Songfacts®:

• In the grand tradition of power-pop anthems, Jon Bon Jovi delivers a heart-tugging tribute to his six-string muse in "My First Guitar." It's a personal affair, sparked by the serendipitous reuniting of a dusty relic from his New Jersey garage band days.
• The instrument in question is a cheap Japanese sunburst Stratocaster-style guitar made by Univox (think bargain-bin Hendrix). "My parents bought it for me for a hundred dollars and it was perfectly fine," Bon Jovi told UK newspaper The Sun. "It came in a cardboard case with crushed red velvet inside."
  
  Young Jon sold the guitar to a neighborhood kid in 1979, but fate, it seems, has a funny way of recycling gear. A volunteer at the Soul Kitchen (part of the charitable foundation Jon runs with wife Dorothea) dropped a bombshell: the "neighborhood kid" who bought the instrument all those years ago still had it. He told Jon, "I know the kid you sold it to. He thinks the guitar belongs to you and would you like to buy it back?'"
  
  It turned out, the "kid" (now a retired police officer) still resided in Jon's hometown of Sayreville, and a reunion was arranged. "The guy was incredibly kind and didn't want much money," said Bon Jovi. "Not only had the guitar never been touched in that time, but I believe it still had my sweat marks on it."
• Jon Bon Jovi wrote and produced the track himself, composing it on that first guitar. He and the rest of the band recorded it for Bon Jovi's 16th album, Forever.
• Jon Bon Jovi is joined on Forever by fellow founding Bon Jovi bandmates, keyboardist David Bryan and drummer Tico Torres, plus touring members, bassist Hugh McDonald and guitarists Phil X and John Shanks. The latter also co-produced the album with Jon Bon Jovi.