"Welcome to Wherever You Are"
Single by Bon Jovi
from the album Have a Nice Day
ReleasedDecember 16, 2005 (2005-12-16)
Length3:47
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Jon Bon Jovi
  • Richie Sambora
  • John Shanks
Bon Jovi singles chronology
"Have a Nice Day"
(2005) 		"Welcome to Wherever You Are"
(2005) 		"Who Says You Can't Go Home"
(2006)

"Welcome to Wherever You Are" is a song by American rock band Bon Jovi from their ninth studio album, Have a Nice Day (2005). It was released in December 2005 as the album's second worldwide single, following "Have a Nice Day". Speaking about the song on Larry King Live, Jon Bon Jovi said "I thought for sure this was going to be a universal, timeless theme song of unity, diversity. Not a hit, not even close. Swing and a miss".[1] The single reached the top 40 in several European countries, including the United Kingdom, where it peaked at number 19.

Lyrical content

"Welcome to Wherever You Are" is a song of affirmation, about accepting who you are and being comfortable in your own skin. Jon Bon Jovi claims the song is greatly influenced by events during the 2004 Presidential Election.[1] Jon campaigned for John Kerry during that time. The song is also notable for being one of the few Bon Jovi songs lacking a guitar solo.

The song also shares its name with an episode of The West Wing's seventh season, in which Jon Bon Jovi appears endorsing the fictional presidential nomination Matt Santos.

Track listings

UK and European CD1[2][3]

  1. "Welcome to Wherever You Are" (Jeremy Wheatley mix)
  2. "Last Man Standing" (live at Nokia Theatre in New York City, September 19, 2005)

UK CD2[4]

  1. "Welcome to Wherever You Are" (Jeremy Wheatley mix)
  2. "Someday I'll Be Saturday Night" (live at Nokia Theatre in New York City, September 19, 2005)
  3. "Wanted Dead or Alive" (live at Nokia Theatre in New York City, September 19, 2005)
  4. "Wanted Dead or Alive" (video—live at Nokia Theatre in New York City, September 19, 2005)

UK DVD single[5]

  1. "Welcome to Wherever You Are" (video)
  2. "Have a Nice Day" (video—live at Nokia Theatre in New York City, September 19, 2005)
  3. "Who Says You Can't Go Home" (audio—live at Nokia Theatre in New York City, September 19, 2005)
  4. Photo gallery

European CD2[6]

  1. "Welcome to Wherever You Are"
  2. "Have a Nice Day" (live at Nokia Theatre in New York City, September 19, 2005)
  3. "Someday I'll Be Saturday Night" (live at Nokia Theatre in New York City, September 19, 2005)
  4. "It's My Life" (live at Nokia Theatre in New York City, September 19, 2005)

Charts

Chart (2006) Peak
position
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[7] 36
Belgium (Ultratip Bubbling Under Flanders)[8] 9
Czech Republic (Rádio – Top 100)[9] 74
European Hot 100 Singles[10] 53
Germany (Official German Charts)[11] 40
Greece (IFPI)[12] 16
Hungary (Rádiós Top 40)[13] 25
Italy (FIMI)[14] 33
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40 Tipparade)[15] 2
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[16] 25
Scotland (OCC)[17] 10
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[18] 46
UK Singles (OCC)[19] 19

Release history

Region Date Format Label Ref.
Germany December 16, 2005 CD Island [20]
Europe January 17, 2006 [11]
United Kingdom January 30, 2006 Mercury [21]

References

  1. ^ a b Interview with Jon Bon Jovi, Aired August 16, 2006 at the Wayback Machine (archived June 30, 2007)
  2. ^ Welcome to Wherever You Are (UK CD1 liner notes). Bon Jovi. Mercury Records. 2006. 987 952-5.((cite AV media notes)): CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  3. ^ Welcome to Wherever You Are (European CD1 liner notes). Bon Jovi. Island Records. 2006. 602498889572.((cite AV media notes)): CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  4. ^ Welcome to Wherever You Are (UK CD2 liner notes). Bon Jovi. Mercury Records. 2006. 987 952-6.((cite AV media notes)): CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  5. ^ Welcome to Wherever You Are (UK DVD single liner notes). Bon Jovi. Mercury Records. 2006. 987 952-9.((cite AV media notes)): CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  6. ^ Welcome to Wherever You Are (European CD2 liner notes). Bon Jovi. Island Records. 2006. 602498889565.((cite AV media notes)): CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  7. ^ "Bon Jovi – Welcome to Wherever You Are" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
  8. ^ "Bon Jovi – Welcome to Wherever You Are" (in Dutch). Ultratip.
  9. ^ "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Change the chart to CZ – RADIO – TOP 100 and insert 200611 into search.
  10. ^ "European Hot 100 Singles 2006-02-18". Billboard.biz. Retrieved 24 September 2012.
  11. ^ a b "Bon Jovi – Welcome to Wherever You Are" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts.
  12. ^ IFPI archive
  13. ^ "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Rádiós Top 40 játszási lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége.
  14. ^ "Classifica Mix & Singoli" (in Italian). Federation of the Italian Music Industry. Archived from the original on 24 December 2005. Retrieved 26 May 2012.
  15. ^ "Tipparade-lijst van week 53, 2005". Dutch Top 40. Retrieved March 13, 2023.
  16. ^ "Bon Jovi – Welcome to Wherever You Are" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  17. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 13, 2023.
  18. ^ "Bon Jovi – Welcome to Werever You Are". Swiss Singles Chart.
  19. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  20. ^ "Home". universal-rock.de (in German). Archived from the original on December 24, 2005. Retrieved November 10, 2023. 'Welcome To wherever You Are' die neue Bon Jovi Single ab 16.12. ['Welcome To wherever You Are' the new Bon Jovi single from December 16th.] To view release date, first select Artists from the left sidebar, then click on Bon Jovi.
  21. ^ "New Releases: Singles". Music Week. January 28, 2006. p. 33.
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