Bon Jovi "Cross Road"

Cross Road is the first mainstream but second overall greatest hits album by American rock band Bon Jovi, released on October 11, 1994 by Mercury Records. The album contains hits from all previously released albums from their debut, Bon Jovi (1984) to Keep the Faith (1992). The album also features two new tracks: the hit singles "Always" and "Someday I'll Be Saturday Night", as well as a new, updated rendition of "Livin' on a Prayer" entitled "Prayer '94" available only on the North American versions.

"Runaway" was never recorded with the current band, though at that time there were plans to put a "Runaway '94" on the album but it was never recorded. The diner located on the cover of the album is the Roadside Diner in Wall Township, NJ, near the crossroads of Route 33 and Route 34.

"Always", the album's first single, became Bon Jovi's highest selling single in the United States, spending six months on the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100 and was also an international hit which helped the album peak at number one in 13 countries. Cross Road was the best-selling album of 1994 in the UK. It is Bon Jovi's best selling album in many countries, and continues to sell well. It has sold over 21.5 million copies worldwide, making it one of the best-selling albums of all time.

In 2005, Cross Road was re-issued as a 3-disc box set under the name "Deluxe Sound & Vision", which included the original remastered album, a bonus CD containing B-sides, rarities and fan favourites, and the Live from London DVD. The original remastered album was released in 1998. A video, also entitled Cross Road, was simultaneously released, containing 16 of the band's music videos.

In the United States, the album debuted and peaked at number 8 on the Billboard 200 the week of November 5, 1994 with 84,000 copies sold, the next week it dropped to number 13 and remained on the chart for fifty seven weeks. It was certified four times platinum by the RIAA on October 15, 1998 denoting shipments of four millions. According to Nielsen SoundScan, the album has sold 4,951,000 copies in the US as of September 2011, including 324,000 copies sold in 2006.

In the United Kingdom, Cross Road debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart and spent a total of five non-consecutive weeks atop the chart, later becoming the best-selling album of 1994. The album was certified six times platinum by the BPI. The album topped the charts in several other European countries, including Austria, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Portugal and Switzerland. In 2007, it was also certified octuple platinum by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry for selling 8 million copies across Europe.

The album became Bon Jovi's first number-one set in Japan, where it has sold more than 1.1 million copies. It spent two weeks at number one in Australia and in 2010 it was certified eleven-times platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association for shipments exceeding 770,000 copies. The album also debuted at number three on the New Zealand Albums Chart, peaking at number one in its second week and later being certified sectuple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand.

The album itself won Metal Edge magazine's 1994 Readers' Choice Awards for "Album of the Year" and "Best Hits or Compilation Album". Its namesake home video was voted "Best Video Cassette," and the single "Always" was voted "Song of the Year" and "Best Video Clip".

Track listing

Standard edition

1. "Livin' on a Prayer" Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora, Desmond Child Slippery When Wet (1986) 4:11
2. "Keep the Faith" Bon Jovi, Sambora, Child Keep the Faith (1992) 5:45
3. "Someday I'll Be Saturday Night" Bon Jovi, Sambora, Child New song 4:38
4. "Always" Bon Jovi New song 5:52
5. "Wanted Dead or Alive" Bon Jovi, Sambora Slippery When Wet 5:07
6. "Lay Your Hands on Me" Bon Jovi, Sambora New Jersey (1988) 5:58
7. "You Give Love a Bad Name" Bon Jovi, Sambora, Child Slippery When Wet 3:43
8. "Bed of Roses" Bon Jovi Keep the Faith 6:34
9. "Blaze of Glory" (Jon Bon Jovi solo) Bon Jovi Blaze of Glory (1990) 5:40
10. "In These Arms" Bon Jovi, Sambora, David Bryan Keep the Faith 5:16
11. "Bad Medicine" Bon Jovi, Sambora, Child New Jersey 5:14
12. "I'll Be There for You" Bon Jovi, Sambora New Jersey 5:41
13. "In and Out of Love" Bon Jovi 7800° Fahrenheit (1985) 4:23
14. "Runaway" Bon Jovi, George Karak Bon Jovi (1984) 3:50

International bonus track (absent from North American releases)

1. "Never Say Goodbye" Bon Jovi, Sambora Slippery When Wet 4:50

US release

1. "Prayer '94" Bon Jovi, Sambora, Child New song 5:16