Bon Jovi’s latest album, ‘Forever,’ debuted at Number 5, but Jon Bon Jovi thinks it could have topped the charts if it weren’t for Taylor Swift.
Swift’s 2024 album ‘The Tortured Poets Department’ held the Number 1 spot when ‘Forever’ was released. Jon joked about it in a recent interview with Audacy, saying:
“If it weren’t for that pesky Taylor [Swift] girl, we would have been No. 1 everywhere! But isn’t [it] fantastic that, on our 18th album, we’re still having big hit successes? So, it’s knock on wood, and why not be joyful?”
The frontman’s comment isn’t negative as he’s praised Swift and her work in many interviews. In a June conversation with Variety, Bon Jovi noted:
“She created an industry. She utilized what she does best. She sings like Taylor Swift. She plays guitar like Taylor Swift. She’s not trying to be something that she’s not, and it is connected with an audience that is unique.”
Bon Jovi’s Other Statements About Swift
Back in 2013, Swift, along with Prince William, joined Bon Jovi on stage at London’s Kensington Palace to sing ‘Livin’ on a Prayer.’ In a May Radio Times issue, Jon talked about his feelings towards Swift:
“Most definitely. She’s connected with an audience that is unique to her. She’s a talent who will be around now for the rest of her life. She’ll be the Dolly Parton of her generation. I have nothing but respect for what she’s accomplished.”
Previously in February, at a panel for ‘Thank You, Goodnight,’ Bon Jovi playfully compared his songwriting to Swift’s and shared how his early life affected his music:
“That’s been the magic of 40 years of career. At 20, when I got a record deal, I didn’t have a lot else to write about except high school.”
The singer added:
“And I didn’t break up with people like Taylor [Swift] did.”
After ‘Forever’ debuted at Number 5, it dropped off the Billboard 200 chart the next week. The band’s previous album, 2020’s ‘2020,’ was on the chart for just two weeks. It started at Number 19, then dropped 126 spots and left the chart.