The Circle is the title of the eleventh studio album by rock band Bon Jovi. Produced by John Shanks, the album was released November 10, 2009, with the new single “We Weren’t Born to Follow” premiering on radio August 17. The album was released in Germany on October 30, 2009.

In an interview given to Rolling Stone Magazine, guitarist Richie Sambora says the album is a return to “rock and roll” and said “There’s going to be some big choruses on there. It sounds like Bon Jovi, but it sounds fresh. We experimented with a lot of new sounds and had a really good time working with John Shanks, who is also a really good guitar player, so he and I did a lot of ‘weaseling’ with the guitar sounds. There are a lot of really good guitar sounds and new kind atmospheres on the new Bon Jovi record, that I think makes it really modern. I think people are going to dig it, man. And it rocks hard.”

The Circle Tour will ensue the following year, “2010, probably spring time we’ll get going. And we’re going to go for a long time. It’s going to be a big one.” Sambora stated.

In an interview on UK radio station Absolute Radio, Jon Bon Jovi stated the album title has multiple meanings. It stands for the fact that a circle is never ending, and that it also refers to Bon Jovi’s inner circle – stating that “in this organization, the circle is very difficult to get into, and even more difficult to get out of.”

Track listing

Lost Highway is the title of the tenth studio album by Bon Jovi. Produced by John Shanks and Dann Huff the album was recorded at Black Bird Studios, Nashville and NGR Recording, Hollywood. Described by Jon Bon Jovi as a “Bon Jovi album influenced by Nashville”, the album debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200, becoming Bon Jovi’s first ever album to debut at #1 and their third album to reach that position in United States. The album was nominated for Best Pop Vocal Album at the 2008 Grammy Awards.

Album information
The album influences the band’s rock sound with that of country music following the success of a country version of the band’s 2006 single “Who Says You Can’t Go Home”, a duet with Jennifer Nettles, which reached #1 on the U.S. country chart in May 2006. Following the success had with the duet version of “Who Says You Can’t Go Home”, there are two songs on the album produced in collaboration with other artists, namely “We Got It Going On” featuring Big & Rich and “Till We Ain’t Strangers Anymore” featuring LeAnn Rimes.
Chart performance
After its first week on sale, Lost Highway entered the Dutch, German, Swiss and Japanese album charts at #1, and the UK Album Chart at #2, below The Traveling Wilburys Collection. It entered the Irish and Australian charts at #5, although after the conclusion of Bon Jovi’s Australian tour the album climbed to #2. In Japan, the album debuted at #1 and sold over 73,212 copies in its first week of release on Oricon charts. This is the fourth such time, breaking the Beatles and the Bay City Rollers’ record as a Western band (under Oricon’s definition) of having three number one albums in the country. In the UK the album sold 79,000 copies in its first week, an improvement on Have a Nice Day’s first-week sales of 54,000. In Denmark, the album debuted at #5, but went to number one after five weeks on the charts. In the U.S., the album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 with 292,000 copies sold in its first week. The album was certified platinum by RIAA and as of October 2008, it has sold 1,221,000 copies in the United States and nearly 4 million copies worldwide.
Track listing

Bon Jovi are an American rock band from Sayreville, New Jersey. Formed in 1983, Bon Jovi consists of lead singer and namesake Jon Bon Jovi, guitarist Richie Sambora, keyboardist David Bryan, drummer Tico Torres and bassist Alec John Such. The band’s line-up has remained mostly static during their 26-year history, the only exception being the departure of Alec John Such in 1994, who was replaced by Hugh McDonald. The band have become known for writing several rock anthems, and achieved widespread recognition with their third album Slippery When Wet, released in 1986. Bon Jovi are well-known for songs including “Livin’ on a Prayer”, which has become their signature song, as well as “You Give Love a Bad Name”, “Wanted Dead or Alive”, “Bad Medicine”, “Keep the Faith”, “Bed of Roses”, “Always”, “It’s My Life” and “Have a Nice Day”.

After prolifically touring and recording during the late 1980s, the band went on hiatus following the New Jersey Tour in 1990, during which time Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora both released successful solo albums. In 1992 the band returned with the album Keep the Faith and have since created successful albums throughout the 1990s and 2000s. Their 2000 single “It’s My Life”, which followed a second hiatus, successfully introduced the band to a younger audience. Bon Jovi have been known to use different styles in their music, which have ranged to country for their 2007 album Lost Highway. Their latest album The Circle was released on 10 November 2009 in the United States.

Throughout their career, the band have released ten studio albums, two compilation albums and one live album, and have sold over 120 million albums worldwide. They have performed more than 2,600 concerts in over 50 countries for more than 34 million fans, and were inducted into the UK Music Hall of Fame in 2006. The band was also honored with the Award of Merit at the American Music Awards in 2004, and as songwriters and collaborators, Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora inducted into Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2009.