1983 Rock Song, Written by a 19-Year-Old, Is Still a Generational Hit 43 Years Later

When Jon Bon Jovi wrote “Runaway,” he was only 19 and did not even have a band or a record deal. More than four decades later, the song remains one of Bon Jovi’s most important early hits and a defining rock song of the 1980s.

“Runaway” first reached radio stations in 1983, before Bon Jovi had become the full band known around the world. Its early success helped change Jon Bon Jovi’s career, leading to the formation of the band and a record deal with Mercury Records.

The song later became the first single from Bon Jovi’s self-titled debut album, which arrived in January 1984. It reached No. 39 on the Billboard Hot 100, giving the group its first U.S. Top 40 hit.

But “Runaway” had a much smaller beginning.

At the time, Jon Bon Jovi was still trying to find his way into the music business. He had written the song before Bon Jovi existed as a band and had trouble getting a record deal.

Looking back in a 2020 interview with Virgin Radio UK, Bon Jovi explained how difficult those early days were, per uDiscover Music.

“It’s 1982. I write ‘Runaway,’ but I can’t get a record deal. I can’t even get myself a band because, you know, original bands aren’t making any money at this time.”

That changed when a New York radio station gave the song an opportunity.

How ‘Runaway’ Became a Bon Jovi Breakthrough

“Runaway” was recorded at The Power Station in New York with a group of professional session musicians. The lineup included guitarist Tim Pierce, bassist Hugh McDonald, drummer Frankie LaRocka and keyboardist Roy Bittan, who was also part of Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band.

Jon Bon Jovi was already working at The Power Station, where his cousin Tony Bongiovi was involved in the studio business. He was close to the recording world, but he had not yet become the frontman of a major rock band.

Tim Pierce later remembered meeting Jon when the future rock star was just 19.

“Jon Bon Jovi was 19 at that time, I was 23, and Jon had the laser-focus about becoming a rock star at age 19. And I understand how he was able to do what he did, because he was completely laser-focused on being a rock star.”

According to Ultimate Guitar, Pierce said Jon already understood what he wanted from his career.

“He was already connected through his family. He was just a kid who very, very instinctively knew what he wanted to do and he knew how to negotiate the business because he was working at the studio and hanging out with Bruce Springsteen and all kinds of people at the Power Station [recording studio].”

The recording itself was not planned as the start of a major rock career. Pierce said he did not expect the track to become Bon Jovi’s first single.

“It was totally improvised. I had no idea that that song would go out into the world and be his first single.”

The guitarist also said the musicians worked together at The Power Station to build the recording. Pierce created the guitar solo during the session.

“We tracked the song, then we went upstairs into a smaller room and we overdubbed the guitars and the solo, and I made up the solo. You create with the advice and the collaboration of the others, and they weigh in on what you are going to do.”

The turning point came in 1983 when Bon Jovi brought “Runaway” to WAPP 103.5FM, a new radio station in New York.

The station’s DJ Chip Hobart and promotion director John Lassman heard the song and liked it. Hobart played it repeatedly, giving the track the radio exposure it needed.

WAPP also held a contest with St. John’s University to find the best unsigned local band. “Runaway” won, and the song became a local radio hit.

“Runaway” began reaching listeners outside the New York area, while its success helped lead to the creation of the Bon Jovi lineup.

The band soon caught the attention of record executive Derek Shulman, who helped broker a deal with Mercury Records. The label chose “Runaway” as the first single from the band’s debut album.

The success of “Runaway” did not end with its original radio run. The song remained part of Bon Jovi’s live identity even after the band became internationally famous.

While much of the material from the band’s first two albums became less common in later shows, “Runaway” continued to be performed regularly. Jon Bon Jovi also said in 2007 that he believed the song still held up.

Jon Bon Jovi has also spoken openly about the song’s early music video. In a 2024 conversation with Ultimate Classic Rock, he criticized the video and said the band had little control over its production at the time.

“I’m not a filmmaker,” Bon Jovi said. “Some of them we really got right, and others we didn’t. God knows things like ‘Runaway’ and some of those early ones were just dreck!”

Despite that early video, the song itself survived.

“Runaway” is therefore more than an early Bon Jovi single. It was the recording that helped move Jon Bon Jovi from an aspiring young songwriter into the beginning of a professional rock career.

Related: 1971 Rock Song, Lasting Nearly 23 Minutes, Is Still a Powerful Hit 55 Years Later