Feathered Bangs Are Back! Bon Jovi Hits Number One

Riding their reinvention as country superstars, Bon Jovi has the No. 1 album on this week’s Billboard charts with their new record, Lost Highway. We had to think back a long time to remember the pride of New Jersey’s last No. 1 album — we were in high school back then, vigorously belittling the group’s fans and suffering endless beat-downs as a result. Below, we’ve got three true facts about the last time Bon Jovi had a chart-topping album, and one lie. Can you figure out which is which?

1. The last time Bon Jovi had a No. 1 album, George H.W. Bush hadn’t even been elected president yet.

2. The last time Bon Jovi had a No. 1 album, the No. 6 movie of the week featured Bruce Willis as Detective John McClane.

3. The last time Bon Jovi had a No. 1 album, American Idol Jordin Sparks, whose performance of the band’s “Livin’ on a Prayer” almost scuttled her chances, was only 3 months old.

4. The last time Bon Jovi had a No. 1 album was the same week that Kirk Gibson hit his dramatic ninth-inning home run in Game One of the World Series.

Find the answer after the jump!

The lie is number 3. The last time Bon Jovi had a No. 1 album, American Idol Jordin Sparks wasn’t born yet, and wouldn’t be for another two years. That’s right! Bon Jovi’s last No. 1 album was New Jersey, which topped the charts on October 15, 1988. George H.W. Bush would be elected president the next month; the original Die Hard, just months old, was still hanging around on the box-office charts; and on that very day, Kirk Gibson hit his momentous homer. All this makes us feel old but likely makes the band feel even older.

Bon Jovi scores first No. 1 album since 1988 [Reuters]