"It's My Life" is a song by American

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...

band

Bon Jovi Bon Jovi is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Sayreville, New Jersey in 1983. The band consists of singer Jon Bon Jovi, keyboardist David Bryan, drummer Tico Torres, guitarists John Shanks and Phil X, percussionist Everett Bradley ...

. It was released on May 8, 2000, as the

lead single A lead single (or first single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date. A similar term, "debut ...

from their seventh studio album, ''

Crush Crush may refer to: * Infatuation or limerence, the romantic attraction to another person * Puppy love, feelings of love, romance, or infatuation felt by young people Crush may also refer to: Film * Crush (1972 film), ''Crush'' (1972 film), a H ...

'' (2000). It was written by

Jon Bon Jovi John Francis Bongiovi Jr. (born March 2, 1962), known professionally as Jon Bon Jovi, is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, and actor. He is best known as the founder and Lead vocalist, frontman of the rock band Bon Jovi, which was fo ...

Richie Sambora Richard Stephen Sambora (born July 11, 1959) is an American musician, singer, and songwriter, best known as the lead guitarist of the rock band Bon Jovi from 1983 to 2013. He and lead singer Jon Bon Jovi formed the main songwriting unit for the ...

, and

Max Martin Karl Martin Sandberg (born 26 February 1971),Max Martin
AllMusic known professional ...

, and co-produced by Luke Ebbin. The song peaked at number one in Austria,

Flanders Flanders ( or ; ) is the Dutch language, Dutch-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to culture, la ...

, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Romania, Spain, and Switzerland while charting within the top 10 across several other countries and peaking at number 33 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100. "It's My Life" is Bon Jovi's most well-known post-1980s hit single and helped introduce the band to a new, younger fanbase.

Background

The song "It's My Life" has many classic Bon Jovi features, such as

's use of the

talk box A talk box (also spelled talkbox and talk-box) is an effects unit that allows musicians to modify the sound of a musical instrument by shaping the frequency content of the sound and to apply speech sounds (in the same way as singing) onto the so ...

, and a line in the second verse "For Tommy and Gina, who never backed down" refers to Tommy and Gina, a fictional

working class The working class is a subset of employees who are compensated with wage or salary-based contracts, whose exact membership varies from definition to definition. Members of the working class rely primarily upon earnings from wage labour. Most c ...

couple that Bon Jovi and Sambora first wrote about in their 1986 hit "

Livin' on a Prayer "Livin' on a Prayer" is a song by the American rock band Bon Jovi from their third studio album, '' Slippery When Wet''. Written by Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora and Desmond Child, the single, released in late 1986, performed strongly on both ...

". "It's My Life" is also notable for its line referencing fellow New Jerseyan

Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Honorific nicknames in popular music, Nicknamed the "Chairman of the Board" and "Ol' Blue Eyes", he is regarded as one of the Time 100: The Most I ...

: "My heart is like an open highway / Like Frankie said / I did it '

My Way "My Way" is Paul Anka's English-language lyrical adaptation of the French song " Comme d'habitude", released by Frank Sinatra in 1969. The original song was written by Jacques Revaux, Gilles Thibaut, and Claude François, and was first recor ...

'."

and Richie Sambora apparently had a disagreement over those lines, with Bon Jovi recalling: In

Paul Anka Paul Albert Anka (born July 30, 1941) is a Canadian and American singer, songwriter and actor. His songs include " Diana", “ You Are My Destiny", “Lonely Boy", " Put Your Head on My Shoulder", and " (You're) Having My Baby". Anka also wr ...

's cover of the song for his 2005 album ''

Rock Swings ''Rock Swings'' is an album by Paul Anka. Recorded in November 2004 and released on May 31, 2005, in Canada and June 7, 2005, in the United States, it contains swing jazz covers of popular rock and pop songs from the 1980s and 1990s. The idea ...

'', he sings the second line as "Frankie said ''he did it my way''", since Anka wrote the English lyrics for "My Way".

Reception

"Nobody had anticipated the song 'It's My Life'," noted Jon Bon Jovi in 2007. "Except us. We knew we had a hit." The song became an anthem that appealed to many fans. As Bon Jovi later stated: "I thought I was writing very self-indulgently about my own life and where I was in it. I didn't realize that the phrase 'It's My Life' would be taken as being about everyone – by teenagers, by older guys, mechanics, whatever. 'It's my life, and I'm taking control.' Everyone kind of feels that way from time to time." Veteran critic

Robert Christgau Robert Thomas Christgau ( ; born April 18, 1942) is an American music journalist and essayist. Among the most influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and later became a ...

later hailed "It's My Life" as a "schlock-

masterpiece" and "everyman anthem" with a lyric that is "all well-meaning Democrat-as-everyman Jon Bon Jovi".

Music video

The music video was directed by

Wayne Isham Wayne Isham (born December 2, 1958) is an American film director and music video director who has directed films and music videos of many popular artists. Early life and education Isham was born on December 2, 1958 in Vinita, Oklahoma. He at ...

Will Estes William Estes Nipper (; born October 21, 1978), known professionally as Will Estes, is an American actor. He is known for his role from 2010 to 2024 on CBS police drama '' Blue Bloods'' as Jameson "Jamie" Reagan, a New York City Police Departme ...

(as Tommy) and

Shiri Appleby Shiri Appleby is an American actress and television director. She is best known for her leading roles as Liz Parker in the WB/ UPN science fiction drama series '' Roswell'' (1999–2002) and Rachel Goldberg in the Lifetime/Hulu drama series '' ...

(as Gina) are the two main characters. At the beginning, Tommy is watching a video of a Bon Jovi concert on his computer when he is ordered by his mother to take out the trash. Suddenly, Gina calls and tells him to immediately come to the

tunnel A tunnel is an underground or undersea passageway. It is dug through surrounding soil, earth or rock, or laid under water, and is usually completely enclosed except for the two portals common at each end, though there may be access and ve ...

as the live concert has already started. Tommy starts running down to his apartment and obediently takes out the trash. He then runs through the streets of

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

up to the concert, getting chased by

dog The dog (''Canis familiaris'' or ''Canis lupus familiaris'') is a domesticated descendant of the gray wolf. Also called the domestic dog, it was selectively bred from a population of wolves during the Late Pleistocene by hunter-gatherers. ...

s, taking pictures of

Elvis impersonator An Elvis impersonator is an entertainer who impersonates or copies the look and sound of American musician and rock singer Elvis Presley. Professional Elvis impersonators, commonly known as Elvis tribute artists (ETAs), work all over the wor ...

s, running a

marathon The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of kilometres ( 26 mi 385 yd), usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There ...

and

jackknifing Jackknifing is the folding of an articulated vehicle so that it resembles the acute angle of a folding pocket knife. If a vehicle towing a trailer skids, the trailer can push the towing vehicle from behind until it spins the vehicle around and ...

a truck. The video was inspired by the film ''

Run Lola Run ''Run Lola Run'' (, ) is a 1998 German experimental thriller film written and directed by Tom Tykwer. The story follows a woman named Lola ( Franka Potente) who needs to obtain 100,000 Deutsche Mark in twenty minutes to save the life of her boy ...

''. Jon Bon Jovi met Estes on the set of ''U-571'' and chose him to be in the video. The music video features the 2nd Street Tunnel as one of the main settings. It is the most viewed video for Bon Jovi on

YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...

, reaching 1 billion views (the band's first song to do so) by the end of June 2021.

Track listings

US 7-inch single :A. "It's My Life" :B. "Next 100 Years" Australian maxi-CD single # "It's My Life" # "Hush" (demo version) # "You Can't Lose at Love" (demo) # "I Don't Want to Live Forever" (demo) # " Someday I'll Be Saturday Night" (enhanced video clip) * Track five was recorded live by

Tony Bongiovi Anthony Carmine Bongiovi Jr. (born September 7, 1947) is an American record producer and recording engineer. He is the cousin of musician Jon Bon Jovi. Early life Anthony Carmine Bongiovi Jr. was born on September 7, 1947, in Raritan, New Jerse ...

at the Sanctuary II, New Jersey Web Concert on February 10, 2000 UK CD1 # "It's My Life" # "Hush" (demo version) # "You Can't Lose at Love" (demo version) * Includes poster UK CD2 # "It's My Life" (Dave Bascombe mix) # "Temptation" (demo version) # "I Don't Want to Live Forever" (demo version) # "It's My Life" (enhanced video) European CD single # "It's My Life" # "Hush" (demo version) European and Japanese maxi-CD single # "It's My Life" # "Hush" (demo version) # "You Can't Lose at Love" (demo version) # "Someday I'll Be Saturday Night" (live video) * Track four was recorded live by Tony Bongiovi at the Sanctuary II, New Jersey Web Concert on February 10, 2000

Acoustic version

A much slower, acoustic

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and song of Great Britain and Ireland from the Late Middle Ages until the 19th century. They were widely used across Eur ...

version of the song is featured on Bon Jovi's 2003 album ''

This Left Feels Right ''This Left Feels Right'' is a compilation album by Bon Jovi, released in 2003. An album featuring new versions of the band's songs from previous albums, it charted at No. 14 on ''Billboard'' 200. It's a "trip down memory lane" as Jon Bon Jovi ...

'', a collection of their greatest hits that were adapted into new formats. This version was also released as a single. A live performance was uploaded to YouTube in May 2020.

Awards

Won: *Video of the Year at the

VH1 VH1 (originally an initialism for Video Hits One) is an American basic cable television network that launched on January 1, 1985, and is currently owned by the MTV Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global's networks division based in New Y ...

My Music Awards *Chosen as one of the greatest songs of the year at the

ASCAP The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) () is an American not-for-profit performance-rights organization (PRO) that collectively licenses the public performance rights of its members' musical works to venues, broadc ...

Pop Music Awards Nominated: * Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal at the

43rd Annual Grammy Awards The 43rd Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 21, 2001, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. They recognized accomplishments by musicians from the year 2000. Several artists earned three awards on the night. Steely Dan's haul ...

, but lost to U2's "

Beautiful Day "Beautiful Day" is a song by Irish rock band U2. It is the first track on their tenth studio album, '' All That You Can't Leave Behind'' (2000), and was released as the album's lead single on 9 October 2000. The song was a commercial success, ...

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Decade-end charts

Certifications

Release history

Pitbull version

At the

25th Annual Latin Grammy Awards The 25th Annual Latin Grammy Awards took place on November 14, 2024, at Kaseya Center in collaboration with Miami-Dade County and the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau (GMCVB). The awards honored recordings released between June 1, 2023 ...

on November 14, 2024, rapper Pitbull performed a cover of "It's My Life" under the title "Now or Never", featuring Jon Bon Jovi on chorus. The song was also released on streaming platforms on the same day. The two artists first met at the 2017

Songwriters Hall of Fame The Songwriters Hall of Fame (SHOF) is an American institution founded in 1969 by songwriter Johnny Mercer, music publisher/songwriter Abe Olman, and publisher/executive Howie Richmond to honor those whose work represent and maintain the heri ...

. On September 12, 2024, during Pitbull's show at the

Jones Beach Theater Jones Beach Theater is an outdoor amphitheatre at Jones Beach State Park in Wantagh, New York. It is one of two major outdoor arenas in the New York metropolitan area, along with PNC Bank Arts Center near the Jersey Shore. Both venues are manage ...

Long Island Long Island is a densely populated continental island in southeastern New York (state), New York state, extending into the Atlantic Ocean. It constitutes a significant share of the New York metropolitan area in both population and land are ...

, Jon Bon Jovi made a surprise appearance before the duo performed "It's My Life". After the show, Pitbull posted on his

Instagram Instagram is an American photo sharing, photo and Short-form content, short-form video sharing social networking service owned by Meta Platforms. It allows users to upload media that can be edited with Social media camera filter, filters, be ...

account: "Always an honor! To all the fans, get ready for our new collab coming soon." The song hit number thirty-six on ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'''s

Pop Airplay Pop Airplay (also called Mainstream Top 40, Pop Songs, and Top 40/ CHR) is a 40-song music chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' Magazine that ranks the most popular songs of pop music being played on a panel of Top 40 radio stations in the U ...

chart in 2025, becoming Bon Jovi's first song to chart on that chart since "

Who Says You Can't Go Home "Who Says You Can't Go Home" is a song that was written by Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora for American rock band Bon Jovi's ninth album, '' Have a Nice Day'' (2005). The song was produced by John Shanks, Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora. A due ...

" hit number thirty nearly 20 years ago.

Charts

Weekly charts

Monthly charts

Notes

References

{{Authority control Island Records singles 2000 songs 2000 singles Bon Jovi songs Dutch Top 40 number-one singles European Hot 100 Singles number-one singles Mercury Records singles Number-one singles in Austria Number-one singles in Italy Number-one singles in Portugal Number-one singles in Romania Number-one singles in Spain Number-one singles in Switzerland Music videos directed by Wayne Isham Pitbull (rapper) songs Song recordings produced by Max Martin Songs written by Jon Bon Jovi Songs written by Max Martin American alternative rock songs Songs written by Pitbull (rapper) Songs written by Richie Sambora Ultratop 50 Singles (Flanders) number-one singles

Background

Reception

Music video

Track listings

Acoustic version

Awards

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Decade-end charts

Certifications

Release history

Pitbull version

Charts

Weekly charts

Monthly charts

See also

Notes

References