"Lay Your Hands on Me"
Single by Bon Jovi
from the album New Jersey
B-side"Runaway" (live)
ReleasedAugust 1, 1989
Recorded1988
GenreGlam metal[1]
Length5:59 (album version)
3:49 (radio edit)
LabelMercury
Songwriter(s)Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora
Producer(s)Bruce Fairbairn
Bon Jovi singles chronology
"I'll Be There for You"
(1989) 		"Lay Your Hands on Me"
(1989) 		"Living in Sin"
(1989)
Music video
Lay Your Hands on Me on YouTube

"Lay Your Hands on Me" is a song by American rock band Bon Jovi. It was released on August 1, 1989, as the fourth single from the band's 1988 album New Jersey. It peaked at #7 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming the band's fourth single from New Jersey to chart in the Top 10 and it also charted at #20 on the Mainstream rock charts.[2]

Music video

The video for this song was culled from performances at the Tacoma Dome in Tacoma, WA and the Memorial Coliseum in Portland, OR during The Jersey Syndicate Tour. It was also released to home video on New Jersey: The Videos and Cross Road: The Videos. The MTV video for "Lay Your Hands On Me" was shot in Salt Lake in May 1989.[3]

In concert

For live performances through the 1980s and '90s, Sambora would use a double neck guitar with one neck tuned to drop D and the other tuned to Standard tuning. Examples of this can be seen in the official video clip, as well as in the Live From London DVD. During the 2000s he began using a single-necked guitar, as can be seen in The Crush Tour DVD. The song was performed a few times on the Lost Highway Tour. During performances on The Circle Tour, the song was performed with Sambora on lead vocals. Since then it has been played regularly on the "This House Is Not For Sale" tour.

This Left Feels Right version

"Lay Your Hands on Me" was re-recorded for 2003's This Left Feels Right album. The new version is in a laid-back acoustic style, featuring Sambora playing the Mandocello as the primary instrument. This version was performed at several concerts on the Have a Nice Day Tour. However, the first acoustic performance of this song was in 1992, from the concert An Evening With Bon Jovi Live in New York.

Cover versions

After hearing the song and thinking it would be a good Gospel song, country singer Dolly Parton called Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora and got permission to turn the song into a Gospel tune for her 2014 album, Blue Smoke. Dolly and Richie performed this cover at Glastonbury on 29 June 2014.

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1989) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[4] 23
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40 Tipparade)[5] 10
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[6] 47
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[7] 8
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[8] 16
UK Singles (OCC)[9] 18
U.S. Cash Box[10] 5
US Billboard Hot 100[11] 7
US Billboard Album Rock Tracks[12] 20

Year-end charts

Chart (1989) Position
Cash Box Top 100[13] 46
Billboard Hot 100[14] 82

See also

References

  1. ^ Kuzminski, Anthony (April 23, 2018). "All 334 Bon Jovi Songs, Ranked Worst to Best". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved 2021-03-22. Song #11; While tracking New Jersey in Vancouver, the video production team of producer Curt Marvis and director Wayne Isham encouraged Bon Jovi to write a song to open their show in a grand and mighty fashion. The result is one of the finest moments of the pop-metal era.
  2. ^ "Allmusic (Bon Jovi charts & awards) Billboard singles".
  3. ^ Johnston, Jerry (May 3, 1989). "HIGH ENERGY HIGHLY PLEASING TO BON JOVI FANS". Deseret News. Retrieved June 30, 2014.
  4. ^ "Bon Jovi – Lay Your Hands on Me". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved November 1, 2012.
  5. ^ "Tipparade-lijst van week 38, 1989". Dutch Top 40. Retrieved March 12, 2023.
  6. ^ "Bon Jovi – Lay Your Hands on Me" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved November 1, 2012.
  7. ^ "Bon Jovi – Lay Your Hands on Me". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved November 1, 2012.
  8. ^ "Bon Jovi – Lay Your Hands on Me". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved November 1, 2012.
  9. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 1, 2012.
  10. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2014). Cash Box Pop Hits 1952-1996. Sheridan Books, Inc. ISBN 978-0-89820-209-0.
  11. ^ "Bon Jovi Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved November 1, 2012.
  12. ^ "Chart Search Results - Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks 1989-06-17". Billboard.biz. Retrieved November 1, 2012.
  13. ^ "Top 50 Pop Singles". Cash Box Magazine: 9. December 30, 1989.
  14. ^ "1989 The Year in Music: Top Pop Singles". Billboard. Vol. 101, no. 51. December 23, 1989. p. Y-22.
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