Hey God
Encyclopedia
"Hey God" is a single from Bon Jovi
's 1995 album These Days
.
As with most of the songs on These Days, "Hey God" is one of Bon Jovi's darker songs. It brings together different stories of people living on the edge of breakdown and despair, such as a father who claims his family are "two paychecks away from living out on the street", a single mother with a wayward son who has been convicted of killing a police officer, and a young man growing up in the ghetto. Throughout the course of the song, each of these characters cries out for spiritual help.
Richie Sambora claimed that inspiration for the song came when he was sat in his limo when he made eye contact with a derelict huddling in a cardboard box on the pavement. Richie's sense of guilt at this was immense and when discussing the incident with Jon, then "Hey God" was written.
The song charted at #13 in the UK Singles Chart
and #58 on the Euro hot 100 singles chart. "Hey God", like most of the songs from the album, is rarely played live by the band. A performance of the song can be seen as part of the encore from the Live From London DVD. In 2008, the song made a comeback in some of the bands concerts during their Lost Highway Tour
. "Hey God" is one of the few Bon Jovi songs to feature no backing vocal track. When played live Jon Bon Jovi
plays the tambourine
.
Bon Jovi
Bon Jovi is an American rock band from Sayreville, New Jersey. Formed in 1983, Bon Jovi consists of lead singer and namesake Jon Bon Jovi , guitarist Richie Sambora, keyboardist David Bryan, drummer Tico Torres, as well as current bassist Hugh McDonald...
's 1995 album These Days
These Days (Bon Jovi album)
These Days is Bon Jovi's sixth studio album, released on June 27, 1995. This was the first album Bon Jovi released after the departure of bassist Alec John Such. Hugh McDonald unofficially replaced Such as bassist...
.
As with most of the songs on These Days, "Hey God" is one of Bon Jovi's darker songs. It brings together different stories of people living on the edge of breakdown and despair, such as a father who claims his family are "two paychecks away from living out on the street", a single mother with a wayward son who has been convicted of killing a police officer, and a young man growing up in the ghetto. Throughout the course of the song, each of these characters cries out for spiritual help.
Richie Sambora claimed that inspiration for the song came when he was sat in his limo when he made eye contact with a derelict huddling in a cardboard box on the pavement. Richie's sense of guilt at this was immense and when discussing the incident with Jon, then "Hey God" was written.
The song charted at #13 in the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
and #58 on the Euro hot 100 singles chart. "Hey God", like most of the songs from the album, is rarely played live by the band. A performance of the song can be seen as part of the encore from the Live From London DVD. In 2008, the song made a comeback in some of the bands concerts during their Lost Highway Tour
Lost Highway Tour
The Lost Highway Tour was a worldwide concert tour by American rock band Bon Jovi, that took place from October 2007 to July 2008 in support of their tenth studio album Lost Highway...
. "Hey God" is one of the few Bon Jovi songs to feature no backing vocal track. When played live Jon Bon Jovi
Jon Bon Jovi
Jon Bon Jovi is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and actor, best known as the founder, occasional rhythm guitarist, and lead singer of rock band Bon Jovi, which was named after him...
plays the tambourine
Tambourine
The tambourine or marine is a musical instrument of the percussion family consisting of a frame, often of wood or plastic, with pairs of small metal jingles, called "zils". Classically the term tambourine denotes an instrument with a drumhead, though some variants may not have a head at all....
.