Dry County (song)

"Dry County" is a song by American rock band Bon Jovi. It was released in May 1994 as the sixth and final single from their 1992 album Keep the Faith. It was written by Jon Bon Jovi. "Dry County" stands as the band's longest song released so far, with a length of 9 minutes and 52 seconds. A shorter 6-minute version reached #9 in the UK singles chart[1] and #1 in Latin America.

"Dry County"
Single by Bon Jovi
from the album Keep the Faith
Released	May 1, 1994
Recorded	1992
Genre	Hard rock, Blues rock, Progressive rock
Length	9:52 (Album version) 6:37 (Radio edit)
Label	Mercury
Songwriter(s)	Jon Bon Jovi
Producer(s)	Bob Rock
Bon Jovi singles chronology
"I Believe" (1993) "Dry County" (1994) "Always" (1994)

Lyrical interpretation

"Dry County" is about the decline of the US domestic oil industry and its effect on those whose income relied on it. In live versions of the song, during the buildup to the second guitar solo, Jon Bon Jovi often includes a monologue about the struggles of life generally.

Song structure

"Dry County" is an epic ballad that contains several rises, climaxes, and instrumental solos, in the vein of such long rock epics as "Free Bird", "Child in Time", "Stairway to Heaven", "Telegraph Road", "I Want You (She's So Heavy)", "Bohemian Rhapsody", "New York City Serenade", "Jungleland" and "November Rain".

Live performances

Although "Dry County" is considered a fan favorite, it was only played regularly on the Keep the Faith Tour. On May 13, 2006, Bon Jovi played "Dry County" live at the first concert of the summer leg of their Have a Nice Day Tour in Düsseldorf, it was the first time it had been played live in 10 years, and went on to be performed on further occasions on that tour and on the band's more recent Lost Highway Tour. The band's followers often display signs requesting the song. It was also performed during The Circle Tour and Because We Can Tour. It was performed once on the This House Is Not for Sale Tour in 2018 at the Allentown, PA show.

Track listing

UK release

CD 1:

1. "Dry County"
2. "Stranger in This Town (Live)"
3. "Blood Money (Live)"

CD 2:

1. "Dry County (Live)"
2. "It's Only Rock n Roll (Live)"
3. "Waltzing Matilda (Live)"

Charts

Chart (1994)	Peak position
Australia (ARIA)[2]	31
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[3]	26
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[4]	15
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[5]	6
Germany (Official German Charts)[6]	41
Ireland (IRMA)[7]	18
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[8]	22
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[9]	19
Scotland (OCC)[10]	14
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[11]	35
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[12]	10
UK Singles (OCC)[13]	9

References

1. "The Official Charts Company – Bon Jovi".
2. "Australian-charts.com – Bon Jovi – Dry County". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved November 3, 2012.
3. "Austriancharts.at – Bon Jovi – Dry County" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved November 3, 2012.
4. "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 11 no. 14. April 2, 1994. p. 18. Retrieved September 3, 2020.
5. Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Tammi. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
6. "Offiziellecharts.de – Bon Jovi – Dry County". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved February 18, 2019.
7. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Dry County". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved September 3, 2020.
8. "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 14, 1994" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40 Retrieved September 3, 2020.
9. "Dutchcharts.nl – Bon Jovi – Dry County" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved November 3, 2012.
10. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
11. "Swedishcharts.com – Bon Jovi – Dry County". Singles Top 100. Retrieved November 3, 2012.
12. "Swisscharts.com – Bon Jovi – Dry County". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved November 3, 2012.
13. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 3, 2012.