Bon Jovi 2000s
 Between 1990 and 1992, the band members went their separate ways for a while to refocus before writing and recording their next album. This time off also helped them determine where Bon Jovi would fit within the rapidly changing music scene upon their return. Jon recorded a solo album, a soundtrack to the movie Young Guns II, more commonly known as Blaze of Glory, (in which he had an extremely brief cameo). Released in 1990, the album featured high profile guests such as: Elton John, Little Richard, and Jeff Beck, among others. The album fared well commercially, received positive reviews and quickly achieved platinum status. The title track, Blaze of Glory, hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and earned Jon an Academy Award nomination for Best Song. That same year, however, Blaze of Glory was awarded a Golden Globe.
His bandmates kept busy as well. Sambora, with the help of Tico Torres and David Bryan, also released a solo album entitled Stranger In This Town, in 1991. The album had a predominant blues influence to it and featured Eric Clapton on the song Mr. Bluesman. David Bryan recorded a soundtrack for the horror movie The Netherworld, which was the brighter part of that year after he was hospitalized with an illness due to a South American parasite. Such took a fall off of his motorcycle which injured his bass-playing hand, forcing him to develop a whole new way to hold and play his instrument.
In 1992, the band returned with the album Keep the Faith. Produced by Bob Rock, it featured more a mature sound and lyrical content. Their fans were pleasantly surprised and the album became a moderate hit amidst the rise of grunge. Singles Bed of Roses, Keep the Faith and In These Arms, all hit the Top 40 in the U.S. Other songs on the album were released as singles internationally, mainly the epic Dry County, I Believe, and the crowd favorite I'll Sleep When I'm Dead. This album is also notable for being the first in a string of albums which proved more popular worldwide than in the U.S. It went double platinum in the U.S., but sold much more worldwide.
In 1994, Bon Jovi released a greatest hits album titled Cross Road, which also contained two new tracks: the hit singles Always and Someday I'll Be Saturday Night, as well as an updated rendition of Livin' on a Prayer entitled Prayer '94, available only on the U.S. version. The diction of 'prayer' in the new version was altered due to a mixing error, and is heard as 'rayer on some pressings. Always was originally written for a soundtrack to the film Romeo Is Bleeding, but after seeing (and disliking) the movie, the band decided not to lend the song to the producers and instead released it on Cross Road. The video for Always featured Carla Gugino, an actress known for her roles in several TV shows' and films such as Son In Law and actor Jack Noseworthy, best known for his role in the 2000 film U-571. Always spent thirty-two weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 and became one of Bon Jovi's biggest hits.The song peaked at #4 on the US charts and at #1 in countries across Europe, Asia and in Australia. The single sold very well, going platinum in the U.S.
That same year, bassist Alec John Such left the band, the first lineup change since Bon Jovi began. Hugh McDonald, who was the bassist on Runaway, unofficially replaced Such as bassist. To this day, there is still speculation on whether Alec was fired or left on his own accord. Jon has claimed that Such was making too many mistakes onstage as a result of intoxication while performing. Such denied many of these claims in an interview soon after his departure, but later admitted there was some truth to them. Jon has made it public that there has been contact between Such and other band members recently. He even rejoined the band on stage for one song (Wanted Dead or Alive) during their homecoming show at Giants Stadium in 2001. While he has not been officially replaced, Hugh McDonald has handled studio and live bass duties since then, with rumours that he had also recorded bass on previous albums. Jon said, regarding the departure of Such: Of course it hurts. But I learned to accept and respect it. The fact that I'm a workaholic, studio in, studio out, stage on, stage off, want to be dealing with music day and night, doesn't mean everyone else has to adjust to that pace. Alec wanted to quit for a while now, so it didn't come as a complete surprise.
With the 1995 album These Days, Bon Jovi took the mature rock sound they had developed on Keep the Faith further. The record as a whole was darker and more downbeat, with some songs showing R&B influences. As a result, These Days went platinum in the U.S. and topped the UK charts. Despite critical kudos[citation needed], it spun off only one hit single in the U.S., This Ain't A Love Song. Nevertheless, the other tracks proved to be popular European singles, including Hey God, Something for the Pain, Lie to Me, and the title track. In 1996, Bon Jovi claimed in an interview with the German magazine Bravo that as a result of the overwhelming success of the These Days tour, the album had sold in excess of 20 million copies worldwide[citation needed].
By 1996, Bon Jovi had established themselves as a force in the music industry, proving much more durable than most of their '80s glam peers. At the end of the These Days Tour, the band once again decided to take a break and pursue other interests. Tico used the opportunity further pursue his passion for painting while David started writing and composing various musicals. In 1998, Richie released his second solo outing called Undiscovered Soul.
Jon had also been bitten by the acting bug. He landed lead roles in movies Little City and The Leading Man, and supporting roles in Moonlight and Valentino, Tranny Freakout!, Homegrown, and U-571, among others. While he was free between filming different movies, Jon wrote what would become his second solo album, 1997's Destination Anywhere. The album received positive reviews and was a success across Europe. It was rumored that the record company was pursuing Jon to name the record These Days, Part 2, since the album was somewhat of a moody progression from These Days. A short movie of the same name was recorded right around the record's release, based entirely on the songs from the record and starring Jon Bon Jovi, Demi Moore, Kevin Bacon and Whoopi Goldberg. Dave Stewart of Eurythmics played guitar on the record, as well as produced some of the tracks.
Bon Jovi reunited in 1999 to record the song Real Life for the movie EdTV. David Bryan didn't make it to the filming of the video for the song because of a hand injury sustained in a home improvement mishap, so the band used a cardboard cutout of him for the shoot.
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