"Who Says YouCan't Go Home" is a song written by Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora for the American rock band Bon Jovi's ninth album Have a Nice Day. The song was produced by John Shanks, Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora. A duet version of the song featuring vocals from Jennifer Nettles of the American duo Sugarland was also shipped to country music radio. Both versions of the song feature on Have a Nice Day; the original version appears as the fourth track, while the country version appears as the thirteenth and final track. "Who Says You Can't Go Home" was released as the second single in North America in the first quarter of 2006 and reached the top 30 on the US Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number 23. Outside North America, "Welcome to Wherever You Are" was released as the second single with "Who Says You Can't Go Home" being released as the album's third single on June 12, 2006. The song reached number five in the United Kingdom, becoming the band's second top-ten single from the album. The duet with Jennifer Nettles peaked at number one on the BillboardHot Country Songs chart.
Country version
In the United States, a version of the song was released to the country music format as a duet with Jennifer Nettles, lead singer of the duo Sugarland. The country music version was originally recorded as a duet with Keith Urban, who also played banjo on the song. After Jon Bon Jovi decided that Urban's voice was too similar to his own, he asked a representative of Mercury Records to recommend a female duet partner. The country version was performed on Saturday Night Live on October 13, 2007.
Music videos
The music video for the country/Jennifer Nettles version, released in November 2005 and directed by Jon's brother, Anthony M. Bongiovi, features Habitat for Humanity volunteers, including members of the Philadelphia SoulArena Football League team owned in part by Jon Bon Jovi, building homes for low-income families and was used to promote the organization. It won an award for Best Collaborative Video at the CMT Music Awards in 2006. The shooting of the music video for the regular version, featuring a man dressed up as a dog, began at the March 9, 2006 Bon Jovi concert at the Glendale Arena outside Phoenix and continued in the Los Angeles area. The video was released in the week of March 27, 2006. It was directed by Jeff Labbé through @radical.media, lensed by David Lanzenberg, and edited by Steve Prestemon.
During the 2008 US Presidential election, the original version of "Who Says You Can't Go Home" was used frequently at public events supporting the Republican Party. Specifically, the song was a prominent feature at several large rallies supporting vice-presidential candidate and former Governor of AlaskaSarah Palin. This use of the song quickly became part of a controversy over several different songs that Republican candidates had been using without the artists' permission, including music by Foo Fighters, Heart, John Mellencamp, and Boston. The Republicans, in turn, claimed "blanket rights" to play the songs at their public events. In launching the complaint, Bon Jovi stated, Bon Jovi has been an enthusiastic Democratic Party supporter, appearing at a $30,000-per-plate fundraiser in support of President Barack Obama and performing at rallies for various Democratic candidates.
Awards and achievements
Won award for "Best Collaborative Video" at the CMT Music Awards in 2006.
