What About Now (album)

What About Now is the twelfth studio album by American rock band Bon Jovi. Produced by John Shanks, the album was released on March 8, 2013 in Australia and March 12, 2013 in the United States.^[4] The album was promoted throughout the band's 2013 Because We Can: The Tour. It is the last album to feature lead guitarist Richie Sambora before his departure from the band the following month.

What About Now
Studio album by Bon Jovi
Released	March 8, 2013^[1]
Recorded	January–August 2012
Genre	Pop rock^[2]
Length	51:36
Label	Island Mercury
Producer	John Shanks Jon Bon Jovi Richie Sambora
Bon Jovi chronology
Inside Out (2012) What About Now (2013) Burning Bridges (2015)
Singles from What About Now
"Because We Can" Released: January 7, 2013^[3] "What About Now" Released: February 11, 2013

The album debuted at No. 1 in the U.S., where it sold 101,000 copies in its first week. What About Now became Bon Jovi's third album in a row to hit No. 1 in US after The Circle and Lost Highway and their fifth No. 1 album during their career.^[5] The album has sold 220,000 copies in the U.S. as of August 2015,^[6] and over 1.5 million copies worldwide,^[7] going gold in Germany selling 100,000 copies.

Recording and production

In an interview given to Classic Rock magazine, guitarist Richie Sambora stated that the album was recorded before his solo album Aftermath of the Lowdown was completed. He and Jon started to write and before they knew it, they were in the studio with the band. "The record is now finished and sounding great, and we start our 2013 tour in February, so we'll be at a stadium near you very soon."^[8]

Richie Sambora also characterized the new material as a compilation of “different elements”; yet reassured old fans that they will be just as pleased with the new work as they have been with the old for over 30 years.^[9]

Music videos were produced for the first two singles "Because We Can" and the album titled track "What About Now". A music video was also made for the Jon Bon Jovi solo single "Not Running Anymore" which is included on the album as a bonus track along with the track "Old Habits Die Hard". Both songs feature on the soundtrack to the movie Stand Up Guys. On December 13, 2012 it was announced that "Not Running Anymore" would be nominated for a Golden Globe Award.^[10]

Also included as a bonus track and featuring a music video is Sambora's single "Every Road Leads Home to You" from his solo album Aftermath of the Lowdown.

Artwork

The album artwork was created by Liu Bolin and was revealed on January 10, 2013, three days after the release of lead single "Because We Can". The cover artwork features the four members of the band painted behind a collage which features a soldier with a guitar and walking up a mountain against a yellow and blue American flag background, two hands wrapped in bandages, a headshot of a woman, some roses, and the band's heart and dagger symbol. A pinwheel is also seen in the background. The cover artwork is also seen on the back, though the collage has more pictures to it and the band members are absent.^[11]

Reception

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	50/100^[12]
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	^[13]
Daily Express	^[14]
The Guardian	^[15]
The Observer	^[16]
Time Out	^[17]
Virgin Media	^[2]
Rolling Stone	^[18]
NU.nl

Critical reception of the album has been generally mixed. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from critics, the album received an average score of 50, which indicates "mixed or average reviews", based on 11 reviews.^[12] While Caroline Sullivan from The Guardian states that "the band have reached out with the sort of empowering platitudes and riffage that will give fans on this summer's stadium tour something to punch the air about",^[15] Stephen Unwin from the Daily Express was less favorable, claiming that the album "is the closest thing to predictable from the poster boys of American rock ’n’ roll, which for their most myopic fans is the closest thing to wonderful."^[14]

Phil Mongrendien, from the Toronto Star, criticized the track "Army of One" for finding them "descending into lyrical self-parody with its 'never give up' motif hammered home artlessly" ^[16] while the title track's guitar "hook nods too much to Kraftwerk's 'Computer Love' (and, by extension, Coldplay's 'Talk')".^[16] James Manning, from Time Out, believes that the band "won't win any new fans with their twelfth album [...] but they're unlikely to lose many either."^[17]

Ian Gittins, from Virgin Media, thought "the band's perennial propensity for clichés and Hollywood blockbuster-style happy endings invariably make it difficult to take Bon Jovi as seriously as they crave",^[2] though he later admits that "there are some good tunes. It's a decent soft rock party album. It's probably also about time that Bon Jovi knew their limits."^[2] For Stephen Erlewine, from Allmusic, "there aren't so many big hooks on What About Now -- just the raise-your-fist anthem of 'Because We Can,' with most of the sweetest melodies coming from the softer, quieter moments, such as the acoustic 'The Fighter' and the Christian ballad 'Room at the End of the World'.^[13]

Track listing

• All tracks produced by John Shanks. Co-produced by Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora.

Standard edition^[19]

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Because We Can"	Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora, Billy Falcon	4:00
2.	"I'm with You"	Bon Jovi, John Shanks	3:44
3.	"What About Now"	Bon Jovi, Shanks	3:45
4.	"Pictures of You"	Bon Jovi, Sambora, Shanks	3:58
5.	"Amen"	Bon Jovi, Falcon	4:12
6.	"That's What the Water Made Me"	Bon Jovi, Falcon	4:24
7.	"What's Left of Me"	Bon Jovi, Sambora, Falcon	4:35
8.	"Army of One"	Bon Jovi, Sambora, Desmond Child	4:34
9.	"Thick as Thieves"	Bon Jovi, Sambora, Shanks	4:57
10.	"Beautiful World"	Bon Jovi, Falcon	3:48
11.	"Room at the End of the World"	Bon Jovi, Shanks	5:03
12.	"The Fighter"	Bon Jovi	4:38
Total length:			51:36

Deluxe edition/iTunes standard edition^[20]

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
13.	"With These Two Hands"	Bon Jovi, Falcon	3:58
14.	"Into the Echo"	Bon Jovi, Falcon	5:04
15.	"Not Running Anymore" (Jon Bon Jovi solo song from the soundtrack for the movie Stand Up Guys)	Bon Jovi	4:44
Total length:			1:04:41

Japanese edition

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
13.	"With These Two Hands"	Bon Jovi, Falcon	3:58
14.	"Into the Echo"	Bon Jovi, Falcon	5:04
15.	"Not Running Anymore" (Jon Bon Jovi solo song from the soundtrack for the movie Stand Up Guys)	Bon Jovi	4:44
16.	"Old Habits Die Hard" (Jon Bon Jovi solo song from the soundtrack for the movie Stand Up Guys)	Bon Jovi	3:30
17.	"Every Road Leads Home to You" (Richie Sambora solo song from his album Aftermath of the Lowdown)	Sambora, Luke Ebbin	4:40
Total length:			1:13:36

Japan bonus DVD^[21]

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Because We Can" (music video)
2.	"Because We Can – The Boxer: Act 1"
3.	"Because We Can – Astrid: Act 2"
4.	"Because We Can – The Beginning: Epilogue"
5.	"Because We Can – Behind the Scenes"
6.	"It's My Life" (Inside Out: live)
7.	"Lost Highway" (Inside Out: live)

iTunes Store Deluxe Edition/Australian Deluxe Edition^[22][23]

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
13.	"With These Two Hands"	Bon Jovi, Falcon	3:58
14.	"Not Running Anymore" (Jon Bon Jovi solo song from the soundtrack for the movie Stand Up Guys)	Bon Jovi	4:44
15.	"Old Habits Die Hard" (Jon Bon Jovi solo song from the soundtrack for the movie Stand Up Guys)	Bon Jovi	3:30
16.	"Every Road Leads Home to You" (Richie Sambora solo song from his album Aftermath of the Lowdown)	Sambora, Luke Ebbin	4:40
Total length:			1:08:32

Personnel

Bon Jovi

• Jon Bon Jovi – lead vocals
• Richie Sambora – guitars, backing vocals
• David Bryan – keyboards, backing vocals
• Tico Torres – drums

Additional personnel

• Hugh McDonald – bass
• David Campbell – string arranger & conductor

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (2013) Peak position Argentinian Albums (CAPIF)^[24] 7 Australian Albums (ARIA)^[25] 1 Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)^[26] 1 Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)^[27] 8 Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)^[28] 16 Canadian Albums (Billboard)^[29] 1 Danish Albums (Hitlisten)^[30] 6 Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)^[31] 2 Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)^[32] 3 French Albums (SNEP)^[33] 46 German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)^[34] 2 Greek Albums (IFPI)^[35] 10 Hungarian Albums (MAHASZ)^[36] 4 Irish Albums (IRMA)^[37] 3 Italian Albums (FIMI)^[38] 5 Japanese Albums (Oricon)^[39] 2 Mexican Albums (Top 100 Mexico)^[40] 16 New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)^[41] 9 Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)^[42] 2 Portuguese Albums (AFP)^[43] 2 Scottish Albums (OCC)^[44] 2 South African Albums (RISA)^[45] 8 Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)^[46] 1 Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)^[47] 1 Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)^[48] 3 UK Albums (OCC)^[49] 2 US Billboard 200^[50] 1 US Digital Albums (Billboard)^[51] 2 US Top Tastemaker Albums (Billboard)^[52] 7 US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)^[53] 1

Year-end charts Chart (2013) Position Australian Albums (ARIA)^[54] 58 Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)^[55] 22 Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)^[56] 132 German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)^[57] 57 Hungarian Albums (MAHASZ)^[58] 96 Japanese albums (Oricon)^[59] 85 Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)^[60] 32 Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)^[61] 72 Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)^[62] 53 UK Albums (OCC)^[63] 107 US Billboard 200^[64] 138 US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)^[65] 32

Certifications

Certifications for What About Now

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)^[66]	Gold	35,000^^
Austria (IFPI Austria)^[67]	Platinum	15,000^*
Canada (Music Canada)^[68]	Gold	40,000^^
Germany (BVMI)^[69]	Gold	100,000^^
Portugal (AFP)^[70]	6× Platinum	90,000^^
United Kingdom (BPI)^[71]	Gold	100,000^*
^* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Country	Date	Label	Format
Australia	March 8, 2013	Universal Music	CD, CD+DVD, Digital download
Brazil
Germany
United Kingdom
Ireland		Mercury Records
France		Mercury Records, Universal Music
United States	March 12, 2013	Island Records
Italy
Spain
Canada		Universal Music
Japan	March 13, 2013

References

1. What About Now at iTunes Australia store
2. Gittins, Ian. "What About Now". Virgin Media. Retrieved March 9, 2013.
3. . bonjovi.com. January 7, 2013. Archived from the original on February 3, 2013.
4. What About Now at iTunes Store. Retrieved on February 26, 2013.
5. Caulfield, Keith. "Bon Jovi Debuts at No. 1 on Billboard 200, David Bowie at No. 2". billboard.com. March 20, 2013.
6. . Hits Daily Double. HITS Digital Ventures. Archived from the original on August 19, 2015.
7. "Jon Bon Jovi Is Working on a New Album". Ultimate Guitar. Retrieved 2015-02-28.
8. . Classic Rock Magazine (176). Classic Rock: 84. 2012. Archived from the original on 2012-11-20.
9. "Richie Sambora says new Bon Jovi record marks a musical evolution!". examiner.com. Retrieved 2013-01-02.
10. "Congrats to Jon Bon Jovi on his Golden Globe nomination". bonjovi.com. 2012-12-13. Archived from the original on 2013-01-18. Retrieved 2012-12-13.
11. Bon Jovi What About Now album cover creation - time lapse video, retrieved 2022-11-30
12. "What ABou Now - Bon Jovi". Metacritic. Retrieved July 19, 2015.
13. Erlewine, Stephen (March 8, 2013). "CD Review: Bon Jovi - What About Now". Allmusic. Retrieved March 9, 2013.
14. Unwin, Stephen (March 8, 2013). "CD Review: Bon Jovi - What About Now". Daily Express. Retrieved March 9, 2013.
15. Sullivan, Caroline (March 7, 2013). "Bon Jovi: What About Now – review". The Guardian. Retrieved March 9, 2013.
16. Mongrendien, Phil (March 10, 2013). "Bon Jovi: What About Now – review". The Observer. Retrieved March 9, 2013.
17. Manning, James (March 7, 2013). "Bon Jovi – 'What About Now' album review". Time Out. Retrieved March 9, 2013.
18. Dolan, Jon. "What About Now". Rolling Stone. Retrieved March 12, 2013.
19. What About Now at Universal Music store
20. What About Now 2014-07-12 at the Wayback Machine at Bon Jovi's official website
21. What About Now at Universal Music store Japan
22. ""What About Now (Deluxe Version)" von Bon Jovi". iTunes. January 2013.
23. What About Now at iTunes Australia
24. CAPIF. Archived from the original on July 3, 2013. Retrieved April 8, 2013.
25. "Australiancharts.com – Bon Jovi – What About Now". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 13, 2013.
26. "Austriancharts.at – Bon Jovi – What About Now" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 13, 2013.
27. "Ultratop.be – Bon Jovi – What About Now" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 13, 2013.
28. "Ultratop.be – Bon Jovi – What About Now" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 13, 2013.
29. "Bon Jovi Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved April 13, 2013.
30. "Danishcharts.dk – Bon Jovi – What About Now". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 13, 2013.
31. "Dutchcharts.nl – Bon Jovi – What About Now" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 13, 2013.
32. "Bon Jovi: What About Now" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved April 13, 2013.
33. "Lescharts.com – Bon Jovi – What About Now". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 13, 2013.
34. "Offiziellecharts.de – Bon Jovi – What About Now" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved April 13, 2013.
35. (in Greek). IFPI Greece. Archived from the original on March 20, 2013. Retrieved March 23, 2013.
36. "Album Top 40 slágerlista – 2013. 11. hét" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ. Retrieved April 13, 2013.
37. . Chart-Track. IRMA. Retrieved April 13, 2013.
38. "Italiancharts.com – Bon Jovi – What About Now". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 13, 2013.
39. "Oricon Top 50 Albums: 2013-03-25" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved April 13, 2013.
40. "Bon Jovi – What About Now". Asociación Mexicana de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas. Archived from the original on March 25, 2013. Retrieved April 13, 2013.
41. "Charts.nz – Bon Jovi – What About Now". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 13, 2013.
42. "Norwegiancharts.com – Bon Jovi – What About Now". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 13, 2013.
43. "Portuguesecharts.com – Bon Jovi – What About Now". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 13, 2013.
44. "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 13, 2013.
45. . RSG (Recording Industry of South Africa). Archived from the original on May 18, 2013.
46. "Spanishcharts.com – Bon Jovi – What About Now". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 13, 2013.
47. "Swedishcharts.com – Bon Jovi – What About Now". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 13, 2013.
48. "Swisscharts.com – Bon Jovi – What About Now". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 13, 2013.
49. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 13, 2013.
50. "Bon Jovi Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved April 13, 2013.
51. "Bon Jovi Chart History (Digital Albums)".^{[dead link]} Billboard. Retrieved April 13, 2013.
52. "Bon Jovi Chart History (Top Tastemaker Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved April 13, 2013.
53. "Bon Jovi Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved April 13, 2013.
54. "ARIA Top 100 Albums for 2013". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved December 2, 2021.
55. "Das österreichische Hitparaden- und Musik-Portal".
56. "Jaaroverzichten 2013". Ultratop. Retrieved December 2, 2021.
57. "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts". GfK Entertainment (in German). offiziellecharts.de. Retrieved December 2, 2021.
58. "Összesített album- és válogatáslemez-lista – eladási darabszám alapján – 2013" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ. Retrieved January 22, 2014.
59. [2013 CD Albums Yearly Ranking] (in Japanese). Oricon. 2013. Archived from the original on December 26, 2013. Retrieved December 26, 2013.
60. "Top 50 Albumes Anual 2013". Promuiscae.es. Retrieved February 3, 2014.
61. "Årslista Album – År 2013" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved December 2, 2021.
62. "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 2013". hitparade.ch. Retrieved December 2, 2021.
63. "End of Year 2013" (PDF). UKChartsPlus. Retrieved December 2, 2021.
64. "Year End Charts - Billboard 200 - 2013". Billboard. Retrieved December 30, 2013.
65. "Year End Charts - Rock Albums 2013". Billboard. Retrieved December 30, 2013.
66. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2013 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association.
67. "Austrian album certifications – Bon Jovi – What About Now?" (in German). IFPI Austria.
68. "Canadian album certifications – Bon Jovi – What About Now?". Music Canada.
69. "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Bon Jovi; 'What About Now')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
70. (in Portuguese). Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa. Archived from the original on 21 March 2013. Retrieved July 13, 2022.
71. "British album certifications – Bon Jovi – What About Now". British Phonographic Industry.