BLAZE OF GLORY

BLAZE OF GLORY MUSIC FROM THE MOVIE “YOUNG GUNS II " (VERTIGO 8464731. RELEASED AUGUST 1990)

Not strictly a Bon Jovi album, 'Blaze Of Glory' was the soundtrack to Young Guns II which Jon had been invited to write by the film's producers. Not that Jon would allow anybody to refer to it as a 'solo' record either.
"Absolutely not. I have to keep repeating that, “ Jon told the authors at the time of its release. "How it started was they wanted to use 'Wanted Dead Or Alive' in the movie. I was told that they wrote the first Young Guns movie with 'Wanted ... in mind, that it was a big influence on the movie. and I was really flattered ... I always said that if I'd ever acted in a movie it would have been in Young Guns.

"Lyrically, though, it wouldn't have worked. You know. 'On a steel horse I ride ..’ It just doesn't fit the movie. So I said, if you, want I'll write you something in that vein to fit this part of the movie. I knew where it was going, they told me what it was about, and I went there with a song in hand, which was 'Blaze Of Glory'. I wrote it just by what they told me over the phone."

But wasn't it true that he had been looking for some form of solo expression outside t band anyway?
"I honest to God had no intention whatsoever of doing a solo venture, because to r Bon Jovi records are my solo albums. Then not any songs really that I adamantly didn’t want on any of the Bon Jovi records. If I did want something, it wasn't there.

"So when Emilio (Estevez) called and w so adamant about me coming out there I said 'Fuck it. I'm gonna get on an aeroplane without the band, without my road manager, without my wife, all by myself and go and do this' ... I’m not used to doing anything by myself. I just don't do it'.

"They said, 'Be in the movie', and I said 'Great, give me something to do. I hate this!’ And they did. So, for 30 seconds I escape from this jail with the writer of the movie who was the fan who started all of this off, I escape from this Jail with him, We grab the deputy in the Jail. The sheriff sees me and loads up his gun and I take one hit to the chest and there's blood everywhere. It's in slow-motion and in close-up. And that's It. It took me longer to explain it than it did for it to happen .”

He didn't think there would be teenage girls having heart attacks seeing Jon Bon Jovi splattered like that, though. “Do you know why they're really gonna have heart attacks ever it? The seven bucks it costs them to get into the movie - 'cos I'm in it for 30 seconds, max! Nobody blink!"

But Hollywood was making such a big deal of his presence in the movie ..
“Tell me about It. I mean. I don't want 'em taking advantage of our fans, making believe like this is my first big film part or anything. Like the album, I’m pissed off because first they were gonna use at least four songs in the movie, Then it was three. Now, I'm afraid that the last cut was only two. So here's gonna be my friends and fans and family going to see, a movie that I'm in for 30 seconds and I have two songs in. But they're marketing it like it was my first major film role or something…”

Musically, he said, 'Blaze Of Glory ... was “real different" to a regular Boo Jovi release .
”Musically, it's real different. If we were to do a Bon JOVI record for this film, I would look foolish and they would look foolish for hiring me. It had to be different, it had to be a little off the wall. With that in mind - that's why I did it.

I mean, when I did it. I was excited. When the Single came out over here I was waiting with bated breath to see what would happen. Just like I always am before I release a record. But now that it's out, it's beyond me. So now there's a sigh of relief and what hap­pens, happens. "

How did the big names end up on the album?

"Why them' It was the idea that ... Well, I've always loved Jeff Beck's playing and I loved his sound. So the idea was. who would you get to play on 'Blaze Of Glory’? It wasn't a matter of four songs or 10 songs. it was one song. My first choice of guitar player was Jeff Beck. I mean if you're shooting for something you may as well aim for the sky, you know.