Born to Be My Baby
{{Short description|1988 single by Bon Jovi}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2025}}
{{Infobox song
| name = Born to Be My Baby
| cover = Btbmb_uk.jpeg
| alt =
| type = single
| artist = Bon Jovi
| album = New Jersey
| B-side = Love for Sale
| released = November 1988
| recorded =
| studio =
| venue =
| genre =
- Glam metal
- pop metal
- rock{{Cite web|title=Six Pack: Bon Jovi fans' 'prayers' answered here|url=https://www.daily-journal.com/news/local/six-pack-bon-jovi-fans-prayers-answered-here/article_04a69210-a894-54d8-9162-aa803bf91dac.html|access-date=February 19, 2021|website=The Daily Journal|date=February 11, 2015 |language=en}}{{Cite web|last=Leftridge|first=Steve|title=We're Halfway There: Bon Jovi's Quest for Respectability, PopMatters|url=https://www.popmatters.com/169510-bon-jovi-what-about-now-2495770102.html|access-date=April 13, 2021|website=PopMatters|date=April 7, 2013|language=en-US}}
| length = 4:40
| label = Mercury
| writer =
| producer = Bruce Fairbairn
| prev_title = Bad Medicine
| prev_year = 1988
| next_title = I'll Be There For You
| next_year = 1989
| misc = {{External music video|1=[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ahf2B_eZUc4 "Born to Be My Baby"] at YouTube.com}}
}}
"Born to Be My Baby" is a song by American rock band Bon Jovi. Written by Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora, and Desmond Child, it was released in November 1988 as the second single from their fourth studio album, New Jersey. The song peaked at number two on the US Cash Box Top 100, number three on the US Billboard Hot 100, and number seven on the Billboard Album Rock Tracks chart. Worldwide, the single reached the top 20 in Canada, Ireland, and New Zealand.
Despite the song's success, "Born to Be My Baby" was not included on the 1994 Cross Road greatest hits album. However, it was included on Bon Jovi's Greatest Hits album in 2010. In addition, an acoustic version of the song was recorded for their album This Left Feels Right.
Critical reception
Cash Box considered the song to be Jon Bon Jovi paying respect to Bruce Springsteen.{{cite magazine|title=Single Releases|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Cash-Box/80s/1988/CB-1988-11-26.pdf|magazine=Cash Box|date=November 26, 1988|accessdate=December 21, 2022|page=18}}
Music video
The video for the song was done in all black-and-white, like many of the band's videos from the New Jersey album. A very low budget video, it was shot all in the studio, chronicling the recording process for "Born to Be My Baby". In the full length video, there is actually a dialogue between the band members, and the band does the chorus again, unsatisfied with the original version.
The video prominently features photogenic shots of Jon Bon Jovi singing, as well as the band gathering around a microphone to sing the "na-na-na-na-na" part. The video also features Jon Bon Jovi's wife, Dorothea. The ending of the video depicts Bon Jovi cheering and hugging each other. This was the moment that the band learned New Jersey was the No. 1 album in the U.S."New Jersey Deluxe Edition" booklet. Publisher: Mercury Records. UMG Recordings, Inc
The video was included on New Jersey: The Videos, a promotional VHS that is no longer manufactured. The video was absent from the video collection Cross Road: The Videos. It was later featured on Bon Jovi's 2010 release Greatest Hits - The Ultimate Video Collection.
Charts
{{col-begin}}
{{col-2}}
=Weekly charts=
| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
!Chart (1988–1989) !Peak |
| {{single chart|Australia|30|artist=Bon Jovi|song=Born to Be My Baby|rowheader=true}} |
| scope="row"|Canada Top Singles (RPM){{cite magazine|title=RPM 100 Singles|magazine=RPM|volume=49|issue=17|page=6|date=February 20, 1989}}
|8 |
|---|
| {{single chart|Ireland2|7|song=Born to Be My Baby|rowheader=true|access-date=May 29, 2025}} |
| {{single chart|New Zealand|19|artist=Bon Jovi|song=Born to Be My Baby|rowheader=true}} |
| {{single chart|Switzerland|25|artist=Bon Jovi|song=Born to Be My Baby|rowheader=true}} |
| {{single chart|UK|22|date=19881211|rowheader=true}} |
| {{single chart|Billboardhot100|3|artist=Bon Jovi|rowheader=true}} |
| {{single chart|Billboardmainstreamrock|7|artist=Bon Jovi|rowheader=true|access-date=May 29, 2025}} |
| scope="row"|US Cash Box Top 100 Singles{{cite book|last=Whitburn|first=Joel|title=Cash Box Pop Hits 1952-1996|year=2014|publisher=Sheridan Books, Inc.|isbn=978-0-89820-209-0}}
|2 |
| {{single chart|West Germany|54|artist=Bon Jovi|song=Born to Be My Baby|songid=1899|rowheader=true}} |
{{col-2}}
=Year-end charts=
| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
!Chart (1989) !Position |
| scope="row"|Canada Top Singles (RPM){{cite magazine|url=https://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/films-videos-sound-recordings/rpm/Pages/image.aspx?Image=nlc008388.6684&URLjpg=http%3a%2f%2fwww.collectionscanada.gc.ca%2fobj%2f028020%2ff4%2fnlc008388.6684.gif&Ecopy=nlc008388.6684|title=Top 100 Singles of 1989|magazine=RPM|via=Library and Archives Canada|date=December 23, 1989|access-date=May 29, 2025}}
|83 |
|---|
| scope="row"|US Billboard Hot 100{{cite magazine|title=1989 The Year in Music: Top Pop Singles|magazine=Billboard|volume=101|issue=51|page=Y-22|date=December 23, 1989}}
|39 |
| scope="row"|US Cash Box Top 100 Singles{{cite magazine|title=Top 50 Pop Singles|magazine=Cash Box|page=9|date=December 30, 1989}}
|22 |
{{col-end}}
Certifications
{{Certification Table Top}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=Australia|type=single|award=Gold|relyear=1988|certyear=2023}}
{{Certification Table Bottom|nosales=true|noshipments=true|streaming=true}}
Release history
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
!scope="col"|Region !scope="col"|Date !scope="col"|Format(s) !scope="col"|Label(s) !scope="col"|{{abbr|Ref.|Reference}} |
| scope="row"|United States
|November 1988 |{{hlist|7-inch vinyl|mini-CD|cassette}} |rowspan="3"|Mercury | |
|---|
| scope="row" rowspan="2"|Japan
|December 21, 1988 |Mini-CD |{{cite web|url=https://www.oricon.co.jp/prof/156479/products/5469/1/|title=ボン・ジョヴィ {{!}} ボーン・トゥ・ビー・マイ・ベイビー|trans-title=Bon Jovi {{!}} Born to Be My Baby|publisher=Oricon|language=ja|access-date=May 29, 2025}} |
| February 25, 1989
|Mini-album |
References
{{Reflist}}
{{BonJovi}}
{{Authority control}}
Category:Black-and-white music videos
Category:Mercury Records singles
Category:Song recordings produced by Bruce Fairbairn
Category:Songs written by Desmond Child