"I'll Sleep When I'm Dead" is a song by American

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...

band

Bon Jovi Bon Jovi is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Sayreville, New Jersey in 1983. The band consists of singer Jon Bon Jovi, keyboardist David Bryan, drummer Tico Torres, guitarists John Shanks and Phil X, percussionist Everett Bradley ...

. It was released on July 26, 1993, by Mercury and Jambco, as the fourth single from their fifth studio album, '' Keep the Faith'' (1992). The song was written by

Jon Bon Jovi John Francis Bongiovi Jr. (born March 2, 1962), known professionally as Jon Bon Jovi, is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, and actor. He is best known as the founder and Lead vocalist, frontman of the rock band Bon Jovi, which was fo ...

Richie Sambora Richard Stephen Sambora (born July 11, 1959) is an American musician, singer, and songwriter, best known as the lead guitarist of the rock band Bon Jovi from 1983 to 2013. He and lead singer Jon Bon Jovi formed the main songwriting unit for the ...

, and

Desmond Child John Charles Barrett (born October 28, 1953), known professionally as Desmond Child, is an American songwriter and record producer. He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2008. He has been nominated for four Grammy Awards, a Primet ...

. "I'll Sleep When I'm Dead" reached 17 on the UK Singles Chart, No. 97 on the US ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100, also known as simply the Hot 100, is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), o ...

, and No. 29 on the ''Billboard''

Album Rock Tracks Mainstream Rock is a music chart published by ''Billboard'' magazine that ranks the most-played songs on mainstream rock radio stations in the United States. It is an administrative category that combines the " active rock" and " heritage rock" fo ...

charts. The

grave A grave is a location where a cadaver, dead body (typically that of a human, although sometimes that of an animal) is burial, buried or interred after a funeral. Graves are usually located in special areas set aside for the purpose of buria ...

the Doors The Doors were an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1965, comprising vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, guitarist Robby Krieger and drummer John Densmore. They were among the most influential and controversial rock acts ...

' lead singer

Jim Morrison James Douglas Morrison (December 8, 1943 – July 3, 1971) was an American singer, songwriter, and poet who was the lead vocalist and primary lyricist of the rock band the Doors. Due to his charismatic persona, poetic lyrics, distinctive vo ...

was featured in the song's music video.

Live performances

The driving drumbeat and catchy chorus of "I'll Sleep When I'm Dead" have made it a crowd favourite during live performances. It had the distinction of being one of the few Bon Jovi songs to be played at virtually every live concert since its introduction, until

The Circle Tour The Circle Tour was a worldwide concert tour in 2010 by American rock band Bon Jovi to promote their 11th studio album '' The Circle'' (2009). The tour started in North America and progressed to Europe, South America, Asia and Australia. It inc ...

in 2010, where it was only played occasionally. When played, it is often incorporated into a medley with a

cover song In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song released ...

inserted into the middle, such as "

Jumpin' Jack Flash "Jumpin' Jack Flash" is a song by the English rock band the Rolling Stones, released as a non-album single in 1968. Called "supernatural Delta blues by way of Swinging London" by ''Rolling Stone'' magazine, the song was seen as the band's retu ...

" by

the Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for over six decades, they are one of the most popular, influential, and enduring bands of the Album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the band pione ...

, or "

Papa Was a Rollin' Stone "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone" is a song originally performed by Motown recording act the Undisputed Truth in 1972, though it became much better known after a Grammy-award winning cover by the Temptations was issued later the same year. This la ...

" by

the Undisputed Truth The Undisputed Truth was an American Motown recording act assembled by record producer Norman Whitfield to experiment with his psychedelic soul production techniques. Joe "Pep" Harris served as main lead singer, with Billie Rae Calvin and Bren ...

. Concert footage of "I'll Sleep When I'm Dead" can be viewed on the '' Live From London'' and ''

The Crush Tour ''The Crush Tour'' is a third concert video by American band Bon Jovi from the European leg of their Crush Tour. It was recorded on August 30, 2000 in Zürich, Switzerland. It was directed by Anthony Bongiovi. It was released on DVD in 2001. T ...

'' DVDs.

Track listings

* US CD # "I'll Sleep When I'm Dead" 4:44 # "I'll Sleep When I'm Dead (Live)" * UK CD # "I'll Sleep When I'm Dead" 4:44 # " Blaze of Glory (Live)" 5:50 Recorded live at the

Count Basie Theatre The Count Basie Center for the Arts, originally Count Basie Theatre, is a landmarked performing arts center in Red Bank, New Jersey. The building first opened in 1926 as the Carlton Theater and later, in 1973, became known as the Monmouth Arts ...

Red Bank, New Jersey Red Bank is a borough in Monmouth County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Incorporated in 1908, the community is on the Navesink River, the area's original transportation route to the ocean and other ports. Red Bank is in the New York metro ...

—December 1992 # "Wild in the Streets (Live)" 4:58 Recorded live at Tampa Sundome,

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

—March 1993 * UK cassette single # "I'll Sleep When I'm Dead" 4:44 # " Never Say Goodbye (Live Acoustic Version)" 5:30 Recorded live at the Miami Arena,

—March 1993

Personnel

– lead vocals *

– guitars *

Alec John Such Alexander John Such (November 14, 1951 – June 5, 2022) was an American musician, best known as the bassist of the rock band Bon Jovi. He played in the band from 1983 to 1994, appearing on their first five studio albums. Biography Such was ...

– bass guitar * Tico Torres – drums *

David Bryan David Bryan Rashbaum (born February 7, 1962) is an American musician and songwriter, best known as the keyboard player for the rock band Bon Jovi, in which he also co-wrote songs and performed backing vocals. In 2018, he was inducted into the ...

– keyboards *

Bob Rock Robert Jens Rock (born April 19, 1954) is a Canadian record producer, recording engineer and musician. In 1976, Rock joined Little Mountain Sound Studios, starting out as a recording engineer and sound mixer. During his time there, he coll ...

– producer ("I'll Sleep When I'm Dead") * Obie O'Brien – producer/engineer ("Blaze of Glory (Live)", "Wild In The Streets (Live)", "Never Say Goodbye (Live Acoustic Version)"), mix ("Wild In The Streets (Live)", "Never Say Goodbye (Live Acoustic Version)") * Nicoloa – mix ("Wild In The Streets (Live)") * Margery Greenspan – art direction * Patricia Lie – design * Frank Ockenfels – photography

Charts

Certifications

Release history

References

{{Authority control Bon Jovi songs 1992 songs 1993 singles Cultural depictions of Jim Morrison Mercury Records singles Song recordings produced by Bob Rock Songs written by Desmond Child Songs written by Jon Bon Jovi Songs written by Richie Sambora