In March 1996, Jon Bon Jovi and Willy DeVille appeared on television in Paris, singing the classic song, “Save the Last Dance for Me.” Bon Jovi was a popular artist still riding high from his band’s music and solo work, having recently released These Days (1995), which did even better in Europe than in the U.S. DeVille, an influential singer-songwriter who had been recording for decades both with his band Mink DeVille and as a solo artist, was going through a period where he was more popular in Europe than in the U.S.
Bon Jovi was in his early 30’s, while DeVille, due to a heroin habit he would eventually kick, looked even older than his age of 45. But here, across the generations, the pop star and the independent underground legend created magic out of a hit song written before Bon Jovi was even born. First made famous by the Drifters in a 1960 release, “Save the Last Dance for Me” also had a fascinating back story behind the song and its writer Doc Pomus (who also worked with DeVille several times throughout their careers).
In the Paris TV performance, Bon Jovi and DeVille and the song join for an odd combination that should not work. But somehow they create some magic. Check it out.
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