Watch: Man begins singing Bon Jovi anthem in London park, sparks massive feel-good singalong
Watch Londoners conduct a spontaneous singalong of Bon Jovi classic Livin' On A Prayer: "This might be the closest humanity has gotten towards world peace" notes one commentator
Select the newsletters you’d like to receive. Then, add your email to sign up.
You are now subscribed
Your newsletter sign-up was successful
Want to add more newsletters?
Every Friday
Louder
Louder’s weekly newsletter is jam-packed with the team’s personal highlights from the last seven days, including features, breaking news, reviews and tons of juicy exclusives from the world of alternative music.
Every Friday
Classic Rock
The Classic Rock newsletter is an essential read for the discerning rock fan. Every week we bring you the news, reviews and the very best features and interviews from our extensive archive. Written by rock fans for rock fans.
Every Friday
Metal Hammer
For the last four decades Metal Hammer has been the world’s greatest metal magazine. Created by metalheads for metalheads, ‘Hammer takes you behind the scenes, closer to the action, and nearer to the bands that you love the most.
Every Friday
Prog
The Prog newsletter brings you the very best of Prog Magazine and our website, every Friday. We'll deliver you the very latest news from the Prog universe, informative features and archive material from Prog’s impressive vault.
"You can't start a fire without a spark" Bruce Springsteen once sang, and frankly, we're not going to argue with 'The Boss'. Particularly when there's film footage available to back up the wisdom of his words.
Let's take a short trip back in time to see a real world example of how this can word in practice: it's January 2020, and sitting alone in a central London park, close to Embankment station on the Thames, a man starts quietly singing Bon Jovi's 1986 single Livin' On A Prayer.
London being London, one might perhaps anticipate that disapproving looks and the occasional 'tut-tut' from passers-by might silence this lone voice, but not this time.
Instead, as illustrated by footage of the incident uploaded to YouTube by one Matej Priteržnik, when our hero reaches the song's uplifting chorus, the entire population of the park raises its voice as one to belt out the words, "Woah, we're half way there..." etc,.
"This might be the closest humanity has gotten towards world peace" notes one YouTube commentator.
Watch the footage below:
The life-affirming footage is regularly re-uploaded on social media, most recently by the Goodable Twitter account, reaping much positive feedback.
'Today is a good day for many to remember, you never are truly alone' notes one reply.
Once again, wise words.
Sign up below to get the latest from Classic Rock, plus exclusive special offers, direct to your inbox!
A man was sitting alone, on a bench in a park, singing Bon Jovi's Living on a Prayer by himself.By the end, the entire park joined along to sing with him. pic.twitter.com/j18PmkN8g2November 24, 2022
In other feel-good news, Richie Sambora recently said that there's a "possibility" of him reuniting with Bon Jovi next year.
The guitarist joined Bon Jovi in 1983 and co-wrote most of the band’s biggest hits, including Livin' On A Prayer. He walked away in 2013 prior to a show on the first leg of their Because We Can tour, later citing the need for a break and to handle some family issues. Talk of him returning to the band has barely stopped since.
At the Music Industry Trusts Award show in London, Sambora was asked by Metro whether a reunion with Bon Jovi was likely.
He said: "It’s a possibility. We’re talking a bit." Metro notes that Sambora gave his response with a 'cheeky smile on his face.'
Sambora's response came as he was specifically asked whether he'd consider playing with Bon Jovi as headliners for Glastonbury 2023.
Classic Rock is the online home of the world's best rock'n'roll magazine. We bring you breaking news, exclusive interviews and behind-the-scenes features, as well as unrivalled access to the biggest names in rock music; from Led Zeppelin to Deep Purple, Guns N’ Roses to the Rolling Stones, AC/DC to the Sex Pistols, and everything in between. Our expert writers bring you the very best on established and emerging bands plus everything you need to know about the mightiest new music releases.

