Cher "We All Sleep Alone"

"It wouldn't be easy to be Mr. Cher," Cher once said and that's an understatement. Her list of boyfriends can fill an entire notebook with the likes of Tom Cruise, Val Kilmer, Warren Beatty, and Gene Simmons filling each respective chapter. Cher claims she could've dated Elvis, but chickened out. Ironically, Cher released "We All Sleep Alone" in 1988 -- a song she penned with Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora. A couple years later, Cher and Sambora hooked up and dated for a couple years.

Bon Jovi "Who Says You Can't Go Home"

Bon Jovi made sure everyone heard his 2005 song "Who Says You Can't Go Home". His plan for worl dominance consisted of recording a rock and country version of his upbeat tune. Jon recruited Jennifer Nettles of Sugarland for her vocal services in the country version. The song(s) proved to be so popular both on the radio and off; Republicans even used it in 2008 at events to support Vice Presidential-nominee Sarah Palin. Since they used it without permission, Bon Jovi ordered them to stop and then went on to perform at rallies in support of presidential hopeful Barack Obama.

Bon Jovi "Never Say Goodbye"

How many New Jersey high schools featured Bon Jovi's "Never Say Goodbye" as their prom theme? The answer: many.

Bon Jovi "Always"

While most high school students spent their free time breaking into their parent's liquor cabinet my friend John and I hopped trains. Yep. We would climb aboard boxcars of the local freight train on the rickety old tracks near our houses and ride it nearly three-miles to the next town. The train didn't move fast (10 MPH at most) and didn't do much other than drop off a string of cars at a Ford plant and then return with the previous day's cars that were now empty. The short line railroad proved to be a big part of my youth as I spent many nights on those tracks during some trying times.

One particular winter night in 1994, John and I climbed aboard the train and traveled the three-mile stretch before jumping off the train just before it entered the Ford warehouse. The warehouse sat among a busy street, but with little else except industrial buildings nearby. The list of places for John and I to go while waiting for the train to make its return trip was short. This night, we decided to walk to the nearby gas station and came across a girl standing in the phone booth talking to her friend (remember, it was 1994). She seemed nervous as we approached, opened the door and asked if we needed to use the phone. John and I politely declined. Then the girl struck up a conversation. Somehow we got on the topic that we were train hopping and killing time until the train headed back to our town. Then she immediately passed the phone over to us. Her friend on the phone begged us not to train hop, but we assured her that we were pros at this and there was nothing to worry about. "Fine," she said, "But promise me that you'll call me when you guys get home." John and I looked at each other, agreed to check-in and got her phone number. About an hour later, we placed the phone call and relayed that we safely made it home. From there, the three of us formed a friendship via the telephone and spent many nights on three-way phone calls with them.

Neither John nor I ever knew what she looked like and the same held true for her -- we only knew each other from our voices. She was a couple years younger and went to a different school. Despite this, we used to talk late into the night to her on the phone--sometimes her friend whose nickname was "Birdy" also joined the conversation. I don't know what ever happened to her or Birdy as John and I eventually moved out of our parent's respective houses and went to college. Despite both John and I having a steel trap for a memory, we both can't remember her name. However, I do recall that she was a big fan of the song "Always" from Bon Jovi. Everything else is a blur.

Bon Jovi - "This Ain't A Love Song"

Q: What ain't a love song?
A: This.

Bon Jovi - "Superman Tonight"

Sure he can get a crowd all pumped with "Livin' On A Prayer", but he can also belt out a ballad like the best of 'em.  "Superman Tonight" was Bon Jovi's 2010 power ballad that gave the band something else to perform when it didn't want to sing "Bed of Roses".

Hall & Oates - "So Close"

Hall & Oates kicked off the 1990s after a successful decade of producing numerous radio-friendly songs.  Some hits were very good ("Maneater") while others were fodder for the band's haters to ridicule ("Method of Modern Love").  Their 1990 Change of Season album was a turning point for the duo as their ability to churn out hit after hit began to lose steam.  Change of Season was the group's final commercially successful album of new material.  Written by Bon Jovi, "So Close" was the first single from that album.  The album contained an acoustic version of the song as well as a fully-produced (and radio-friendly) version.  The lyrics fully encompass the level of respect that Hall & Oates has faced over the decades.  Despite dozens of hit songs in multiple genres, people are quick to write off the group as merely an '80s band.  So close, yet so far away from the respect Hall & Oates deserves.