^ "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts". GfK Entertainment (in German). offiziellecharts.de. Retrieved September 7, 2020.
48. ^ "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 2009". hitparade.ch. Retrieved September 7, 2020.
49. ^ "End of Year Album Chart Top 100 – 2009". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 7, 2020.
50. ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2009". Billboard. Retrieved September 7, 2020.
51. ^ "Top Rock Albums – Year-End 2009". Billboard. Retrieved September 7, 2020.
52. ^ "Top Canadian Albums – Year-End 2010". Billboard. Retrieved September 7, 2020.
53. ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2010". Billboard. Retrieved September 7, 2020.
54. ^ "Top Rock Albums – Year-End 2010". Billboard. Retrieved September 7, 2020.
55. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2009 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association.
56. ^ "Canadian album certifications – Bon Jovi – The Circle". Music Canada.
57. ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Bon Jovi; 'The Circle')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
58. ^ "Japanese album certifications – ボン・ジョヴィ – ザ・サークル" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Retrieved May 2, 2020. Select 2009年11月 on the drop-down menu
59. ^ "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards ('The Circle')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien.
60. ^ "British album certifications – Bon Jovi – The Circle". British Phonographic Industry.
61. ^ "American album certifications – Bon Jovi – The Circle". Recording Industry Association of America.
62. ^ "BON JOVI ボン・ジョヴィ - ザ・サークル - UNIVERSAL MUSIC JAPAN". Universal Music. 2009-11-04. Retrieved 2017-01-07.
63. ^ "BON JOVI ボン・ジョヴィ - ザ・サークル - UNIVERSAL MUSIC JAPAN". Universal Music. 2013-03-20. Retrieved 2017-01-07.
64. ^ "BON JOVI ボン・ジョヴィ - ザ・サークル - UNIVERSAL MUSIC JAPAN". Universal Music. 2016-11-18. Retrieved 2017-01-07.

* v
* t
* e

Bon Jovi

* Jon Bon Jovi
* Tico Torres
* David Bryan
* Hugh McDonald
* Phil X

* Alec John Such
* Dave Sabo
* Richie Sambora

Studio albums|

* Bon Jovi
* 7800° Fahrenheit
* Slippery When Wet
* New Jersey
* Keep the Faith
* These Days
* Crush
* Bounce
* Have a Nice Day
* Lost Highway
* The Circle
* What About Now
* Burning Bridges
* This House Is Not for Sale
* 2020
* Forever

Compilation albums|

* Hard & Hot (Best of Bon Jovi)
* Cross Road
* Tokyo Road: Best of Bon Jovi
* This Left Feels Right
* 100,000,000 Bon Jovi Fans Can't Be Wrong
* Greatest Hits

Live albums|

* One Wild Night Live 1985–2001
* Live from the Have a Nice Day Tour (EP)
* Inside Out
* This House Is Not for Sale – Live from the London Palladium

Singles|

* "Runaway"
* "She Don't Know Me"
* "Only Lonely"
* "In and Out of Love"
* "The Hardest Part Is the Night"
* "Silent Night"
* "You Give Love a Bad Name"
* "Livin' on a Prayer"
* "Wanted Dead or Alive"
* "Never Say Goodbye"
* "Edge of a Broken Heart"
* "Bad Medicine"
* "Born to Be My Baby"
* "I'll Be There for You"
* "Lay Your Hands on Me"
* "Living in Sin"
* "Keep the Faith"
* "Bed of Roses"
* "In These Arms"
* "I'll Sleep When I'm Dead"
* "I Believe"
* "Dry County"
* "Always"
* "Please Come Home for Christmas"
* "Someday I'll Be Saturday Night"
* "This Ain't a Love Song"
* "Something for the Pain"
* "Lie to Me"
* "These Days"
* "Hey God"
* "Real Life"
* "It's My Life"
* "Say It Isn't So"
* "Thank You for Loving Me"
* "One Wild Night"
* "Everyday"
* "Misunderstood"
* "Bounce"
* "All About Lovin' You"
* "Have a Nice Day"
* "Welcome to Wherever You Are"
* "Who Says You Can't Go Home"
* "(You Want to) Make a Memory"
* "Lost Highway"
* "Till We Ain't Strangers Anymore"
* "Summertime"
* "Whole Lot of Leavin'"
* "We Weren't Born to Follow"
* "Superman Tonight"
* "What Do You Got?"
* "This Is Our House" (promo)
* "Because We Can"
* "We Don't Run"
* "This House Is Not for Sale"
* "When We Were Us"
* "Do What You Can"
* "Legendary"

Video albums|

* Breakout: Video Singles
* Slippery When Wet: The Videos
* New Jersey: The Videos
* Access All Areas: A Rock & Roll Odyssey
* Keep the Faith: An Evening with Bon Jovi
* Keep the Faith: The Videos
* Cross Road
* Live from London
* The Crush Tour
* This Left Feels Right Live
* Lost Highway: The Concert
* When We Were Beautiful
* Live at Madison Square Garden
* Greatest Hits: The Ultimate Video Collection

Concert tours|

* Slippery When Wet Tour
* Jersey Syndicate Tour
* These Days Tour
* One Wild Night Tour
* Have a Nice Day Tour
* Lost Highway Tour
* The Circle Tour
* Bon Jovi Live
* Because We Can
* Bon Jovi Live!
* This House Is Not for Sale Tour

Solo albums|

* Jon Bon Jovi
* Blaze of Glory
* Destination Anywhere
* Richie Sambora
* Stranger in This Town
* Undiscovered Soul
* Aftermath of the Lowdown
* David Bryan
* On a Full Moon
* Lunar Eclipse

Related articles|

* Discography
* Songs recorded
* Awards
* Bruce Fairbairn
* Desmond Child
* Max Martin
* John Shanks
* Billy Falcon

* Category

Authority control databases |

* MusicBrainz release group

|

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