Dedicated Democratic Party fundraiser Jon Bon Jovi gave Gov. Christie permission to use his songs in his presidential campaign, according to Mother Jones magazine.
“My friendships are apolitical,” said Bon Jovi in a statement to Mother Jones. “And, yes, I absolutely gave him permission to use my songs.”
According to the Asbury Park Press, Bon Jovi’s “We Weren’t Born to Follow” was played at Livingston High School today, before Gov. Christie announced his candidacy, and the band’s “Have a Nice Day” and “Who Says You Can’t Go Home” were played afterwards.
The use of “Have a Nice Day” is actually quite amusing, as the use of the phrase in the song is actually meant to be sarcastic: “When the world gets in my face/I say, ‘Have a Nice Day.’ ” Jon Bon Jovi actually sounds like he’s snarling when he sings the phrase. The song is really about telling people off, not wishing them well. (On second thought, maybe that’s the point Christie was trying to make.)
Gov. Christie is a big Bruce Springsteen fan, though he adores Bon Jovi too. At Howard Stern’s birthday bash at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York, Christie, then embroiled in the Bridgegate scandal, introduced Bon Jovi (who then played “Wanted Dead or Alive”) and was subsequently roasted backstage by Joan Rivers.
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