Synopsis

The video combines a romantic crime drama with a staged club performance. Jon Bon Jovi plays a heartbroken musician mourning the departure of his girlfriend, Julie, while a parallel storyline involves a violent crime boss and his henchmen. The band performs before an enthusiastic hometown crowd as the plot moves through motel-room tension, confrontations and a police raid. The dramatic thread eventually gives way to reconciliation, ending on a more hopeful note as Jon and Julie reunite.

Factoids & Trivia

• "Only Lonely" was released in 1985 as the first single from Bon Jovi's second album, 7800 Fahrenheit. The song was written by Jon Bon Jovi and keyboardist David Bryan.

• The concert footage was filmed at Modern Times, a club in Sayreville, New Jersey, where Bon Jovi had rehearsed during the band's early days. The crowd included real local fans.

• The video's crime-film concept grew beyond what the band had expected. Jon Bon Jovi later recalled that the director treated the song as the basis for a movie, leaving the group with a much more elaborate storyline than a straightforward performance clip.

• Jon was unhappy with the finished video, criticizing its dark look, excessive close-ups and lack of clear background detail. He also felt that the production did not represent the band properly.

• The reported budget was about $90,000, a figure Jon later cited while dismissing the result as a costly disappointment.

• "Only Lonely" reached No. 54 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song was also included on the soundtrack of the 1987 film Light of Day.