WCSX Classic Cuts
Bon Jovi: “Living in Sin”
The Hook: Jon Bon Jovi was grappling with idea of marriage at the time he wrote it.
Album: New Jersey
Year: 1989
Writers: Jon Bon Jovi
Stats: The fifth single off New Jersey, it peaked at number-nine on the Billboard Hot 100 and number-37 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart.
Background: Jon Bon Jovi has been married to his wife, Dorothea, for over 25 years now, but right around the time they were wed he was still grappling with the idea of marriage versus “living in sin.” Shortly after the song’s release in 1989, he told us about writing “Living in Sin” and how personal it was for him.
In a 1990 interview, Jon Bon Jovi on “Living in Sin” and how close to home it came for him at the time. OC:…any of that. :25
“That’s probably the closest thing to my life. There’s pressure on both sides, do it or don’t do it, y’know. Make your move or get of the pot, you know what I mean. And I always keep skating, but it’s my own insecurities, I guess. Caring about someone, then why do you have to sign a piece of paper, what does that mean? Is he gonna take care of them or not? And I’d rather do it that way and prove it my way than having some judge decide if I could live in my house anymore. I just couldn’t handle any of that.”