Bon Jovi: Stream ‘American Reckoning,’ a Somber New Song Reacting to This Current Era in the U.S. and Evoking George Floyd’s Death

“I was moved to write ‘American Reckoning’ as a witness to history,” said Jon Bon Jovi regarding “American Reckoning,” a new song premiered by Bon Jovi on Friday. “I believe the greatest gift of an artist is the ability to use their voice to speak to issues that move us.”

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The song, which was released to digital platforms and will be included on the forthcoming Bon Jovi 2020 album due out this fall, is a minimalist composition emphasizing Bon Jovi’s lyrics, which touch on the May 25 killing of George Floyd by the Minneapolis Police Department and the subsequent social unrest and protests we’ve seen in the month-plus since.

Some especially pertinent lyrics:

God damn those 8 long minutes
Lying face down in cuffs on the ground
Bystanders pleaded for mercy
As one, cop shoved a kid in the crowd
When did a judge and a jury
Become a badge and a knee
On these streets?

and

I’ll never know what it’s like
To walk a mile in his shoes
And I’ll never have to have the talk
So it don’t happen to you
Three little words written ‘cross the chest
Of a twelve year old who hasn’t lived life yet
“Am I next? Am I next?”

Stream the song below: