Peak
33
Weeks
20
Score
1,976
Chart Year
2000
The music video was directed by Wayne Isham. Will Estes (as Tommy) and Shiri Appleby (as Gina) are the two main characters.[8] At the beginning, Tommy is watching a video of a Bon Jovi concert on his computer when he is ordered by his mother to take out the trash. Suddenly, Gina calls and tells him to immediately come to the tunnel as the live concert has already started. Tommy starts running down to his apartment and obediently takes out the trash. He then runs through the streets of Los Angeles up to the concert, getting chased by dogs, running a marathon, posing for pictures, and jackknifing a truck. The video was inspired by the film Run Lola Run.[9] Jon Bon Jovi met Estes on the set of U-571 and chose him to be in the video. The music video features the 2nd Street Tunnel as one of the main settings. It is the most viewed video for Bon Jovi on YouTube, reaching 1 billion views (the band's first song to do so) by the end of June 2021
This was Bon Jovi's first release since 1995. Jon Bon Jovi released a solo album in 1997, but this was the first release by the band in 5 years. It was the first single from the album. The line "For Tommy and Gina, who never backed down," is a reference to their 1986 hit "Livin' On A Prayer," which featured Tommy and Gina as young people trying to get by in tough times. The line "Like Frankie Said, I did it my way" is a reference to Frank Sinatra, who sang "My Way." Sinatra was from New Jersey, just like Bon Jovi. Bon Jovi guitarist Richie Sambora used a talkbox to create the odd vocal effects. The device gave him a distinct stage presence, since he needed to place a tube in his mouth to use it. When Bon Jovi performed this on VH1 Storytellers, Sambora had one microphone for his talkbox and another for backing vocals. Their 1986 hit, "Livin' On A Prayer" also featured a talkbox. Peter Frampton builds all of Richie Sambora's talkboxes for him. This was featured in a promo for ESPN's SportsCenter. In the spot, they talk about how well New Jersey sports teams are doing, them mention Bon Jovi's new album. At that point, Bon Jovi plays this in the middle of the newsroom. Report this ad Bon Jovi performed this at the 2001 "Concert For New York" to benefit victims of the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center. Jon Bon Jovi also spoke at the show. They played this at the closing ceremonies of the 2002 winter Olympics from Salt Lake City. Bon Jovi played this at the beginning and end of the 2002 NFL season. They performed it at the pregame festivities of the first game, and then again in the closing ceremonies at the Super Bowl. This was played at the arena immediately after the New Jersey Devils won the Stanley Cup in 2003. This was one of the most successful Bon Jovi singles internationally, reaching #1 in many countries, including Austria, Belgium, Italy and Switzerland. In October 2009 a mash-up of the song with Usher's "Confessions" by the cast of the American musical comedy TV series, Glee, peaked at #30 on the Billboard Hot 100, outperforming Bon Jovi's original version. The song's lyrics about standing up for oneself, fighting for what is right and not giving in to pressure resonated deeply with the Ukrainian people during their war with Russia. Videos emerged of Ukrainians using the song during preparations for defending their cities. In 2023, former New Jersey governor Chris Christie gave Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky a sheet of lyrics to "It's My Life" hand-scrawled by Jon Bon Jovi himself.
This ain't a song for the broken-hearted No silent prayer for faith-departed I ain't gonna be just a face in the crowd You're gonna hear my voice when I shout it out loud It's my life It's now or never I ain't gonna live forever I just wanna live while I'm alive (It's my life) My heart is like an open highway Like Frankie said, I did it my way I just wanna live while I'm alive It's my life Yeah, this is for ones who stood their ground For Tommy and Gina who never backed down Tomorrow's gettin' harder, make no mistake Luck ain't even luck, you gotta make your own breaks It's my life And it's now or never I ain't gonna live forever I just wanna live while I'm alive (It's my life) My heart is like an open highway Like Frankie said, I did it my way I just wanna live while I'm alive 'Cause it's my life Better stand tall when they're calling you out Don't bend, don't break, baby, don't back down It's my life And it's now or never 'Cause I ain't gonna live forever I just wanna live while I'm alive (It's my life) My heart is like an open highway Like Frankie said, I did it my way I just wanna live while I'm alive (It's my life) And it's now or never I ain't gonna live forever I just wanna live while I'm alive (It's my life) My heart is like an open highway Like Frankie said, I did it my way I just wanna live while I'm alive 'Cause it's my life
| Week | Chart Date | Position | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aug 12, 2000 | 64 | 62 |
| 2 | Aug 19, 2000 | 58 | 68 |
| 3 | Aug 26, 2000 | 51 | 75 |
| 4 | Sep 2, 2000 | 51 | 75 |
| 5 | Sep 9, 2000 | 48 | 78 |
| 6 | Sep 16, 2000 | 45 | 81 |
| 7 | Sep 23, 2000 | 36 | 90 |
| 8 | Sep 30, 2000 | 33 | 93 |
| 9 | Oct 7, 2000 | 34 | 92 |
| 10 | Oct 14, 2000 | 34 | 92 |
| 11 | Oct 21, 2000 | 35 | 91 |
| 12 | Oct 28, 2000 | 34 | 92 |
| 13 | Nov 4, 2000 | 39 | 87 |
| 14 | Nov 11, 2000 | 44 | 82 |
| 15 | Nov 18, 2000 | 51 | 75 |
| 16 | Nov 25, 2000 | 58 | 68 |
| 17 | Dec 2, 2000 | 61 | 65 |
| 18 | Dec 9, 2000 | 84 | 42 |
| 19 | Dec 16, 2000 | 85 | 41 |
| 20 | Dec 23, 2000 | 87 | 39 |