Former New Jersey governor Chris Christie recently made a trip to Ukraine to visit wartime President Zelensky and gifted him handwritten lyrics to the hit Bon Jovi song “It’s My Life” on behalf of Jon Bon Jovi himself.
Christie, who served as a Republican governor of Bon Jovi’s home state from 2010 through 2018, officially launched his presidential campaign for the 2024 election in June and has been making the rounds not only stateside, but overseas.
Meeting with President Zelensky, Christie called it an “honor” as he witness firsthand “the heroism Ukranians have displayed in their fight against Russia.” Appearing to back continued support for the country’s defenses against the war waged by Russia (dubbed a “special military operation” by the invading country), he notes on X (formerly Twitter), “America has never moved forward by ignoring the rest of the world. We can’t start now.”
He also shares why he presented Zelensky with handwritten Bon Jovi lyrics in another tweet.
“Last year there was a video of a Ukranian band playing Bon Jovi “It’s My Life” during war efforts,” he prefaces on X, revealing that Bon Jovi wanted to “return the favor and went above and beyond with handwritten lyrics and a message of support.”
“[Bon Jovi] wrote it out in his own hand, got it framed, and I brought it to President Zelensky … and said that this is representative of many of the American people and what they feel about the cause that’s being fought for in Ukraine,” Christie tells CNN in a recent interview (via New York Post).
READ MORE: Ukrainian President Names the 3 Rock Artists That Help Him Unwind
“It’s My Life” was released in 2000 and appears on Bon Jovi’s seventh studio album, Crush and helped propel the record to multi-platinum status in several countries. Largely seen as an empowerment anthem, the song contains lyrics about standing your ground, never looking back and not backing down while taking ownership of your own destiny.
Per setlist.fm, “It’s My Life” is the ninth most played song live by Bon Jovi, having been performed over 800 times.
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