Blaze Of Glory

Blaze of Glory is Jon Bon Jovi’s first solo album, released in 1990. It includes songs from and inspired by the movie Young Guns II. Emilio Estevez asked for Bon Jovi’s “Wanted Dead or Alive” as the theme song for his upcoming Billy the Kid sequel, but Jon Bon Jovi ended up composing an all new theme song for the film’s soundtrack instead. The album featured guests such as Elton John, Little Richard, and Jeff Beck. Blaze of Glory was awarded a Golden Globe. It also received Academy Award and Grammy nominations. The “Blaze of Glory” single hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, with the album peaking at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 and No. 2 on the UK Albums Chart.

The album mainly focuses on the theme of redemption and whether an individual’s past wrongs will catch up with them. Another theme on the album is about making a stand and making yourself heard in the world. Jon Bon Jovi said on the 100,000,000 Bon Jovi Fans Can’t Be Wrong DVD that he originally thought the album’s aggression and themes dealt with Billy the Kid and Pat Garrett from Young Guns II but has come to realize that they reflect the bad place he was in at the time.

* Emilio Estevez had earlier told his friend Bon Jovi that “Young Guns” writer-producer, John Fusco, often listened to “I’m a Cowboy” while writing the sequel. Bon Jovi came to the New Mexico set of the sequel and performed a new original, on an acoustic guitar, for Estevez and Fusco. This was the first time “Blaze of Glory” was heard.