During a new appearance on The Rich Eisen Show, Jon Bon Jovi spoke about BON JOVI’s decision to re-release the songs from the band’s 2024 “Forever” album as “Forever (Legendary Edition)”, with guest stars on each track, plus two more cuts. The guests include Bruce Springsteen, on “Hollow Man”; Jelly Roll, on “Living Proof”; and Jason Isbell, on “Waves”. The two additional songs are a new one, “Red, White And Jersey”, and a Spanish-language version of “We Made It Look Easy”.

Jon said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “I put this record [‘Forever’] out [last year] with the anticipation that I was healed, and everyone that knows knows that I had this throat surgery. And I wasn’t up to my standard; I just wasn’t up to my standard. So there wasn’t a tour [in support of ‘Forever’]. But I love the album and it was received so well that I called friends and I said, ‘Listen, this record deserves a second chance.’ And I asked, whether it was Bruce to Jelly Roll to young to old, to country to rock, to girls and guys to sing a verse, do a features record, if you will. And I wrote a couple of new songs, one [of] which is called ‘Red, White And Jersey’, a new single. And so we’re re-releasing the record. And great songs are even better with these collaborations. And having Bruce sing with me officially for the first time on a song called ‘Hollow Man’, it’s been received very well. And it’s cool. It’s just a way to re-release the record, tell the world that I’m healthy finally and get back to work.”

Asked when he first met Bruce Springsteen, Jon said: “Oh my God. In the latter ’70s. The first time I was in a cover band; it’s, like, 1978. We were playing a lot of R&B. We were sort of like the ‘Muppets’ version of the ASBURY JUKES. I had five horn players. I was underage. I was playing in the bars. I’m 17 years old. And one night, having known that he’s always been around, I turn around at my own microphone on the stage and — boom — he’s on stage with us. And we sang together. So the next day when I go back to high school, I’m telling the teacher, ‘What’d you do last night?’ ‘Well, I watched ‘Dallas’.’ ‘What did you do last night?’ ‘I was singing with Bruce down in Asbury.’ Because the JUKES and the E STREET BAND were all from there, and chances were that they were in the bars when you were. So it was good fortune for me to have your heroes be so close.”

Regarding what he meant when he said that Bruce had been like a big brother to him, Jon said: “Throughout my career, we always looked up to the E STREET BAND and the ASBURY JUKES. [Southside] Johnny produced some of my very first demos. Like I say, I’ve known Bruce since I’m in high school, and so they were always, thumbs up, wink and a nod, have the occasional burger together. But as I got older and we got older — we go take these hundred-mile drives where [there’s] no radio, no phones, nobody. And now we can talk like two older, wiser men who have been around the block a few times. And somebody needs somebody to talk to every once in a while, including even him.”

BON JOVI will release “Forever (Legendary Edition)” on October 24 via Island Records.

“Forever (Legendary Edition)” will include additional guest appearances on vocals by James Bay, Robbie Williams, Ryan Tedder, THE WAR AND TREATY, DEF LEPPARD’s Joe Elliott, Lainey Wilson, Avril Lavigne and Marcus King, among others.

“This album is more than just a collection of collaborations, it is an album borne out of necessity,” Jon said in a statement. “My vocal cord rehab was a well-documented journey that played out while releasing ‘Forever’ in 2024. I was singing well in the studio for recording, but the vocal demands and rigors of touring were still slightly out of reach for me. Without an ability to tour at that time, I continued working in the studio and called on some friends, great singers, artists, musicians and also just great people.”

He continued: “The result is an album with a new viewpoint and new spirit — a collaboration album that proves we all get by in this world with a little help from our friends. I feel tremendous joy and gratitude releasing this album and I think it shows in the music. I can say with certainty that there is always something bigger than ME, and that’s WE.”

“Forever (Legendary Edition)” track listing:

01. Red, White And Jersey
02. Legendary (feat. James Bay)
03. We Made It Look Easy (feat. Robbie Williams)
04. Living Proof (feat. Jelly Roll)
05. Waves (feat. Jason Isbell)
06. Seeds (feat. Ryan Tedder)
07. Kiss The Bride (feat. Billy Falcon)
08. The People’s House (feat. The War & Treaty)
09. Walls Of Jericho (feat. Joe Elliott)
10. I Wrote You A Song (feat. Lainey Wilson)
11. Living In Paradise (feat. Avril Lavigne)
12. My First Guitar (feat. Marcus King)
13. Hollow Man (feat. Bruce Springsteen)
14. We Made It Look Easy / Hicimos Que Pareciera Fácil (feat. Carin León)

In a cover story for the March 2025 issue of Sound On Sound magazine, Jon Bon Jovi confirmed that BON JOVI would release a new version of its 2024 album “Forever” as a collaboration with other artists. He told writer Joe Matera: “This is an album that we’re very proud of, and I think it’s the best BON JOVI record since ‘Lost Highway’ or at least ‘Have A Nice Day’. We love every song on it and it was a joy to make this album, but I just wasn’t ready to go and book shows post-surgery recovery. So, I reached out to a number of friends and I said, ‘If you guys would sing a verse here and there, it’ll give this great album another life.'” He added: “My focus moving forward is on the re-release of ‘Forever’, and God willing, getting back out on the road and running that project through its life.”

Produced by Jon with John Shanks, “Forever” featured Jon Bon Jovi once again alongside fellow founding BON JOVI members, keyboardist David Bryan and drummer Tico Torres. They were joined by bassist Hugh McDonald and guitarist Phil X.

“Forever” contained 12 new songs, including the hit lead single “Legendary”.

In August 2024, a duet version of the “Forever” song “The People’s House” featuring THE WAR AND TREATY was released, accompanied by a lyric video. In October 2024, the official music video for “The People’s House” featuring THE WAR AND TREATY was released, accompanied by a statement from Jon Bon Jovi endorsing Kamala Harris in the 2024 United States presidential election.

“Forever” marked Jon Bon Jovi’s return to the recording studio after surgery to repair his damaged vocal cords.

In June 2024, Jon told The Guardian that his damaged vocal cord was still not healed enough for him to resume touring. “It’s a work in progress,” he said. “There’s no miracle. I just wish there was a fucking light switch. I’m more than capable of singing again. The bar is now: can I do two and a half hours a night, four nights a week? The answer is no.”

Bon Jovi went on to say that making music will always be part of his life, regardless of whether he is able to return to full-scale touring. “It lights you up when you’re out there,” he said. “As long as I have the ability, I will write songs and make records.”