Singer Jon Bon Jovi says that since he is the “poster boy” for white privilege, he was extra careful when writing his new song “American Reckoning.”
Bon Jovi on Politics
Bon Jovi released the song back in July, which references the ongoing Black Lives Matter protest, as well as the murder of George Floyd and police brutality. However, the singer says he isn’t taking sides in politics.
“American Reckoning” is part of Bon Jovi’s new album titled “2020,” which debuted in early October.
“If you’re a writer, this is fertile ground,” the singer said. “And now I’m just going, ‘This is all I need to be writing.’ Moments in history, moments in my history, moments in time.”
In a few lines of the new song, the 58-year-old sings, “America’s on fire. There’s protests in the street. Her conscience has been looted, and her soul is under siege.”
He goes on to reference Floyd with the line, “Another mother’s crying, as history repeats. I can’t breathe.”
Bon Jovi admits that he was cautious while writing the lyrics to the song due to his race.
“If I’m not the poster boy for what could be described as white privilege, then who is?” Bon Jovi states. “I’m an older, white, affluent celebrity, you know? I got it.”
The singer continued, saying, “So, I had to be very careful, and I ran it by friends and people I didn’t know, who could opine. And they did. I wrote and rewrote and rewrote, and I wanted to make sure that I was adding something to the conversation, but made sure I did my homework.”
He also said that unlike other songs on the album, this one was not meant to be about politics but about events from this year.
“Because I’m not taking sides,” he told the outlet. “I don’t care about your politics. I care about you just realizing that in a world in which we live, we’re breathing the same air.”
Lower the Flag
Bon Jovi released the song “Lower the Flag” on October 2, 2020. It talks about mass shootings in the United States referencing the ones in Dayton and El Paso, Texas.
[H/T Fox News]
