"Hey God"
Single by Bon Jovi
from the album These Days
B-side
ReleasedJune 24, 1996 (1996-06-24)
GenreRock
Length6:11
LabelMercury
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Bon Jovi singles chronology
"These Days"
(1996)		 "Hey God"
(1996)		 "Real Life"
(1999)
Music videos
"Hey God" on YouTube
"Hey God" (Long Version) on YouTube

"Hey God" is a song from American rock band Bon Jovi's sixth studio album, These Days (1995), released as the album's fifth and final single on June 24, 1996. Although it did not chart in the United States, it became a moderate hit in Canada and several European countries.

Background

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 said that inspiration for the song came when he was sitting in his limo and made eye contact with a derelict huddling in a cardboard box on the pavement. Sambora's sense of guilt at this was immense and after discussing the incident with Jon Bon Jovi, they wrote "Hey God".

Chart performance

The song charted at number 13 on the UK Singles Chart and number 44 on Canada's RPM 100 Hit Tracks chart.[1][2]

Live performances

"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 band's concerts during their Lost Highway Tour.

Track listings

Charts

Chart (1995–1996) Peak
position
Canada Top Singles (RPM)[2] 44
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[10] 58
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[11] 18
Iceland (Íslenski Listinn Topp 40)[12] 35
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[13] 37
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[14] 27
Scotland (OCC)[15] 14
UK Singles (OCC)[1] 13
UK Rock & Metal (OCC)[16] 1

Release history

Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref(s).
United Kingdom June 24, 1996
  • CD
  • cassette
 Mercury [17]
Japan October 5, 1996 CD [18][19]

References

  1. 1 2 "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 3, 2012.
  2. 1 2 "Top RPM Singles: Issue 2729." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved March 30, 2018.
  3. ↑ Hey God (UK CD1 liner notes). Bon Jovi. Mercury Records. 1996. JOVCD 21, 578 259-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  4. ↑ Hey God (UK CD2 liner notes). Bon Jovi. Mercury Records. 1996. JOVCX 21, 578 261-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  5. ↑ Hey God (UK cassette single sleeve). Bon Jovi. Mercury Records. 1996. JOVMC 21.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  6. ↑ Hey God (European CD single liner notes). Bon Jovi. Mercury Records. 1996. 578 212-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  7. ↑ Hey God (European maxi-CD single liner notes). Bon Jovi. Mercury Records. 1996. 578 213-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  8. ↑ Hey God (Japanese CD1 liner notes). Bon Jovi. Mercury Records. 1996. PHCR-8371.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  9. ↑ Hey God (Japanese CD2 liner notes). Bon Jovi. Mercury Records. 1996. PHCR-8372.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  10. ↑ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 13, no. 28. July 13, 1996. p. 20. Retrieved June 9, 2020.
  11. ↑ "Bon Jovi: Hey God" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat. Retrieved November 3, 2012.
  12. ↑ "Íslenski Listinn Topp 40 (27.7. – 2.8. '96)". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). July 27, 1996. p. 42. Retrieved October 2, 2019.
  13. ↑ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 26, 1996" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved March 30, 2018.
  14. ↑ "Bon Jovi – Hey God" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved November 3, 2012.
  15. ↑ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 30, 2018.
  16. ↑ "Official Rock & Metal Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 27, 2019.
  17. ↑ "New Releases: Singles" (PDF). Music Week. June 22, 1996. p. 35. Retrieved June 27, 2021.
  18. ↑ "ヘイ・ゴッド | ボン・ジョヴィ" [Hey God | Bon Jovi] (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved August 29, 2023.
  19. ↑ "ヘイ・ゴッド | ボン・ジョヴィ" [Hey God | Bon Jovi] (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved August 29, 2023.
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